My Diary – Leonardo Cardillo

Key Takeaways

The core idea

The article looks at two linked questions: the chance that life exists beyond Earth, and the chance that humans ever make contact with another civilisation. It also introduces a fictional alien society, the Aruen, to imagine how such beings might see humanity.

The main probabilities

Simple models suggest that life somewhere in the universe is almost certain. In the Milky Way, the chance of at least one other living planet can sit anywhere from about 10% to well over 99%, depending on how rare life really is. For direct contact with a technological civilisation, different examples give outcomes from around 6% to about 99% over very long periods, such as ten thousand years.

The time question

The probability that contact happens in the next few hours of a single day is, for all practical purposes, zero. Contact, if it ever occurs, is far more likely on scales of centuries or millennia than on the scale of a single afternoon.

The Aruen mirror

The imagined Aruen civilisation lives on a plausible alien world and looks at humans as clever but noisy creatures. From their distant point of view, humanity appears full of creativity and empathy, but also full of “internal chaos” in emotions, politics, and information.

Story & Details

A restless question

The question about life beyond Earth never really goes away. It returns in the middle of the night, on long walks, or when looking up at the sky on a clear evening. Is there anyone else out there, thinking, feeling, building, and wondering the same thing? By late 2025, this question meets a very different sky than it did a few decades ago. The sky still sounds silent, but there is much more data behind that silence.

Modern astronomy has revealed a universe that is far bigger and more crowded than early textbooks suggested. Space telescopes and large surveys show that the observable universe holds at least trillions of galaxies. Each galaxy carries hundreds of billions of stars, and many of those stars host planets. In December 2025, more than 6,000 exoplanets are already confirmed, and the number keeps rising. Many of these worlds are nothing like Earth, but some live in so-called habitable zones, where liquid water might be possible.

With numbers like these, the idea that Earth is the only place with life starts to feel strange. Even if life appears on only a tiny fraction of all suitable planets, the raw count of chances is enormous. This is where percentages help. They do not give a perfect answer, but they turn the vague feeling of “maybe” into clear examples.

From life existing to someone answering

First comes the simple question: is there life somewhere else? Think only of the Milky Way for a moment. In some scientific estimates, the galaxy may contain billions of planets in or near habitable zones. No one knows how often life truly begins, so it helps to imagine different “what if” cases.

In a very harsh case, suppose life appears on only one in one hundred billion suitable planets. Even then, a basic probability model gives about a 10% chance that the Milky Way holds at least one other living planet. If life appears on one in ten billion, the chance rises to about 63%. If life appears on one in one billion, the chance climbs above 99%. Across the whole observable universe, where the number of planets is vastly larger, the probability that life exists somewhere becomes so close to 100% that it is easier to call it “almost certain” than to push it down much lower.

The second, harder question asks not just about life, but about contact. For contact, simple microbes in an ocean under ice are not enough. There must be at least one other technological civilisation, able to send and receive signals across space. It must also exist in roughly the same cosmic era as humanity. If one civilisation ends millions of years before the other learns how to use radio, they never hear each other, no matter how advanced they are.

Here the famous Drake equation offers a useful frame. It is a short formula that multiplies several factors: how fast stars form, how many stars have planets, how many planets might support life, how often life appears, how often intelligence appears, how often that intelligence becomes technological, and how long such civilisations remain able to send detectable signals. Even though many of these numbers are uncertain, the equation makes one point very clear: the lifetime of civilisations matters as much as their number. A society that broadcasts for only a short time is like a torch flashed once in a huge dark valley. Only someone looking at exactly the right moment and in the right direction will notice.

Simple contact percentages

To see how this plays out, imagine two very simple models for the Milky Way. These are not precise predictions, but they respect what is known about stars and planets and then explore the unknown parts.

In a very pessimistic model, there are only about ten technological civilisations in the whole galaxy at the same time. Human civilisation continues as a technological society for ten thousand years into the future. Not every civilisation sends strong signals all the time, and some may stay quiet on purpose. Under these conditions, geometry and basic probability together give a chance of only about 6% that at least one clear, artificial signal is exchanged between humanity and another civilisation in that whole ten-thousand-year window.

In a more generous model, about one thousand technological civilisations share the Milky Way. The human technological phase is still ten thousand years. The galaxy is now much “busier.” Even if each civilisation spends only part of its time sending powerful signals, there are many more chances for those signals to cross. In this case, the probability of at least one successful contact rises to around 99%.

The important point is not that the real galaxy fits one of these examples exactly, but that the contact probability is highly sensitive to how many civilisations exist and how long they last. Change those inputs, and the odds swing from single digits to almost certain.

Why not “this afternoon”?

Against these long stretches of time, a single day in December 2025 is almost nothing. Even in the optimistic model, with a 99% chance of contact spread over ten thousand years, the probability that the crucial signal arrives and is recognised in the next few hours is tiny. When that long time frame is broken into days, a single day carries only a very small slice of the total chance, and a few hours hold only a small slice of that. For all practical purposes, the chance that contact happens “today, in the next hours” is so close to zero that it makes sense to treat it as zero.

This does not mean contact will never happen. It only means that if contact comes, it will almost certainly feel like a surprise on the scale of a human life, not like a scheduled meeting. It will be the result of long-term listening and patient work, not of waiting by a radio for an afternoon.

An imagined neighbour: the Aruen

Numbers can become dry, so it helps to put a face, even a fictional one, on the idea of “someone else.” Imagine a civilisation called the Aruen. The Aruen live on a rocky planet a little larger than Earth. Gravity at their surface is about 20% stronger than on Earth. Their world orbits a star slightly smaller and cooler than the Sun, a stable K-type star that shines for a very long time.

On this planet, a full spin takes 30 hours, not 24. A typical Aruen day has around 18 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. Most Aruen sleep for 9 or 10 hours in a block, then stay awake for a long active period with a few soft pauses. To them, a human day might feel short and chopped.

