From Our Man in Antwerp

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Flemish Art on the Moon.

Trivial pursuit?

http://www.deredactie.be/permalink/1.1628259

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

...

Rain or shine, snow or sleet, we deliver your ... forecast!

Flemish weatherman Frank Deboosere just continues delivering his daily forecast, ignoring a broken arm.
But the report doesn't say whether he still bikes to work ...

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

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"Manneken Pis" to pass milk.

His steady and reliable pee will (not miraculously) turn into nutritious milk on Saturday 1 June 2013.

Spoiler: show

...
Click on the image to read the article

And in one more of his many costumes:

Spoiler: show

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

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New Australian Finance Minister is a Belgian.

Click on the image to read the article.

[MidasKnight]

EPS, please verify or debunk what I think it true: There are 4 languages widely spoken in Belgium (French, German, Dutch and Flemish). Also, which one or ones are official languages?

Thanks

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

EPS, please verify or debunk what I think it true: There are 4 languages widely spoken in Belgium (French, German, Dutch and Flemish). Also, which one or ones are official languages?

Thanks

Belgium has 3 official languages: Standard Dutch, French and German.

Standard Dutch is the official language common to the Netherlands and Belgium, by mutually agreed upon convention. But actually there are differences as to idiomatic usage and the exact meaning of some words.

Then there are Dutch (Netherlandic Dutch) and Flemish (Belgian Dutch) which are both very similar to Standard Dutch.
This is comparable to the differences between American and British English, and the differences between Canadian French and French French, while there are also, respectively, the Standard English and Standard French as spoken by news readers on national broadcast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Belgium

[MidasKnight]

Thank you! I feel less ignorant now.

[voralfred]

EPS, please verify or debunk what I think it true: There are 4 languages widely spoken in Belgium (French, German, Dutch and Flemish). Also, which one or ones are official languages?

Thanks

Belgium has 3 official languages: Standard Dutch, French and German.

Standard Dutch is the official language common to the Netherlands and Belgium, by mutually agreed upon convention. But actually there are differences as to idiomatic usage and the exact meaning of some words.

Then there are Dutch (Netherlandic Dutch) and Flemish (Belgian Dutch) which are both very similar to Standard Dutch.
This is comparable to the differences between American and British English, and the differences between Canadian French and French French, while there are also, respectively, the Standard English and Standard French as spoken by news readers on national broadcast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Belgium

Well, though I agree there are differences between Canadian French and French French, there is no significant spoken French French distinct from Standard French. All schools of the Republic (at least on the mainland - far off islands might have some variants) teach French French. Some local languages (alsacien, breton, occitan, corse, niçois) do have pockets where they survive, but these are different languages, (alsacian is even an germanic language, and breton a celtic one, the last three closer to catalan italian and italian respectively, than to french). The Académie Française regularly updates "Standard French" to follow the evolution of the spoken language, so no difference can accumulate.

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

Well, though I agree there are differences between Canadian French and French French, there is no significant spoken French French distinct from Standard French. ...

7 or 8 years ago when I was planning to visit Reims, France, a citoyen I was acquainted with e-mailed me back and proposed to go "s'arroser la cravate" (*).
Though these words are perfectly correct French, I wouldn't call the expression standard French, because I can't imagine a French news reader or weatherman saying that while on national television.

Of course, if they actually did the deed before going "on air", they may have said it ...

(*) water the necktie (have a drink)

[E Pericoloso Sporgersi]

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Elaborate Wedding Prank

The banner says:
"Shush ... Just married"
"Baby being conceived"

Click on the image for more info.