Copyright Police Want Belgian Truck Drivers To Have Licensed Cab Music

Another 'Only in Belgium' story....

The Belgian music royalty collecting agency SABAM has once again stepped up to enforce their strict copyright regime. After collecting money for fake artists and forgetting to pay out to real ones, they are now targeting truck drivers who listen to music in their cabs without an appropriate license.

This week SABAM made the headlines once again, this time claiming money from truck drivers who listen to music in their cabs. Since a truck’s cab is a place of work the drivers are obliged to pay royalty fees, they argue. Those are simply the rules according to the copyright police, but not everyone agrees.

“It’s utter nonsense,” said Maggie De Block, member of the Belgian Parliament in a response to the claim. “The truck drivers don’t need the radio so much for playing music, but for their safety. So it is illogical that they should pay for it.”

Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne is not backing the theory of the copyright police either. He said that listening to radio is essential for truckers and noted that above all, a truck’s cab is an intimate space.

Angered by the responses from these politicians, SABAM said that they have the right to claim money from anyone who listens to music while working. The copyright collectors refer to an agreement they have with Minister Van Quickenborne which allows them to charge anyone, anytime. Whether they are in an office or a truck cab makes no difference, they say.

The safety argument doesn’t impress SABAM either, as they claim truck drivers still profit from listening to ‘free’ music when the radio is on.

Although SABAM might be right while following the letter of the law, the above example and numerous others where small businesses or non-profits have been hunted down in the past do not help them to maintain a good public image. We also wonder if the artists are very happy with such a strict copyright regime.

But then again, someone has to pay for the luxurious furniture at the SABAM offices, and the generous salaries these copyright crusaders enjoy. Piggybacking on the creations of musicians is big business after all.

A few great Stella Artois Commercials

Mother kills 5 children...innocent father gets billed for costs...only in Belgium

Life is more than a little strange in this country, so although this story doesn't surprise me a bit, it does make for a daily dose of humour.

A Belgian man has protested at being asked to pay for the prosecution of his ex-wife who killed their five children, a local newspaper reports.

"I am disgusted and revolted," Bouchaib Moqadem told Le Soir newspaper.

Genvieve Lhermitte was sentenced to life in prison in December 2009 for murdering their son and four daughters while Mr Moqadem was on holiday.

Belgium tries to recover the cost of its prosecutions from those convicted but Lhermitte is insolvent.

So the state has instead sent the 72,743 euros ($97,000; £65,000) bill to Mr Moqadem.

It says the money should come from Lhermitte's share of the sale of their house.

Mr Moqadem's lawyer has reportedly asked for the bill to be written off.

Train crash kills at least 20 during morning rush hour

Two packed commuter trains crashed head-on outside of Brussels in the morning rush hour, killing at least 25 people, according to Belgian media reports. The local trains collided near Halle, some 15 kilometres southwest of Brussels at 8:30 a.m.

National broadcaster VRT said 25 people were killed, but officials from the train line operator were unable to immediately confirm that figure. Train services, including the high-speed line between Brussels and Paris, were blocked. The operator Thalys says three trains are involved and advises passengers to change their travel plans.

A spokesman for Eurostar, the high-speed passenger rail service connecting London with Brussels warned that "it is possible that services will remain suspended all day." Two carriages have been completely destroyed in the crash according to early reports. Infrabel, the train operator, has confirmed that there are tens of people seriously injured.

The accident occurred during the rush hour as people were travelling to work. One train was travelling from the direction of Louvain and was on its way to Braine-le-Comte the other was coming from Quiévrain and was going to Liège.

The overhead cables have been severely damaged by the accident and train travel on the lines between Brussels and Doornik and Brussels and Bergen has ground to a halt.

A crisis centre has been set up and the emergency services have arrived en masse at the scene. The cause of the accident is not known.

Scores of reactions are pouring in to Belgian websites reporting the crash. People are reacting with a mixture of disbelief and anger that this has happened.

"How is it that two trains can collide head-on, this means that one was on the wrong track. Are there no safety systems that prevent this type of blunder from happening?” said one reaction to the online edition of newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws.

“Lucky it is a holiday today, otherwise they would have been even more people on the trains,” said another reaction to the site.

Miss Belgium causing controversy again

Some say politics and beauty go hand-in-hand, but it appears no-one told 18-year-old Miss Belgium winner Cilou Annys

Annys sparked controversy when she posed in a magazine with nationalist politician Bart de Wever, who wants independence for the Dutch-speaking region of northern Belgium from the francophone south of Wallonia.

The provocative photo shows de Wever slicing through the word Belgium, embroided on Ms Annys winner’s sash.