The Aruen communicate with sound, but also through patterns of colour that flow across their skin. A group of Aruen in conversation looks like a ring of shifting lights, with colours carrying tone, emphasis, and subtle emotion. This dual channel pushes their brains toward parallel thinking. They tend to follow several lines of thought at once, and they are very good at spotting complex patterns.

Their strongest sense of self is not “I” but “we.” Where humans often celebrate lone heroes, the Aruen focus on teams. Big discoveries are always named for groups, not individuals. This does not mean they lack personality, only that their culture trains them to feel success and failure as shared experiences.

A report on human “internal chaos”

From their quiet, long-lived world, the Aruen turn their instruments toward Earth. They watch the planet’s thin radio shell and the growing storm of digital signals. Over time, they build a psychological report on Homo sapiens.

They see a species with high intelligence and extreme creativity. Humans write music, build cities, send probes to other planets, and argue about the deep structure of the universe. Humans also care for children, cry over stories, and sometimes show deep kindness to strangers.

At the same time, the Aruen notice something else. Human societies seem full of what they call “internal chaos.” Emotions swing quickly from joy to anger. Groups fight other groups, often for reasons that look small from the outside. Political systems shift, fail, and rebuild. Information networks carry careful science and wild rumours side by side, and many people struggle to tell them apart.

To Aruen eyes, humans look like brilliant teenagers with dangerous tools. There is huge potential, but there is also real risk. The report sketches three broad futures for humanity. In one, humans slowly learn to calm their internal chaos, build more stable systems, and become a long-lived, thoughtful civilisation. In another, humans stay in a semi-chaotic state, always on the edge of crisis. In the darkest path, the mix of power and conflict leads to collapse.

A tiny Dutch-language window

The Aruen also notice that humans love language. People on Earth use thousands of tongues and write in many scripts. As a small window into this variety, consider Dutch, a language spoken in the Netherlands and beyond. In Dutch, the simple word “dag” can mean both “hello” and “goodbye,” showing how one short sound can carry different meanings based on tone and context. For an outside observer, even this tiny detail hints at the playful, flexible way humans use words.

In the Aruen report, this love of language stands next to rockets, wars, kindness, and confusion. It is one more sign that humans are not simple. They are noisy and often lost, but also full of sparks that might someday light a steadier, wiser flame.

Conclusions

A soft landing

The sky in December 2025 still carries no confirmed signal from another civilisation. Yet the numbers behind that sky are loud. There are more than 6,000 known exoplanets, at least trillions of galaxies, and uncounted planets that might host life. Under many reasonable assumptions, the chance that life exists somewhere beyond Earth is very high.

Contact is another story. Simple examples show that long-term probabilities for a clear, two-way message can range from about 6% to about 99%, depending on how many civilisations share the galaxy and how long they stay active. On the scale of a single day, the chance is virtually zero. On the scale of millennia, the door stays open.

The imagined Aruen civilisation does not claim to be real. It acts as a mirror. Through that mirror, humanity looks both better and worse: more creative, more fragile, more surprising. If any real neighbours are watching, their view may be just as mixed. The numbers say that someone, somewhere, is likely to exist. Whether they will ever speak, and what they will think of the restless species on a small blue world, is a story that remains unwritten.

Selected References

[1] NASA Exoplanet Archive – Current count and details of confirmed exoplanets. https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/

[2] NASA Science, “Exoplanets: Exoplanet Catalog” – Overview of confirmed exoplanets in a continuously updated catalog. https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/exoplanet-catalog/

[3] NASA, “Hubble Reveals Observable Universe Contains 10 Times More Galaxies Than Previously Thought” – Summary of research on the number of galaxies in the observable universe. https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-reveals-observable-universe-contains-10-times-more-galaxies-than-previously-thought/

[4] ESA / Hubble, “Observable Universe Contains Ten Times More Galaxies Than Previously Thought” – Additional details on galaxy counts from deep surveys. https://sci.esa.int/web/hubble/-/58444-observable-universe-contains-ten-times-more-galaxies-than-previously-thought-heic1620

[5] SETI Institute, “Drake Equation” – Introduction to the classic formula for estimating the number of detectable civilisations in the Milky Way. https://www.seti.org/research/seti-101/drake-equation/

[6] NASA Science, “Are We Alone in the Universe? Revisiting the Drake Equation” – Discussion of how modern research updates thinking about life and civilisations. https://science.nasa.gov/universe/exoplanets/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-revisiting-the-drake-equation/

[7] NASA Science Live, “Modern-Day Explorers Search for Life Beyond Earth” – Public video on current searches for life and the tools used to find it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_pQgWfdq2Y

Appendix

Alien civilisation

A society that does not come from Earth, with its own biology, culture, and technology. The term in this article covers both simple ideas about “someone else out there” and the more detailed fictional example of the Aruen.

Aruen

A fictional technological species used in this article to make abstract ideas concrete. The Aruen live on a slightly larger, heavier planet than Earth, orbit a calm K-type star, and experience a 30-hour day. They think in strongly collective ways and communicate with both sound and colour.

Contact

A two-way exchange of clear, artificial signals between humans and another technological civilisation. For contact to count here, both sides must be able to tell that the message is not a natural noise but a deliberate act of communication.

Dutch mini-lesson

A short note about the Dutch language. In Dutch, the word “dag” can mean both “hello” and “goodbye.” The meaning depends on tone, situation, and context. This tiny example shows how flexible and playful human languages can be.

Exoplanet

A planet that orbits a star other than the Sun. Exoplanets can be big or small, hot or cold. Some lie in regions where liquid water could exist, making them interesting places to think about life beyond Earth.

Galaxy

A vast collection of stars, gas, dust, and dark matter held together by gravity. The Milky Way is the galaxy that holds the Sun, Earth, and many billions of other stars.

