New Miss Belgium gets Flemish tongues wagging

Yahoo News ^ | 17 Dec 07 | None

[SkyPilot]

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Belgium's political tensions entered the glamour stakes after it was revealed that the new Miss Belgium does not speak Dutch.

_{Belgium's political tensions entered the glamour stakes after it was revealed that the new Miss Belgium does not speak Dutch. Alizee Poulicek, who comes from the country's French-speaking region, was booed at the contest by some of the 4,000 audience when she admitted that she could not understand a question put to her in Dutch.}

Alizee Poulicek, who comes from the country's French-speaking region, was booed by some of the 4,000 audience when she admitted that she could not understand a question put to her in Dutch at the contest on Saturday night in the main Flemish city of Antwerp.

Poulicek, a 20-year-old language student, speaks French, Czech and English, but Flemish tabloid daily Het Laatste Niuews headlined its Monday edition with: "Miss Belgium does not speak Dutch".

The paper underlined that the "community crisis in our country" -- where there is no government six months after general elections amid bickering between leaders of the main French and Flemish parties -- "has insinuated itself into even the lightest sector."

Poulicek's victory "is not going down well," the daily said.

She said she had been taking Dutch lessons before the contest and has pledged to improve her standard in one of Belgium's three official languages, along with French and German.

The incident did not hurt her image with television viewers who voted for her, but Flemish journalists assailed her with questions at a press conference, highlighting her deficiencies in their tongue.

The Flemish community accounts for 60 percent of Belgium's 10.5 million people. A further 3.5 million live in Wallonia and one million in the largely Francophone, but officially bilingual Brussels.

[SkyPilot]

[SkyPilot]

Poulicek's victory "is not going down well," the daily said.

Must.....suppress....urge.....to....make....a.....pun.......

[Larry Lucido]

I could get bi-lingual with her.

[KC_Conspirator]

Dude she is hot, what amatter with these people!

[Dead Corpse]

She’s cute enough.... but she needs a sammich or two...

[najida]

I’ve got a good friend who’s Belgain and speaks French and English. I’m going to email her about this :)

[goldstategop]

Beautiful girl from Wallonia. To be fair, few Walloons are bilingual.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[dfwgator]

How do you say, “Not Guilty!” in Dutch?

[Ken522]

Not guilty!!

[SkyPilot]

When I was driving through Belgium a few years ago, I stopped for gas.

I was amazed that the beautiful blonde girl who worked at the counter could speak French, Flemmish, German, and English!

Miss Belgium here speaks three languages!

There is no pleasing everybody.

[HamiltonJay]

Oh like anyone pays attention to what they say anyway... come on.

[Republic_of_Secession.]

The divisions in Belgium are as stark if not more than the long established linguistic divisions in Canada via Quebec.

[Cedric]

I am pleased, however.

[Bob]

Definitely Not Guilty!

[C210N]

She should come here and do Miss Whatever competitions in Massachusetts. French? only a smattering of Dutch? Don’t matter, as long as she doesn’t know a word of English in this undocudemented-alien haven.

[SkyPilot]

More pictures of her here.

[dfwgator]

Besides, Poulicek is a Czech name, her parents much have come from there, what the hell do those Phlegms expect?

[ArrogantBustard]

Dude she is hot

She's certainly very pretty ... but (to me, at least) she doesn't look 20yo ... 16, maybe.

Maybe I'm just an old fart.

[goldstategop]

Four languages but not the language of most of her countrymen. The Flemish and French may not understand each other but its amazing they've lived together in a single country since the nineteenth century. Belgium in many ways, is a historical accident from the Napoleonic Wars. It should have been partitioned between France and the Netherlands in the first place.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Bruinator]

Does it really matter that she doesn’t speak Dutch. :)

[CarrotAndStick]

Flemish tabloid daily Het Laatste Niuews headlined its Monday edition with: "Miss Belgium does not speak Dutch".

With attributes like her's, does she even need to?

She could be a mute and still get by quite nicely, IMNSHO.

[Clint N. Suhks]

The price of eggs are through the roof.

[clamper1797]

I could help ... I’m a cunning ... oh never mind

[Clint N. Suhks]

Joe Lieberman endorses John McCain!

[Thrownatbirth]

So what? Miss South Carolina Teen didn’t speak English.

[lormand]

This thread post has perfect form, i.e, the poster included a picture of the subject matter.

Well done, and let that be a lesson to all the bad posters out there.

[Vaquero]

it appears the Phlegms are from Flanders???

and I thought the British were Phlegmatic???? goes to show ya.

[lormand]

Just reading articles again eh?

[Ouderkirk]

I don’t care that she can’s speak...and I’m sure many men might prefer it that way...LOL.

[pissant]

Zoinks. That is a bombshell.

[PAR35]

Belgium in many ways, is a historical accident from the Napoleonic Wars.

Go back a few centuries earlier than that, to the War for Dutch independence. Antwerp should have ended up in Holland.

[wastedyears]

NOT GUILTY

[MarkT]

I for one am pleased and she would not even have to speak.

[BJClinton]

Not guilty!

[Froufrou]

Admit it. She could have a voice like Attila d’Hun and none of you would give a fig...ping!

[puroresu]

I don’t care what language she speaks, she’s gorgeous!

We should be thankful beauty pageants are still only open to girls. Given the recent male homosexual homecoming “prince” couple in California, it’s only a matter of time until someone starts trying to put perverts in these pageants.

[Vaquero]

Admit it. She could have a voice like Attila d’Hun and none of you would give a fig...ping!

voice....what voice?

[Froufrou]

Beauty ping!

JRios: FLEMMISH???

[fish hawk]

Those cold weather girls always look so pasty white. Needs to come here to Maui for a month or two and get some color.

[Froufrou]

That’s funny because I lost my voice over the weekend! Hubs is ecstatic!

[buck61]

This picture is like music, it speaks to all languages!!

[weegee]

They are xenophobic. Not to be confused with being Xenaphobic.

[Badeye]

I’d hit it...and I don’t care what she says, in any language....(chuckle)

[wjcsux]

NOT GUILTY!!

[null and void]

I could get bi-lingual with her.

Me too. I'm a cunning linguist...

[null and void]

I could help ... I’m a cunning ... oh never mind

[insert joke about having good taste here]

[Rb ver. 2.0]

She looks like my ex-wife in her younger years before the dark side sapped her beauty.

[oh8eleven]

Does this mean she’s “in Dutch?”

[null and void]

And yet you still think giving him the silent treatment is punishment, don’t you?

[L,TOWM]

I can’t even count the ways that is so wrong...

LMBO here!.