Thursday’s Trifles

Thursday’s Trifles are based on what I’ve read in our local newspaper: the Dagblad van het Noorden

A day late, sorry. But better late than never. Who would want to miss such important information!

What does this flower remind you of?

Each year the Flower Council of Holland organizes an election for the best office plant. This year’s winner is …tadaaaaa… the Anthurium scherzerianum or the Flamingo plant. Oh yes!
Regular Thursday’s Trifles readers will have guessed it: our fun loving newspaper editors saw an opportunity for an interesting interview with one of the members of the jury.

”Does the Flamingo plant survive a summer holiday without water?”
”No, it won’t make it.”
”Is the Flamingo plant pink?”
”Yes, it’s pink. But it can also be another colour. And with a little bit of imagination the flower (or actually the spathe) resembles a Flamingo beak.”

“Isn’t this a distinctly commercial election?”
”It is indeed an initiative of the Flower Council of Holland, but  plants are very important in offices. Especially people who do creative work perform better when there are plants in their offices.”
”In my office we have a lonely, plastic palm.”
”I would consider real plants if I were you.”
”How did the election go?”
”A jury of professionals has judged 6 candidates. Criteria were the ability to purify the air, maintenance aspects, availability and diversity, like sizes and colours. Three candidates remained.”
”And then?”
”Then thirty executive secretaries chose the Flamingo plant.”
”Executive secretaries? Is the Flamingo plant such an executive plant?”
”Not really. But the secretary often decides what goes on the desk.”
…….
”Saps of the Flamingo plant can cause skin and eye irritation.”
”Many plants are more or less poisonous. Some taste good and are eatable. You shouldn’t eat leaves of the Flamingo plant.”
”Better to bring a packed lunch from home?”
”That would be better.”

 

To censor or not to censor

The Royal Library in The Hague will put ‘Nazi newspapers’ from the Second World War on the internet. The library considers it important ‘to place the historic reality uncensored at everyone’s disposal’. Also this will open possibilities for important scientific research.
The Royal Library will be putting all newspapers from the past 400 years on the internet, freely accessible to anyone.
The problem with the newspapers from the 2nd World War who supported Nazi ideas, is that the Royal Library could be held responsible for distributing discriminating contents. Furthermore the institute can be considered an accessory to persons who will misuse these newspapers.
The department of Justice has already warned that publication of these ‘Nazi newspapers’ could be cause for the Public Prosecutor to take action.
The Royal Library is willing to take the chance and to see if the department of Justice will decide to prosecute.
CIDI (Centre Information and Documentation Israël) prefers these newspapers not to be published on the internet, but to stay in the library or for researchers to be given access to a ‘private’ website.
Eventually the Royal Library’s website will contain about 8 million newspaper pages.