Internal chaos

A short phrase used in this article for the mix of emotional swings, social conflicts, political struggles, and noisy information that shape human life. The imagined Aruen report uses it to describe why humans look unstable as well as creative.

Milky Way

The barred spiral galaxy that is home to Earth. It contains hundreds of billions of stars and a huge number of planets, making it the main stage for the probability examples used in this article.

Observable universe

The part of the universe from which light has had time to reach Earth since the beginning of cosmic expansion. It forms a giant sphere that contains at least trillions of galaxies and a vast number of stars and planets.

Technological civilisation

A civilisation that has developed tools and systems such as radio telescopes, lasers, or space probes. These tools allow it to send and receive signals across interstellar distances and make it detectable, in principle, from other star systems.

Key Takeaways

• In December 2025, the city of Poza Rica in eastern Mexico is still recovering from a major flood earlier in the year, with broken streets, fine dust in the air and long days without safe water.
• Across Latin America, unemployment is about six percent, but many people still work in informal or low-paid jobs, which makes recovery after disasters slow and difficult.
• Health agencies and researchers warn that natural disasters can trigger strong emotional reactions and long-term mental health problems if support is weak.
• Simple digital tools like WhatsApp voice messages, and short, clear phrases such as “You matter” and “This is what happened”, can bring comfort and calm even when they do not rebuild homes or create jobs.
• A Red Cross video and other public information show how organised help works, but everyday recovery in Poza Rica still depends on patient cleaning, fragile work and gentle, honest communication.

Story & Details

A city looking back from December

In December 2025, Poza Rica is no longer under water. Cars move along the main roads again. Markets are open. Children walk to school. From a distance, the city looks almost normal.

Up close, the marks of a major flood earlier in the year are still easy to see.

Heavy rain and overflowing rivers turned streets into brown channels. According to the European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service, the overflowing Cazones River caused severe flooding in Poza Rica and thousands of people had to leave their homes for shelters.[1] Houses were damaged. Shops lost stock. Roads and bridges broke in many places.

Not every home filled with water. Some were just high enough to stay dry inside. The floor never turned to mud. The fridge never floated. But even these homes could not escape the disaster. Tap water stopped being safe to drink. Power cuts came and went. Moving around the city became hard and slow.

For around ten days, there was no reliable drinking water from the tap. People waited in line for water trucks, stood in crowded streets with buckets and bottles and carried heavy containers up stairs. Each day brought the same questions: use the last clean water to cook, to wash, or to drink. Ten days without safe water is short on a calendar, but long in real life.

The dust that never seems to end

When safe water finally returned, it felt like a big step forward. But another problem appeared and stayed: dust.

As the floodwater went down, it left a thick layer of mud on streets, patios and steps. Weeks of sun and wind dried that mud into a thin crust. At the same time, damaged roads began to crumble. Every car, motorbike and truck drove over broken surfaces and lifted fine dust into the air.

This dust settled on everything. It covered tables and chairs, toys, windowsills and dishes that had just been washed with precious clean water. People swept floors in the morning and saw a new film of dust by the afternoon. Some kept their windows closed, even when it was hot, because fresh air also meant more dust.

In December, many homes in Poza Rica still repeat the same routine: sweep, wipe, dust, repeat. The water is gone, but the city still breathes the flood through this dry, grey layer.

Work on shaky ground

Large numbers help explain why this recovery feels so fragile. The International Labour Organization reports that unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean slipped to about 6.1 percent in 2024, down from 6.5 percent the year before.[2][3] On paper, that sounds like progress.

The details tell a harder story. Almost half of the region’s workers are in informal jobs with no stable contracts and few protections.[2][3] Many are paid by the day or without social security. Women face lower employment rates than men and earn less on average.[2][3] For millions of people, the real question is not only “Is there a job?” but “Is this job safe and stable enough to survive a shock?”

In Poza Rica, this matters a lot. Imagine a person with a formal job, a contract and some savings. When a flood closes the workplace for a week, it hurts, but there may still be money to pay rent. Now imagine a street vendor who sells food at a market, or a cleaner who is paid in cash at the end of each day. If roads are blocked, or customers stay away, there is no income at all.

A disaster does not create this insecurity, but it makes it sharper. A home that just covers its bills in a good month can fall into debt when a flood stops work for ten days. For many families, rebuilding after a disaster means not only repairing walls but also trying to rebuild small, fragile sources of income.

The hidden weight on minds

Alongside the broken streets and lost jobs, there is another part of this story that is less visible: mental health.

The World Health Organization explains that in emergencies such as floods, conflicts or epidemics, almost everyone feels strong stress, fear or sadness, and about one in five people is likely to live with a mental health condition.[4][5] These conditions can include depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The problems often last far beyond the end of the physical danger.

UNICEF warns that children in emergencies face special risks.[6] They may be forced from their homes, lose access to school, be separated from friends or family members and go without safe spaces to play. All this can harm their emotional development. Without support, children can carry the effects of a disaster into teenage years and adult life.

Research collected in journals such as Frontiers in Public Health and related series shows that people affected by natural disasters often face long-term psychological effects, especially when they are already living in poverty or in unstable housing.[7][8] Survivors may have trouble sleeping, feel constantly on edge, or re-live the moment of the flood whenever it rains.

The Canadian Mental Health Association also underlines that climate-related catastrophes bring a kind of “second wave” of problems.[9] After the shock of the event, people have to deal with damaged homes, new debts, changes in family life and the long process of rebuilding. This extra pressure can lead to burnout, deep sadness and a sense of being stuck.

For many people in Poza Rica, December 2025 feels like this second wave. The streets are no longer full of water. But the fear of another storm, the stress of unpaid bills and the sight of unfinished repairs keep the disaster alive in their thoughts.

A tiny Dutch lesson in a voice note

Support does not always come in large plans or long meetings. Sometimes it comes as a small message on a phone.

