So, it’s been awhile. I did get your messages. I really don’t have a good excuse.
You know, let’s just try to re-start on a pleasant note. How about some flowers?
I’ll be better from now on. I mean it, just watch. I don’t blame you for being skeptical. But you’ll see. I’ve got lots of great ideas and I genuinely do want to do better.
Plus, that goat is making me feel extra guilty. I don’t really care what it thinks, but it needs to stop looking at me.
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We shy away from politics here at the Bugle Blog, although our editors are quite politically active. Today, we must speak out here, because too many members of the US Congress want to give control of the internet to copyright lawyers and those who stand against free speech.
This boring, little, family-friendly blog has been harassed, repeatedly, under the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998. Big copyright-holders like Viacom and FOX have issued unilateral takedown notices against our homespun videos. For example, the Bugle is forever considered suspect by YouTube due to our legally legitimate use of a snippet of TV coverage of the 2008 Olympics, simply because the IOC issued an indiscriminate legal action against tens of thousands of ordinary people.
We have also had our content — photos and text — stolen by businesses that made money from our work. (Yes, we have a hard time believing it, too.) Illegitimate use of copyrighted material is a problem for some people who earn their daily bread by creating things that are easily duplicated. Those people make some wonderful things, and we should do what we can to protect their hard work.
But there are two bills in the US Congress (SOPA and PIPA, in the House and Senate respectively) that are, as The Oatmeal puts it, “like dealing with a lion that escaped from the zoo by blasting some kittens with a flamethrower.” These bills take the most abused aspects of the DMCA and enlarge them a thousand-fold. The impact of these bills are astonishingly broad. For more information, we recommend:
So today we join the Strike against SOPA. We will resume our usual tripe tomorrow.
First, we need to finish the previous post and give you the link to our movie of Kleeschen.
In the US, chocolate eggs were for springtime, specifically Easter. In Europe, eggs are for nearly every holiday, including Christmas. Furthermore, the most super-cool eggs of all, Kinder Surprises, cannot be brought to the United States! We made this video to give Americans an idea of what you’re missing. (more…)
Kind Saint Nicolas, Good Saint Nicolas,
brings us all kinds of good things… — Traditional Luxembourgish Carol
Schéi Kleeserchersdag! Happy Saint Nicholas Day! Or, as the partially-Dutch Bakker household says, “Happy Sinterklaas Day!”
Your best source of information on the holiday of December 6th is David Sedaris‘s “Six to Eight Black Men,” especially in audio form.
After listening to that story dozens of times over the past several years, Anita was determined to welcome Saint Nicolas (Kleeschen in Luxembourgish) to Luxembourg. He was scheduled to arrive by train on Sunday the 4th — presumably to allow enough time to find all of the naughty Luxembourgish children and give them their due. (more…)
One thing that holds true across the Western world as we know it: Christmas is devoted to the children. And here in Luxembourg, there’s no Thanksgiving to hold up the beginning of the festivities. Shortly after All Saints’ Day (Nov 1st), the holiday decorations went up. All the leaves are down, and the sky is gray — so why not get started?
The first trimmings I noticed were in a Luxembourg shopping mall, just outside the city. The sights began on the way down the escalator from the car park, and the theme was clear from the outset.
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We beg your patience once again. It has been a busy month at the BBB&B.
Incidentally, we have a new policy regarding maximum occupancy at the BBB&B. Without prior arrangements, we can accommodate two (2) adult guests at one time. Children under a parent’s care do not count against this limit. Any pet over 30 kg — whether horse, dog, cat or honey badger — counts as two (2) adult guests.
In the near future, the Bugle will celebrate Halloween, visit an ancient spa in the southeast of Luxembourg, and taste test the baked goods of many lands and most prominently the Low Countries.
In the meantime, we’ll offer a special bonus for past BBB&B guests who can identify the location of each of the photos below! (more…)
Rest assured, friends. We will have a blog again — soon.
In the meantime, some photos, without descriptions, for your pleasure. (more…)
So “fouer” pretty clearly means “fair” in Luxembourgish. I was under the impression that “Schueber” was related to the word “sheep” for a while, because the opening ceremonies feature sheep. Please don’t tell my Luxembourgish instructor that I was so far off the mark — sheep is “Schof” in Luxembourgish.
After two years of regular attendance of the fair, I was ready to see the opening ceremony for myself. (more…)
This Monday was the Feast of Assumption and we used our time to challenge assumptions about Luxembourg…
Nope. Can’t do it.
The Bugle Style Guide expressly forbids earnest and cheesy opening statements like that one. Let’s start over. To the right, a preview of the most exciting part of last weekend. But first…
A three-day-weekend means three mornings of sleeping in. We planned our time accordingly, although we passed up the opportunity to visit the Cat Club.
Friday evening: The Grand Duke’s Palace. We don’t have pictures from this guided tour, because photos aren’t allowed. (Will is still smarting from getting caught by security while taking sneaky-shots in the Ville’s Museum.) (more…)
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