Wyck in the shit
For a couple of months now, they have been putting on a spectacular show above Maastricht almost every day: swarms of tens of thousands of starlings that come out to ‘dance’ in the sky around sunset. But for those living in the Wyck district, there isn’t just the pleasure of watching the autumn phenomenon. After their aerial show, the birds descend to the trees on the Wilhelminasingel and elsewhere, where they all spend the night. This is also where they relieve themselves. As a result, the parked cars of residents and hotel guests, as well as the long rows of (swap)bikes in front of student houses are given with a fresh layer of starling pooh every night.
How long is this inconvenience going to continue? It is possible that the cleaning utensils can be put away soon, Joop Speth from the Vogelwerkgroep Maastricht said to RTV Maastricht last week. The trees are actually still providing shelter and hence safety. But, “when the leaves fall, the starlings may decide to move on.”
Ignored academics
Arriving too late for a lecture because your train – contrary to the schedule – did not stop at the campus. Or after a long day of studying or doing research, you see the ‘Sprinter’ happily whiz passed you at the station. Students and employees at Tilburg University have almost become accustomed to it. Sister newspaper Univers reports that Tilburg University station has been passed by 47 times over the past two months. Which results in quite some frustration among those who then arrive too late. “It is not all that bad if it is for a lecture,” said a student, “but in the case of an exam, it is extremely problematic.”
Why does railway service NS ‘ignore’ students and academics in Tilburg? The transport service takes that measure every now and again to catch up after delays, in order to prevent more trains being delayed on the same route. This is something that happens at many other stations in the Netherlands, said spokesperson Arno Leblanc to Univers. “Sometimes, I hear people say: ‘Why Tilburg University station? Choose a different station to skip.’” Leblanc justifies the NS’s strategy by saying that “this is one of the few stations on the route where trains stop four times an hour.”
Digital intelligence
He had already been suspended, but now he has lost his job. Jasper Rekers, who wanted to become a member of Parliament on behalf of BBB, is no longer allowed to teach at the University of Applied Sciences Saxion because of his anonymous hateful tweets. He taught Digital Intelligence & Business at the institute.
At the end of October, press agency ANP divulged that Rekers himself displayed dubious digital intelligence during the Covid pandemic. For two years, he intimidated and insulted politicians using an anonymous Twitter account. For example, he wanted Hugo de Jonge – the minister responsible for Covid measures – to be given a one-way-ticket to a Nazi tribunal and called prime minister Mark Rutte a member of the Dutch Nazi Party (NSB). Saxion now feels that as a teacher he plays an exemplary role and that his anonymous tweets do not fit in with that. They have “agreed” that he should leave.
The former lecturer is number thirteen on the list of political party BBB, but says that he no longer wants to become a member of Parliament. The party blamed him for having lied about the tweets, but accepted his apologies for doing so. Last week, BBB leader Caroline van der Plas did argue on NPO Radio 1 that Rekers should be given a second chance: “We need to quit with this cancel culture in the Netherlands, where someone who does something wrong is immediately sacked.” Earlier, Rekers stated that he was “confused” during the period when he sent those hateful tweets.