Imagine someone in Poza Rica receiving a WhatsApp voice note from a friend living in a northern European country. The friend wants to send something light and kind, not just bad news. In the short recording, there is a tiny language lesson in Dutch.

The friend says one word: “goedemorgen”. It is a simple, friendly way to say “good morning”. Then another: “dank je wel”, which means “thank you very much”. The words are short and easy to repeat. The message may last only a few seconds, but it carries care across an ocean.

According to WhatsApp’s own help pages, sending a voice message is simple: open a chat, hold down the microphone icon, speak, and then release to send.[10] For people who feel tired or emotional, speaking can be easier than typing a long message. The sound of a familiar voice can also bring comfort when text on a screen feels cold.

WhatsApp has added a feature that turns these voice messages into written text. The company’s blog explains that users can go to Settings, then Chats, then Voice message transcripts, and choose to turn the function on and select a language.[11] After that, they can long press a voice message and tap “transcribe” to read the words on the screen. This helps when someone is in a noisy place, when they need to read faster than they can listen, or when they simply prefer text at that moment.

In Poza Rica, a short voice note with two Dutch phrases, and maybe a few words of encouragement, cannot fix a broken house or replace lost income. But it can remind someone that they are not alone, that life has more than one language and more than one place, and that their day still deserves a warm “good morning” and a sincere “thank you”.

Organised help and the value of clear words

Large organisations also play an important part in disaster response. The Red Cross, for example, supports people in many countries after floods, fires and storms. In one public video, the American Red Cross shows how its teams respond to disasters: they move quickly into affected areas, open shelters, provide food and basic supplies and offer emotional support to survivors.[12] The video explains that Red Cross workers help families affected by disasters many times each day.

In Mexico, national agencies, local authorities and volunteers have also been active. Reports from Copernicus and Mexican government sources describe how rescue teams, soldiers and emergency staff went into flooded areas, set up shelters, delivered food and clean water and tried to restore power and transport links as fast as possible.[1] This kind of organised work is vital. It keeps people alive and meets basic needs while bigger repairs are planned.

Yet everyday recovery in Poza Rica also depends on something that seems smaller: communication.

When leaders or employers stay silent after a disaster, people easily feel forgotten. Long gaps with no news about repairs, jobs, school reopening or financial support can make fear and anger grow. In communities where trust in institutions is already low, silence can feel like another kind of damage.

Short, clear sentences can help. Phrases like “You matter” or “This is what happened” do not rebuild roads, but they give people solid ground under their feet. The first phrase tells someone that their pain and effort are seen. The second gives a simple, honest account of events. Together, they can reduce rumours, answer basic questions and show respect.

In December 2025, Poza Rica sits at this point between shock and long recovery. The flood is in the past, but its effects are still present in dust on furniture, in missing jobs and in racing hearts when the sky turns dark. Clean water, safer work, strong mental health support and gentle, honest words are all part of the same work: helping a city stand up again.

Conclusions

A quiet look at what remains

The story of Poza Rica in December 2025 is not only about a flood. It is about how a city lives with what the water left behind.

There are the visible marks: damaged roads, walls that still smell of damp and a thin layer of dust that never seems to settle for long. There are the economic strains: informal jobs that vanish when markets close, small savings eaten up by repairs and families unsure how to pay next month’s bills. And there are the hidden wounds in minds and hearts: restless nights, sudden fear when it starts to rain and tiredness that lingers long after the last sandbag is removed.

Across Latin America, official labour numbers show slow improvement, but they also hide deep gaps. Many workers in the region still walk on a tightrope of low pay and weak protection, so a disaster can easily push them into crisis.

Health agencies and researchers are clear that mental health must be part of any response to such events, not an afterthought. Support for emotional recovery needs to sit beside support for housing, jobs and infrastructure.

At the same time, daily life is stitched together with very simple things. A swept floor. A calm explanation from a local official. A short Dutch greeting in a voice note. A kind “You matter” said without big promises. These gestures do not change the weather or the shape of a river, but they help people feel less alone as they rebuild.

Poza Rica’s story shows how, after the cameras leave, recovery is a mix of public policy, community effort and quiet acts of care. It is slow. It is often uneven. But it moves forward one clear message, one shared meal and one cleaned room at a time.

Selected References

[1] Copernicus Emergency Management Service. “Flooding in Central and Eastern Mexico, October 2025.”
https://global-flood.emergency.copernicus.eu/news/225-flooding-in-central-and-eastern-mexico-october-2025/

[2] Reuters. “Unemployment dips in Latin America in 2024, but inequality gap grows, ILO says.”
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/unemployment-dips-latin-america-2024-inequality-gap-grows-ilo-says-2025-02-12/

[3] International Labour Organization. “Progress in the labour market in Latin America and the Caribbean is insufficient, ILO says.”
https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/avances-en-el-empleo-en-am%C3%A9rica-latina-y-el-caribe-son-insuficientes-seg%C3%BAn

[4] World Health Organization. “Mental health in emergencies.”
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mental-health-in-emergencies

[5] World Health Organization. “Mental health in emergencies: a lifeline, not a luxury.”
https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/mental-health-in-emergencies–a-lifeline–not-a-luxury

[6] UNICEF. “Mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies.”
https://www.unicef.org/protection/mental-health-psychosocial-support-in-emergencies

[7] Frontiers in Public Health. “Natural Disasters and Mental Health Consequences.”
https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/14604/natural-disasters-and-mental-health-consequences/magazine

[8] Frontiers in Psychology. M. Z. Karim et al. “Understanding mental health challenges and associated risk factors following natural disasters.”
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1466722/full

[9] Canadian Mental Health Association. “Community is essential to supporting mental health after catastrophes and emergencies.”
https://cmha.ca/news/mental-health-after-catastrophes-and-emergencies/

[10] WhatsApp Help Center. “How to send voice messages.”
https://faq.whatsapp.com/657157755756612

[11] WhatsApp Blog. “Introducing Voice Message Transcripts.”
https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-voice-message-transcripts

[12] American Red Cross. “How The Red Cross Responds To Disasters” (video).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAugbZEew2s

Appendix

After-flood dust
Fine dust that appears after floodwater goes away and dried mud and broken road surfaces turn into tiny particles, which rise into the air and settle again and again on homes, furniture and belongings.

dank je wel
A short Dutch phrase used in daily life to say “thank you very much” in an informal and friendly way.

goedemorgen
A Dutch greeting used in the morning to wish someone a good day, similar to saying “good morning” in English.

