Reputed to be the first of Auguste Rodin's Thinker scupltures, this one adorns the grave of art critic Jef Dillens in Brussels' Cimetière de Laeken.

We took this picture despite being told that photography is not permitted in the cemetary. This Wikipedia article suggests that this ban is not rigidly enforced.

Hours of miserable fun:
[findagrave.com]

An amazing hodgepodge of headstones, statues and bas-reliefs commemorating famous and not-so famous Belgians, as well as those who died defending the country in two world wars.

RogerINtheUSA commenting on a pro-charge article in The Guardian:

The congestion charge is of course a problem for lower-income people who are therefore dissuaded from driving their miserable little cars into London, but by keeping the riff-raff out you reduce congestion and allow the better people to drive their Bentleys and Jags to their important destinations without having to endure traffic jams.

[Resistance is 4x4 futile]

There are plenty of ways of reducing car use without disproportionately penalising those on lower incomes, such as closing roads to all but essential and service vehicles; priority cycle lanes (and I mean lanes, not just a narrow section of the road); reintroducing buses that people actually want to use; banning over-sized cars such as 4x4s; and running US-style school buses.

Of course, all these would cost money, while the congestion tax is a nice little earner. I'll get my coat.

I take never-ending pleasure from Microsoft's pathetic attempts to talk up their over-priced, underfeatured 'new' Windows Vista, led by their idiot CEO Steve Ballmer.

Would you let this man babysit your children:
[ntk.net/media/developers.mpg]
[stenstad.net/storage/ballmer_dance.mpg]

I've posted a collection of pics taken around Brussels over the past few months on the Simon + Becs website. The one on the left is a painting on the wall of Le Corbeau, a bar on the edge of the city centre with a unique line in beer glasses.

*not a regular feature

...is this my final dressing gown?

The Becster bought some new pyjamas from The Gap, made from the ultimate cotton. Are these Half Man Half Biscuit's 'ultimate pyjamas'.

The Becster and I visited Eat-cetera, one of the best reaturants close to our apartment in St-Gilles, last night. The modern interior has been refurbished and the new colours and table cloths make it warmer and more 'comfortable' then before. One thing that doesn't need refurbishing is the food, which is vibrant and original (without being whacky) and makes a big change from the predictable Belgian fayre on offer at too many of Brussels' restaurants and cafés.

From The Guardian:

It contains more iron than spinach, more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than milk. Watercress may be better known as a decorative garnish, but a study published yesterday said the salad leaf could significantly cut the risk of cancer.

The study suggested that eating 85g of watercress a day could inhibit the growth of cancer cells and even kill them. Scientists at Ulster University found that the watercress reduced the damage caused by cancer cells to white blood cells by 22.9%. Watercress also raised levels of antioxidants which absorb so-called "free radicals", molecules which some experts believe damage the body's tissues.

[A bagful of cress a day may keep cancer cells at bay, study suggests]

Only the second time in two years that it has snowed and settled, so I took a trip to the top of Parking 58 to grab some snaps and posted them here.