About

20 February 2009. Until now I have blogged – my life, my experiences and my time in China, family affairs and my Nike+ stats – on Oomens Herald. Now I want a bit more privacy in blogging; to discuss my opinions, my philosophy, the things that have my interest, such as:

  • Hermeneutics: secular world views and religious world views.
  • Propaganda, media coverage, and objectivity.
  • China, the media in China, the media on China.
  • Xinjiang and the Uyghurs.

Learn more about me in my curriculum vitae and through my personalia.

Smokes ‘n pancakes

Smokes and pancakes, the phrase was first put to me by an acquaintance, a fellow student on my TEFL course, in Brighton, in 2004. That month, we used it to refer to nothing in particular. “Let’s go into town, find a pub, have a smoke and a  pancake.”

Have a smoke and a pancake, it’s what tourists do, in Amsterdam, when the tour groups have gone, when the Anne Frank house, and the Van Gogh museum, have been paid a visit. Sit down, in a bar, talk about the day’s events, about life, about the world, about nothing in particular, have a smoke and a pancake.

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