Latin American labour market
The world of work in Latin American and Caribbean countries, where official unemployment is around six percent but many people still have informal or low-paid jobs without strong legal or social protection.

Mental health in emergencies
The state of thoughts, feelings and behaviour during and after crises such as floods, storms or conflicts, when many people feel strong stress and some develop longer-lasting conditions like depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Natural disaster
A sudden and damaging event caused by natural forces, such as a flood, storm, earthquake or wildfire, that can destroy homes and roads, interrupt work and services and affect both physical and mental health.

Poza Rica
A city in the Mexican state of Veracruz that suffered severe flooding earlier in 2025 and is still dealing, in December 2025, with damaged streets, lingering dust and the social and emotional effects of the disaster.

This is what happened
A simple English sentence that introduces a clear explanation of events, often used after a crisis to replace rumours and silence with direct, honest information.

WhatsApp voice message
An audio message that a person records and sends through the WhatsApp app by holding a microphone icon, which lets people share tone and emotion without writing text.

WhatsApp voice message transcripts
A WhatsApp feature that turns the spoken words of a voice message into written text on the screen so that users can read the content when listening is difficult or inconvenient.

You matter
A short English phrase used to tell someone that their life and feelings are important, which can bring comfort and support after a disaster or during any other difficult time.

Key Takeaways

A small week, a small payment, a big doubt
A worker looked at a pay statement for a short work week and felt that the amount was too low for the days worked.

A quiet check instead of a loud complaint
By comparing what a normal full week usually brings with what a small part of that week should be worth, the worker saw a clear gap between a fair figure and the money shown on the statement.

Simple tools to turn worry into action
An online work platform for hours, a secure messaging app, and a short personal task note helped turn confusion into a calm list of next steps.

Story & Details

A brief week that did not add up
The events took place earlier in the year. A worker opened a pay statement for a week that had only a modest number of working days. The total on the page looked small. It did not match the worker’s sense of what a normal week of work usually brought in.

In earlier weeks, a standard work schedule had led to a solid, regular income. From that, it was easy to reason that a slice of the week should still be worth a meaningful share of that total. Even without exact formulas, it was clear that the figure on the statement sat far below what a simple “part of a week” calculation would suggest.

From unease to a clear question
Rather than jump straight into anger, the worker chose to look inside the systems that handled the pay. An online work platform, shared by the employer and staff, showed the records for that short week. It became clear that the money already paid covered only the hours actually worked on the days that appeared in the schedule.

A short note in the same platform explained that the remaining days in that period would not be handled automatically. They needed an extra declaration: an additional form to fill in so that those days could be checked and processed. A supervisor sent a brief message asking the worker to open the platform and complete that extra form for a set of days in the same week.

The worker opened the screen, saw the fields waiting to be filled, and sent back a simple question: was it enough to send the form as it was, or did the employer also expect supporting documents attached to it? The aim was not to argue, but to follow the process correctly so the missing part of the week could be added to the pay.

Short, private messages with a lot inside
All of this moved through a secure messaging app on the worker’s phone. That app uses strong protection so that only the people in the chat can read the messages. Inside the thread, short lines carried all the detail that mattered: a link to the specific record in the work platform, a reminder that an extra declaration was needed, and the worker’s careful question about whether extra files were required.

To stay organised, the worker also wrote a short task note in a personal list. It had a clear title, a one-line summary, and a few simple search words so it would be easy to find later. The message to the future self was straightforward: review the hours in the platform, send the extra declaration in the right way, and then ask why the pay for that week was so low.

A work event and the idea of staying the night
Amid these money and admin details, the same chat also touched on a work event planned near the end of the year. The supervisor explained that there might be a gathering in a location far from where the worker lived. Because the journey would be long, one short line stood out: if travel and timing made the day too heavy, there might be an overnight stay, and the worker would be told in advance if that happened.

The sentence was brief but important. It showed that travel time and rest were part of the thought process, not just hours and pay. Later on, the worker came back to that point and asked what exactly had been said about staying overnight. The supervisor repeated the same words. There was still no fixed hotel booking, and no final plan. It was simply a door left open to sleep near the event instead of travelling home late at night.

From confusion to a small, steady plan
By the time the year moved closer to its end, the picture was more complete. A short week had brought in some money, but less than the worker’s own basic calculation suggested. Other days in that same period still needed to be added through an extra declaration in the work platform, and a practical question about how to send that form was waiting for a clear answer.

At the same time, a possible year-end event, a long trip to another region, and a possible overnight stay were all in the background, still being shaped. At the centre of it all, the worker’s small digital task note acted like an anchor: check the numbers, finish the form, and ask for an explanation in a calm, precise way.

Conclusions

Even simple arithmetic can protect a worker
A person does not need to be a specialist to notice when pay feels off. A normal week, a partial week, and a rough sense of what each day should be worth can be enough to spot a problem and start a fair discussion.

Digital systems respond better to clear, soft language
Online work platforms and secure messaging tools can feel cold, but they work best when the messages inside them are short, polite, and clear. A quiet question such as “Is this the right way to send the form?” can open the way to a correction much faster than a frustrated outburst.

