[pp.int.general] Big Brother in NL?

[Reinier Bakels]

> Hehe, I was not sure if my spelling of dike was correct, and I did not
> want anybody to think about the water breaking through lesbians :)
If want to avoid confusion, write "dijk" (with the typical Dutch "ij" 
combination). It is pronounced the same, and has no sexual connotation. We 
use the word "pot" for Lesbians, which is "pot" in English as well.
> Denmark has a few dikes in the south-western area, and I have seen bad
I was amazed to see how hilly Denmark actually is.
>
>> http://www.internetweer.nl/zonderdijken.htm
Very nice!
The big lake in the middle of NL (IJsselmeer)(of which parts have been 
reclaimed since the 1950s) did not exist until medieval times, when it was 
cresated by a major storm. And iirc the sea level has risen already from 
about the year 1000. These lakes are are pretty shallow, not more than about 
3 meter (10 feet). The deepest point of our country is about -5 meter (a lot 
less than Death Valley in California!)(but that valley is unlikely to be 
flooded!)
Shiphol (Amsterdam Airport) used to be the north-eastern corner of a lake 
that grew and grew because of prevailing south-western winds - until it was 
reclaimed in 1852). Shiphol means "ships hell". The lake was called 
"Haarlemmermeer" = Harlem Lake - not to be confused with the pond in Central 
Park in NY.
>
> How do you manage the risk?
Pirates in NL should be less agressive in (re)claiming privacy, because if 
they object to road princing systems because of privacy concerns, such 
systems will nog be implemened, and people will drive more, causing more CO2 
exhaust, causing global warming, causing the sea level to rise!

Eventually we are on topic again!

Anyway, perhaps this explains why the Dutch are less concerned about privacy 
than e.g. the Germans. I once asked the privacy agency ("College Bescherming 
Persoonsgegevens") for the Dutch translation of "surveillance state" (or 
"Überwachungsstaat"), and they admitted: there is none! Eventually the 
dilemma is: do you like "big brother" because he helps you to keep your feet 
dry?

reinier