Actu24 - Ambiance de chat avec Miss Belgique 2010
par actu24

All Europeans beware of killer wine corks!

The Belgian daily 'Het Nieuwsblad' reports that Dutch MEP Wim Van de Camp has pleaded for a warning notice on champagne corks, claiming that flying corks cause "a scary amount" of accidents.

I guess if Belgians are too uncoordinated to open a Champagne bottle without injuring themselves this might explain why they have such an embarrassment for a National Football team. If you are injuring yourself by drinking Champagne.....it might be time to put the bottle away people.

As far as Mr. Van de Camp goes.....just when I think European politicians can't get any dumber......another one comes along.

Former Miss Belgium Vernonique De Kock

As if the name Veronique De Kock isn’t awesome enough.....look at these pictures. There is alot more than waffles and beer here in Belgium.

More Global Warming in Paris and Brussels

Early winter snows forced French authorities to close the Eiffel Tower on Thursday and disrupted transport as northwest Europe shuddered under a pre-Christmas cold snap. Much of the north of the country awoke to find a seven-centimetre (three inch) blanket of snow, which delayed flights from Charles de Gaulle airport by up to two hours.

The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors, and train and bus services were delayed in many areas, as daytime temperatures dropped below zero for the first time in the year and black ice coated northern roads.

Snow also fell in Britain, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and weather experts forecast worse to come, with disruption especially in Scotland and northern England.

The northern Netherlands experienced the worst falls in four years, with snow up to 25 centimetres deep in places, the national weather service said, while all bus services in the region were cancelled.

In Belgium black ice turned roads into skating rinks, particularly the Brussels ring road and the motorway from the capital to Lille in northern France.
Numerous flights were cancelled and delayed at Brussels airport. Traffic Centre had registered 500 kilometres of traffic standing idle on the roads, with train, tram and bus delays making the chaos complete.

The Belgians are coming.....

Stella,.......at the corner of 1st and Washington, downtown Minneapolis. (click to enlarge)

Funeral for pilot on the Brussels to Newark flight.

Funeral services are planned Tuesday for a Continental Airlines pilot who died during a flight from Brussels to Newark.
Capt. Craig Lenell Sr. of Houston was 60.
Lenell died Thursday of a suspected heart attack midway through Continental Airlines Flight 61. Two co-pilots took over the controls and safely landed the jet in Newark.

The Belgian Army starts it's "Bullets for Kids" promotion

Belgian soldiers on exercise in The Netherlands caused outrage after it emerged that they handed out live blank ammunition to children in the villages.

The soldiers were caught on camera happily handing out the bullets outside a snack bar in Den Helder.

The children were spotted walking around with pocketfuls of ammunition by staff at neighbouring schools. One 11-year-old proudly told a television crew “from the soldiers”.

The code name for the operation was 'crazy trip'.....enough said.

What happened to just giving away chocolate? SKY NEWS

Book clubs for men becoming more popular.....there's a caveat

Book clubs for men are becoming more popular: "We've been meeting for 6 months, and we haven't read a book yet"

I'm so impressed I'm starting up a local chapter.....

"We've been meeting for six months, and we haven't read a book yet," says Andrew Upton, 45, of Somerville, describing his own book group. "We have such a good time talking about life, kids, work, politics, everything. And everyone is so busy. We may read a book at some point, but right now it's just a social club." THE BOSTON GLOBE

Global Warming Farce Means Big Business For Prostitutes

Politicians and businessmen gathered in Copenhagen to talk about a warming planet during the day, did little to cool the planet come nightfall, as they got hot and heavy with Denmark's finest ladies of the night.
Scott Anderson, author of Green Skeptic, calls it "The Green Light District".

Politiken.dk Nyhedsbrevet 3F called various escort agencies and prostitutes to hear whether they had been busier than normal during the climate conference – and all agreed; summits in Copenhagen are good for the economy.

Dorit Otzen, who leads Reden International says that major events in Copenhagen attract more sex workers.
“A lot of men in one place means more work for prostitutes. At the same time we have a government that will not ban prostitution, so in fact we invite visitors to avail themselves of prostitutes,” Otzen says.

Belgian Woman risked her life to save three American pilots in 1944

With three American pilots following her on bicycle, Paulette Childers, then 19, distracted a German officer patrolling a requisitioned hotel between Spy and Namur, Belgium.

Childers used her charm to flirt with the German officer, who confessed his love for her within minutes – while the pilots safely pedaled past the lone obstruction between them and safety.