Work, travel, rest, and money belong in the same story
Pay for hours, extra declarations, long journeys, and the chance to stay overnight are all parts of real working life. When they are discussed together, it becomes easier to see what a fair, safe and human week of work should look like.

Selected References

[1] Understanding your pay – GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/understanding-your-pay

[2] Payslips: employee rights – GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/payslips

[3] If your employer has underpaid you – Citizens Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/pay/problems-getting-paid/

[4] What should I know about encryption? – Electronic Frontier Foundation: https://ssd.eff.org/module/what-should-i-know-about-encryption

[5] HM Revenue & Customs – video “What is a tax code?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f0wu1UsWQw

Appendix

Extra declaration
An additional form that a worker completes when the usual hour records do not fully cover all the days or situations that should be paid, so that the employer can review and process them separately.

Overnight stay
A night spent away from home because of work, for example near a distant event or workplace, so that a person does not have to travel a long way back late at night.

Pay statement
A document that shows how much money a worker is paid for a period, along with the main details such as hours, deductions, and the final amount received.

Secure messaging app
A chat application that protects messages so only the people in the conversation can read them, making it safer to discuss topics such as work, pay, and travel plans.

Task note
A short reminder written by a person, often in a digital list, that links a clear title and a few search words to something that still needs to be done.

Work platform
An online system where an employer and workers can see the same information about contracts, hours, and extra forms, and can update those records as needed.

Year-end event
A meeting or celebration held near the end of the year by a workplace, often involving travel and sometimes an overnight stay for people coming from far away.

Key Takeaways

Clear subject

TomTom is still active in 2025. It has changed from a maker of standalone car sat-nav devices into a wider location-technology company that sells maps, software and traffic data to carmakers, businesses and developers.

Old device, new role

An older TomTom sat-nav with a suction mount, LIVE services and a CE mark on the back can still be useful today, but support and map updates depend on its exact model and memory.

Business shift

Most of TomTom’s growth now comes from its automotive and enterprise work, not from selling new plastic boxes for the windscreen, and this shift includes job cuts as the company leans into artificial intelligence.

Dutch on the screen

A small Dutch street-name mini-lesson makes the TomTom map easier to read: common endings like straat, laan and weg give simple hints about the type of road.

Story & Details

A quiet device on a kitchen table

Picture a small black sat-nav resting on a checked kitchen cloth in the Netherlands in late 2025.
The glass screen is dark. Around it runs a slim plastic frame. In one corner, a small word reads LIVE. On the back there is a round speaker grille and a neat printed code: CE0168. A curved arm ends in a wide suction cup, ready to stick to a windscreen.

For many drivers, this kind of TomTom box used to be the main way to cross a new country without a paper map. Today, phones can do the same job. Even so, a dedicated sat-nav is still handy: it can stay in the car, it does not drain a phone battery, and it can be easier to read in strong sunlight.

Is TomTom still alive as a company?

The device looks like a relic, so a natural question comes up: has TomTom closed, or is it still around?
The answer is simple. TomTom is still very much alive in 2025. It is a Dutch location-technology company based in Amsterdam. The firm describes itself as a provider of location data and technology for drivers, carmakers, businesses and developers. Its main products today are digital maps, routing software and real-time traffic information that other companies build into their own systems.

Results published during 2025 show that most of TomTom’s revenue now comes from its automotive location-technology segment. Carmakers pay for maps and navigation that appear inside in-dash screens. Enterprise clients pay for tools that plan routes, monitor traffic and help fleets move more efficiently. Consumer apps and standalone sat-navs still exist, but they are no longer the centre of the story.

Job cuts and an AI-heavy strategy

This shift has a human cost. In June 2025, TomTom announced plans to cut around 300 jobs as part of a move towards a “product-led” strategy with deeper use of artificial intelligence. The cuts mainly affect staff working on application layers, sales and support.

The aim of the change is to speed up map-making, standardise products and rely more on automated systems to keep road data fresh. By the time winter 2025 arrives, TomTom is smaller than it once was, but it is focused on being the quiet engine behind many other brands’ navigation tools.

What happens to older sat-navs

Back on the kitchen table, the question is more personal: what happens to this particular TomTom box?
TomTom keeps a public list of “end of life” devices, which are older sat-nav models that no longer receive new maps or software. The company explains that some older units simply do not have enough memory or processing power to run the latest maps. These devices still start up and still show routes, but their maps grow slowly out of date and their owners cannot buy new updates.

Newer models, or older ones that are still supported, can receive map and software updates in several ways. Some connect to a computer using TomTom’s MyDrive Connect or TomTom HOME programs. Others connect directly to Wi-Fi and update themselves without a computer. In every case, the basics are the same: the device checks TomTom’s servers, downloads new data and then restarts with fresher maps.

Finding out which TomTom you own

To know which group the device on the table belongs to, the owner needs a small piece of information: the serial number. TomTom support guides explain that this number is printed on a barcode label on the case or mount and also appears in the settings menu. The first letters of the serial number match a table on TomTom’s website. That table tells you the exact model name and whether it still receives updates.

For people who are not comfortable with these details, one short video on the official TomTom Support channel is very helpful. In less than three minutes it shows a range of devices and points to the exact place where the serial label sits on each one. The host turns each unit, taps the screen and shows both the sticker and the menu entry, so owners can follow along at home.

The meaning of the CE0168 mark

The CE0168 mark on the back of the device is easy to overlook, but it connects the little box to a wide legal system.
The letters “CE” are used on many products sold in the European Economic Area. They show that the manufacturer declares the product meets key European rules on safety, health and environmental protection, and that it can be placed on the market in countries that share those rules. The mark is not a quality award or a marketing badge; it is more like a passport that says, “this product meets the basic law”.

Public information from European and Dutch authorities makes clear that, for many electrical and electronic devices, CE marking is mandatory. The four-digit number after the letters, in this case 0168, identifies a notified body, an independent organisation that may be involved in checking that the product meets the relevant standards. When the TomTom sat-nav first went on sale, the mark signalled that it met those requirements at that time.

