David Hembrow
I'm not cycling today. Here in the rural Netherlands, thanks to the idiots who lit Easter fires last night, we have worse air quality today than Los Angeles. There's visible smog in the air. I.e. This is unsuitable air for healthy exercise unless you like the idea of an increased chance of many illnesses.
It's a very sad thing that we have several of these air pollution "holidays" each year (new years eve fireworks being one of the other big problems), and that people hang on to all of them as "tradition". Some people will be setting fire to stuff this evening instead. I'm hoping that there won't be such bad air tomorrow
#paasvuren #easterfire #airpollution #AirPollutionKills #smog #luchtvervuiling
Apr 9, 2023 at 8:28amWeb
Show threadDavid HembrowApr 10, 2023
And I'm not cycling today either. I live in the grey circle where air quality is already dangerous and the wind is from SSE where stretching for more than a hundred km is even worse. All that bad air has to pass us before this will get better.
Creating lots of dangerous air pollution which ruins other people's Easter holiday, and doing that *on purpose* to celebrate the exact same holiday, is a remarkably antisocial hobby.
#paasvuur #paasvuren #Easter #easterfire #airpollution #luchtkwaliteit
Show threadDavid HembrowApr 10, 2023
The wind was fairly strong and the smoke eventually cleared itself by early this afternoon. Good air quality returned so I went out for a short bike ride. Hoping that no-one nearby plans to finish off the weekend with a barbeque...
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKApr 10, 2023
@hembrow A while back I found an online feed of NL emergency service pager callouts, and (not knowing of the bonfire traditions) genuinely thought there had been some riot/civil conflict over NYE, due to the amount of random out of control fires the Brandweer seemed to be dealing with...
Show threadDavid HembrowApr 10, 2023
@vfrmedia Yes it's absolutely absurd how many fireworks are set off here on NYE. Complete ruins the occasion, unfortunately. It ends up being dominated by the least reasonable people in the country, just like Easter.
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKApr 10, 2023
@hembrow they way these are done seems as much as territory claiming/area denial/culture war tactics (reminds me of the sectarian bonfires in Northern Ireland)
Show threadPepijnApr 9, 2023

@hembrow And while not new it appears the Dutch easter fires are now more of a "tradition" than the early 80s when I grew up in the rural north. While we had the fires 🔥 it was a fully accepted no-brainer that they wouldn't be lit on days with fog, and nor would they be that massive.

Just like #zwartepiet the #paasvuren have become battles in the culture war between "us normal people" and "leftist naive city folk".

Show threadDavid HembrowApr 9, 2023
@Pepijn Indeed. For years now right wing politics has had nothing to offer those "normal people" beyond stirring up culture wars, but there are plenty of gullible fools who fall for it every single time.
Show threadtwilwel antifascistApr 10, 2023
@hembrow I can't even stand next to an open campfire with dry wood without a coughing fit, let alone a 4meter high pile of recently cut garden shrubs, set ablaze with loads of diesel.