Memorial Day was established to honor the men and women who risked their lives for America’s safety and freedom.
READ PAULETTE'S STORY

How to rob a bank......Belgian Style

A local bank manager was given a three year suspended sentence for taking money from rich customers and distributing it to the poor. The manager of a Centea branch in Ghent stole almost €1 million from customers’ accounts and used it to give loans to people with financial difficulties, sometimes even digging into his own savings.

“I was naive,” said the modern day Robin Hood. “They abused my trust.” He was also fined €500 and ordered to pay €250,000 in compensation.

It must be getting close to Easter

This little guy showed up in the garden this morning and was tame enough that I put some food nearby that he stayed around to eat. Maybe he'll come back for the weekend. Rabbit....it's whats for dinner.

70% of the prostitutes working in Belgium are Bulgarians

A total of 70% of the prostitutes working in Belgium are Bulgarians, a "Risk Monitor" foundation report showed Tuesday.

The report is on the the main schemes of money laundering related to human trafficking and the problems that the institutions, involved in this phenomenon, are facing. According to it the profit of the Bulgarian organized crime that is dealing with human trafficking is more than EUR 1 B. Yearly, over 10 000 people become victims of trafficking.

Money laundering schemes come through luxury boutique shops, car sellers, and outlet stores. It has been noticed lately that members of organized crime groups dealing with human trafficking have started investing even in agriculture.

The report also says that there is already a large number of Bulgarian prostitutes in countries like the USA and South Africa. That is something new for those countries.

Despite the efforts of the Bulgarian government to fight human trafficking not much has been achievement, Deputy Chief of the US Mission, Alexander Karagiannis, said. In his words, Bulgarian mafia is still way ahead of the government, he added.

Even Hookers are getting rent increases in Brussels

Prostitutes occupying the windows around the North Station in Brussels are feeling the pinch of the credit crisis. While they pay between €150 to €300 a day to rent a window, the price is set to rise as Schaerbeek commune ups the taxes on the specialised ‘waitresses’ from €2,500 a year to €3,353.

Last year, this tax brought in €450,000 to the commune, its third biggest source of revenue.

I guess with all that extra afternoon delight business from the Eurocrats, they felt a rent increase was justifiable.

Kim Clijsters to return to tennis in Belgium

Kim Clijsters, Belgium's former top-ranked player, is expected to announce her return to professional tennis at a news conference Thursday in Bree, Belgium, her hometown. Her plans will probably include requesting a wild card to the United States Open.
Clijsters, 25, stirred talk of a comeback by agreeing to play in a World Team Tennis event this summer and in an exhibition with Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Tim Henman at Wimbledon in May.

United States Tennis Association officials said that they had not received a formal request for a wild card into the Open from Clijsters, but that she would probably be granted one.
Clijsters, who reached No. 1 in 2003, won the Open in 2005, her only Grand Slam title. Twenty-three of her 34 pro singles titles have come on hardcourts.
Clijsters retired in May 2007, citing injuries and the desire to start a family. She married the American basketball player Brian Lynch that July; their daughter, Jada Ellie, was born in February 2008.

33RD ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL AT THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BRUSSELS (ISB)

One of our own STUDS... (Mehul) has organised the annual International Festival once again this year at the ISB. Let’s get out there this weekend in an attempt to make him look good. In the following days we will be previewing the different countries of the fair every day on the blog. Be sure to check back daily for updates.

The International School of Brussels Family Association will hold its 33rd International Festival on Saturday, 28 March 2009 from 10:00-17:00. The festival, a celebration of the diversity of cultures represented at ISB, brings together the entire Brussels community for a unique one day event.

At the Festival attendees have the opportunity to experience different parts of the world through food, costume, and music. The day also includes free entertainment from around the world at the ISB theatre.

Children will enjoy participating in face painting, the World Games, or any of the many other fun events planned for the day. At 11:00 the Parade of Nations is always a highlight of the day for all attending.

The festival is an experience for both the eyes and senses, and is great fun for the entire family. Everyone is welcome - from the ISB community to the greater Brussels community.

There is no entrance fee and ISB will be providing free shuttle bus service from Groenendaal and Boitsfort Station every 15 minutes between 10:00-17:00. Free parking is available at both stations during the day. NO PARKING AVAILABLE ON CAMPUS.

If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer for an hour or two, please contact the Family Association at festival2009@randery.com.

We invite you to come and celebrate the great diversity of the ISB community.

Website – www.isb.be/festival

Location:International School of Brussels
Kattenberg 19
1170 Brussels

Directions to ISB - http://www.isb.be/page.cfm?p=379

More information: Contact Mehul Randery at intfestival@isb.be