Not much has happened on this blog recently, because I have been tired a lot. Last week it turned out that I have a vitamin B12 deficiency, which may explain the tiredness. I had this deficiency before and have been taking vitamin B12 supplements since then, but apparently I didn’t take enough. My energy levels …
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Ever closer union?
For me, the European Union has always been a fact of life. At primary school in The Netherlands we got a Euro-passport to prepare us for the introduction of the euro. It contained a quiz to find out if you were Dutch, European or a world citizen. I can not remember exactly what my outcome …
Farm animals in the Global Goals
The Global Goals were launched in September last year. These successors of the Millennium Development Goals try to give a complete picture of how we can improve our world. The goals are based on extensive consultation of stakeholders. The most important outcome is the realization that poverty reduction and a sustainable society are two sides …
Charity or honesty
Two articles in the Dutch newspaper Trouw caught my eye this week. The first was titled “Bill Gates and the British tackle malaria with mega-fund”, about the fact that governments do not have enough budget for international development and are increasingly looking for private money. I have noticed that too in my own work; more …
Monday in January
It is a sunny morning. It is also Monday, but despite the blue sky it is definitely not a Blue Monday. This morning I finally put on my running shoes again, after weeks of laziness. It was great to do my usual run in the park. And as a perfect reward there was the full moon, …
Christians and animals
Anyone who takes up the task of explaining the ethics behind veganism, draws their main arguments from the book Animal Liberation by Peter Singer. Time to read this classic from 1975 for myself. Singer is a utilitarian, which means his ultimate goal is to minimize the amount of suffering in the world. Other moral signposts, …