My Browning Light 12 A5 was built there, a sweet shotgun and a prized gun in my collection.

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine.

...and by day...



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1311312027.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1311312041.jpg

The canals of Brugge

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1311312150.jpg


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1311312179.jpg

...and my favourite view of Belgium:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1311312234.jpg

Dottore, you probably passed by my office at less then 20 yards of me...

I wish I had known!

But buddy, you work in one of the most beautiful spots in all of Christendom!

No argument there... especially in summer, our lunch breaks quite often stretch :D

And now you even get to have a Governemnt!!!!

Belgian parties say ready to form government - BELGIUM - FRANCE 24

Oooh, but they aren't there just yet... It's Belgium, remember... Surrealisme is our game.

small explanation as to why Belgium has trouble forming governents.

The beef is with our 2 sides of the country..


One side speaks French, and has a more French attitude to life, eg, more relaxed..
The other side speaks Flemish/Dutch , and is more a crossbreed , eg likes good food, but rather a gogetter in life. At least that's the stereotype...

Historically all power was in the French part,
Flanders was farmville, Wallonie was big industrie. Clerics , education , it was all French spoken untill the Wars came.

These daysthere is a Flemish overweight in number of people.




Now , in my opionon, comes the real cause of all the problems:
We do not have a right to vote.
We have a duty to vote.

This means , we are by law required to go vote.
Politicians , because of this, do not have to work for voter turnout.
Why should they, the law already guarantees it (mostly).

Result : a very volatile , short term vision during election campagins.
Win 800000 votes this election, loose em again the next.

That's the first part.






The second part is that they have managed to split the ballots betwen Flemish and the Walloon region.

I live in Flanders, as such my ballot will only give me the choice of Flemish Candidates.
Somebody living in Herstal, would have a completely different list of names

For most people, that's just fine.



But then we get to Brussels. Brussels, Historically is a Flemish city.
Historically as in 500 years ago..
But 200 years ago, it has since become a French speaking city, As the powers that be, Royals , gubment, clerics , all spoke French...

So Brussels became a seperate setup for elections, they get both lists.
And the same happened for a number of border towns and what not.

You got Flemish Socialists, and Walloon Socialist, Flemish christian democrats, Walloon CD's, flemish liberals, and Walloon liberals.
They are supposed to work together cross languages , but that is no guarantee.


In a simple world , even that "could" work.





But people move about.. Brussels expands as do most big cities these day and age.
French population spreads a bit to , into other Flemish towns around Brussels.

So now they need double lists as well, which the Flemish see as a no way jose kinda thing.
It's a never ending story, that cannot be resolved




Anyway, because of the above crap, we can only form a govermenet with coalitions.
No single party could ever hope to be a majority on it's own, it's near impossible.
So we have more career politicians then the Catholic Bisshops have little boys.
And they al want a paying seat in some kind of cabinet.


After the election the biggest party was a Flemish party in favor of splitting Belgium
55% they keep saying, we are the majority.
Big hoopla.. But in effect, they are not , they are just the majority in Flanders, in Belgium it's just 25%. Not quite the majority as such.



So they got new parliaments for the language areas, further complicating things. As the video in my first post shows.

We have more Ministers and secretary of States then France, a country that is 6 times bigger in population and size.

In my opinion they should just do away with mandatory voting and put federal ballots so any Belgian can vote for every Belgian candidate.

Stijn,

I spent a few years living outside of Namur in the '80s. LOVED Belgium, the people, the land! I do not remember meeting rude people, though I am sure I did. I was welcomed as that crazy American who spoke French, never learned Flemmish or local dialects (my cousin does that in his spare time...).

If I were to live outside the US Belgium is very close to the top of my choices. So much to see and do and so central to the rest of Europe.

Oh, and don't get me started about the chocolate!!!!! I used to work in the industry (more on the food stuff side, but still for one of the top worldwide players) and I LOVE the stuff!!!!

Namur is dark though, especially in winter..
But a lively student town, been to several student home parties down there..
Very different from Flanders, but allright by me !

don't get me started on Chocolate and Chocolate Mouse.. I used to eat my self silly with it.. But with age comes a slower metabolism, and kilo's.. So i have to tone it down a bit.. if i ever get really old, i will try to eat myself silly again, death by Chocolat does not sound to bad to me !

Just behind my garden. Very relaxing sight.

http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/6267/img0650d.jpg

Walking steaks !