Dutch street endings on a small screen

Turn the TomTom on and the map shows a web of roads with names that may seem long and unfamiliar. Dutch street names often glue several words together. That can be hard to parse at driving speed if Dutch is not yet familiar.

A short language mini-lesson helps. Dutch guides explain that many street names share a small set of endings:

• straat usually means a normal street in a town or city.
• laan often marks a broad, tree-lined avenue.
• weg tends to be a main road or route out of town.
• gracht is generally a street that runs along a canal.
• kade is a road or path along a quay or embankment.

With these endings in mind, the display starts to make more sense. A road that ends in straat is likely a built-up street with houses or shops. A name ending in laan hints at a larger, possibly greener road. A weg often carries through-traffic. A gracht or kade suggests water nearby. Even with a basic level of Dutch, a driver can quickly guess what lies ahead.

The sat-nav’s place in a phone-first world

By December 2025, most people use smartphones to navigate. Apps update themselves, pull live traffic over mobile networks and sync across devices. Yet the TomTom on the cloth still has a role. It can serve as a dedicated navigator in a second car. It can help visitors who do not want to use mobile data. It can act as a backup when a phone battery dies or a signal drops in the countryside.

Its value now depends on three things: whether TomTom still supports the model with updates, how old its maps are and how well it has been cared for. If those pieces fit together, a small, ageing sat-nav still offers calm guidance on dark winter roads, quietly following lines of code and cartography that TomTom now also sells deep inside the dashboards of brand-new cars.

Conclusions

A small box that tells a larger story

The TomTom sat-nav on the kitchen table is more than a forgotten gadget. It shows how technology can move from the spotlight to the background without disappearing. An object that once defined a brand now represents just one end of a much wider business that powers maps and navigation for many others.

Company in motion

TomTom in 2025 is not a closed chapter but a company in motion. It cuts jobs, leans into artificial intelligence and wins contracts in cars and enterprise systems. At the same time it keeps some older devices alive, retires others and leaves small plastic boxes like the one on the cloth to live out their days as backups, hand-me-downs or quiet travel partners.

Maps, words and reassurance

The CE0168 mark on the back offers reassurance that the device was built to meet shared European rules. The Dutch street endings on the screen turn long names into simple hints. Together, hardware, law and language come together in a way that still makes sense for a careful driver in the Netherlands in late 2025, even if the loudest navigation buzz now comes from a phone.

Selected References

[1] TomTom. “First quarter 2025 results.” Company press release describing TomTom as a provider of location data and technology for drivers, carmakers, businesses and developers, and outlining the role of its location-technology segment. Available at: https://www.tomtom.com/newsroom/press-releases/earnings-other/29026/first-quarter-2025-results/

[2] TomTom. “Second quarter 2025 results – TomTom delivers on strategy and upgrades guidance.” Update on revenue, automotive performance and strategy. Available at: https://www.tomtom.com/newsroom/press-releases/earnings-other/29141/second-quarter-2025-results/

[3] Reuters. “TomTom to cut 300 jobs amid AI shift.” News report on job cuts linked to a more AI-driven, product-led strategy. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/technology/tomtom-cut-300-jobs-amid-ai-shift-2025-06-30/

[4] TomTom. “End of life – support for older generation navigation devices.” Explanation of why some older sat-navs no longer receive updates. Available at: https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/navigation/obsolete-products/

[5] TomTom Help Centre. “Finding the serial number of your device.” Support article on locating the serial number and using it to identify a model. Available at: https://help.tomtom.com/hc/en-150/articles/31217476865298-Finding-the-serial-number-of-your-device

[6] TomTom Support (YouTube). “Finding the serial number of your navigation device.” Short official video showing where the serial label sits on different TomTom models. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyjrAHEl5jc

[7] European Commission. “CE marking.” Overview of CE marking and what it signifies for products sold in the European Economic Area. Available at: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/goods/ce-marking_en

[8] European Union – Your Europe. “CE marking – obtaining the certificate, EU requirements.” Explanation of CE marking as a manufacturer’s declaration of conformity with EU rules. Available at: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/product-requirements/labels-markings/ce-marking/index_en.htm

[9] Business.gov.nl. “Mandatory CE marking for products.” Dutch public-information page on when CE marking is required and what it means. Available at: https://business.gov.nl/regulation/ce-marking/

[10] ExpatINFO Holland. “Dutch street names.” Guide to common Dutch street-name elements and endings. Available at: https://expatinfoholland.nl/help-guides/arrival-settling/common-dutch-street-names/

[11] Expat Spouses Initiative. “The story behind Dutch street names.” Background article on Dutch street naming and recurring suffixes. Available at: https://expatspousesinitiative.org/the-story-behind-dutch-street-names/

[12] Municipality of Amsterdam. “What does a street name say?” Online glossary explaining Dutch street-type words such as straat, laan, weg, gracht and kade. Available at: https://maps.amsterdam.nl/straatnamen/

Appendix

CE marking
Mark printed on many products in the European Economic Area to show that the manufacturer declares the item meets key European rules on safety, health and environmental protection and may be placed on the market there.

Dutch street endings
Common final parts of Dutch street names, such as straat, laan, weg, gracht and kade, which give simple clues about whether a road is a normal street, a broad avenue, a main road, a canal-side street or a quay.

LIVE services
Online extras on some TomTom sat-nav devices, including live traffic information, speed-camera alerts and other connected features delivered over a mobile data link.

Location technology
Set of digital maps, software and data services that make it possible to know where people or objects are, plan routes and travel times and provide navigation and traffic information.

Sat-nav (satellite navigation)
Portable device or built-in system that uses signals from satellites together with digital maps to show a vehicle’s position and guide the driver with on-screen maps and spoken directions.

