-
Don’t leave your children a 400 billion euro debt
The Netherlands have a 400 billion euro national debt. Protesting budget cuts now means burdening your children with debts later. Fifteen years ago, my parents discussed a financial subject in my presence for the first time. We were anticipating our annual holidays, during those months when we’d be looking forward to it, trying to find…
-
This censorship will be the end of a free internet
In the USA, laws are in preparation that would mean the end of a free internet. The court of The Hague passed a verdict to the same effect. The culprits go unpunished and innocent internet users are the ones who suffer, Danny Mekic’ concludes. What do Facebook, Google, Twitter, eBay and Wikipedia have in common?…
-
No downloading, no Spotify, no innovation
Music revenue is on the rise exactly because of the internet Record labels are abandoning legal music downloading service Spotify. The Dutch government wants to make it a punishable offence to download from anywhere else. This works counter-productively. The previous weekend, 234 record labels announced they would no longer be offering their artists’ music on…
-
Crisis at national emergency site Crisis.nl
Shut your doors and windows, switch off mechanical ventilation systems and turn on your radio or TV to the designated emergency channel. In the event of an emergency, our government has the important responsibility of informing and protecting its citizens. When a fire releases toxic substances into the atmosphere or the actions of malicious people…
-
Final exams: one failed class should be enough
A proper grasp of the Dutch and English languages as well as arithmetic is essential for educated people to be able to fully participate in our society. For example, on the job market as well as during higher education, you’ll be judged on the outward presentation of what you deliver. To many of the pupils…
-
Downloading is not theft: the record player doesn’t work any more
Last week, Sony announced they were going to stop manufacturing walkmans — you know, those things with the audio cassettes — while Arnoud Engelfriet and I wrote an opinion piece on online innovation in the music and film industry: are they succeeding at making money off distributing copyrighted material? Downloading is not theft, because copyrights…