Serial number
Unique code printed on a TomTom device and shown in its menu, used to identify the exact model and to check which kind of software and map support still applies.

TomTom
Dutch company based in Amsterdam that designs and sells digital maps, navigation software and traffic services for carmakers, businesses, developers and consumers, and that once became widely known for its small standalone car sat-nav units.

Key Takeaways

A silver model is a fashion or lifestyle model in midlife or later, often with natural grey or white hair, who appears in campaigns aimed at older adults.
In 2025, a silver model and influencer named Naomi Snyder liked a quiet family post from a user in the Netherlands, showing how small accounts can suddenly meet big ones.
Creators like Snyder often work as micro-influencers and can earn extra income by using tools such as the Amazon Influencer Program.
Social media algorithms help carry a simple image, such as an old communion card, across borders and into the feed of a stranger, where one tap becomes a tiny but real human moment.

Story & Details

In 2025, a person in the Netherlands shared a very simple picture on Instagram. The photo did not show a face, a sunset, or a beach. It showed a small printed card, slightly worn by time. The card was a keepsake from a first communion held on 27 October 1963 in a church in Argentina. The text on it thanked God for what it called the most beautiful day of a life. It was the kind of object people usually keep in a box or a drawer, not the kind of image that normally powers a social feed.

The post had no hashtags. It was not made to catch attention. It sat quietly on the profile, mostly for family and close friends. After a while, the like count stayed low. Only a few hearts appeared under the picture, almost all from familiar names. Then something odd happened. Among those names, one stood out. Next to it sat a blue check mark.

A tap on that name opened a very different world. The profile belonged to Naomi Snyder, an American lifestyle figure. Her Instagram biography describes her as a mother, a lawyer, and a silver model. She writes in an upbeat tone and links her life to big United States locations such as New York, Washington DC, California, and Las Vegas. Her grid is full of carefully composed pictures: portraits in elegant clothes, relaxed moments on boats or by hotel pools, warm scenes with children and friends. The overall feeling is relaxed luxury and midlife confidence, the kind of image many brands want when they speak to customers in their forties, fifties, and beyond.

The label “silver model” sits at the centre of this image. In fashion and advertising, a silver model is usually a model in midlife or later who often keeps natural grey or white hair instead of hiding it. Articles on style and beauty now show more and more silver-haired models and influencers who embrace this look and refuse to fade into the background. They appear in campaigns for skincare, clothing, travel, and more, giving a clear message: style and presence do not stop after a certain birthday. In some markets, the term “senior model” is also used in a similar way, but “silver” keeps the focus on hair and on a modern, positive image of age.

Naomi Snyder’s follower count sits in the tens of thousands, not in the millions. That places her in the micro-influencer band. Marketing reports from 2024 and 2025 point out that micro-influencers on Instagram often see higher engagement than very large accounts. One industry report in late 2025 notes that micro-influencers reach an average engagement rate of around 3.86 percent, while mega-influencers sit nearer to 1.21 percent. Other benchmark guides say that for micro-influencers, a rate in the two to four percent range is usually seen as solid, and anything above that stands out as strong. In plain terms, smaller audiences can react more often. Followers like, comment, and share more, post for post, which makes these creators attractive partners for brands.

Snyder’s work extends beyond the app. She appears in the Amazon Influencer Program, which Amazon describes as an extension of its long-running Associates program. This program gives qualifying creators their own presence on Amazon with a custom shop page and a special web address. Influencers can curate lists of products they recommend and earn commission when people buy through those links, in much the same way as with classic affiliate links. Official Amazon help pages explain that influencers can use content from platforms such as Instagram and YouTube to drive visitors to these shopfronts and that they are paid for qualifying purchases in a similar fashion to Associates. Her Amazon page introduces her as a mother of three, a lawyer, and a lifestyle model, and it invites visitors to browse everyday favourites. The role of silver model and the role of small business owner meet in that shop window.

Against this backdrop, the like on the old communion card feels almost unreal. The person who posted the card does not follow Snyder and did not know her name before that heart appeared. The picture itself is quiet and dated, with no trendy hook. It is simply the most recent post on a modest personal account. To understand how it arrived on Snyder’s screen, it helps to look at how modern feeds work.

Social media platforms no longer show only posts from accounts a user follows. They use social media algorithms to decide what appears next. These algorithms are sets of rules and models that filter, rank, and recommend content. They collect signals such as which posts a user likes, how long they watch a video, which accounts they save or share from, what language they use, and roughly where they are. Guides from analytics companies explain that the main goal is to keep people on the platform for as long as possible by building a personal feed that feels engaging and relevant. News features from 2025 show how a new account, after only a short period of scrolling and liking, can quickly fall into a very specific pattern of videos and images shaped by these unseen choices.

If Snyder’s account often engages with lifestyle, family, and beauty content, the algorithm will tend to offer her more of the same, even from accounts she does not follow. Articles explain that micro-influencers often sit at the centre of these webs, with content that looks especially “clickable” in a visual way. A gentle, recent post from a user in the Netherlands, even one as simple as a religious card from 1963, can appear in a suggested slot in such a feed. When Snyder opens the app and scrolls, the card may appear for a moment. The post is the latest image on that profile, so it is also the first thing she would see if she taps through to the account. A short pause, a small warm feeling, and a thumb on the heart icon are all it takes.

There is also a social habit at play. Many micro-influencers watch their notifications and sometimes visit unfamiliar profiles that like or follow them. When they arrive, the most recent post is at the top of the grid. It is common to tap like on that first post as a sign of simple friendliness.

To understand what that like means, a short Dutch language note is useful. In Dutch interfaces, the word linked to the like button is often “leuk,” which sits inside phrases that can be understood as “I find it nice.” It does not mean “I adore this” or “I deeply agree.” It is lighter. It simply says that something gives a pleasant feeling. On Instagram, each heart carries something similar. A like from a silver model does not have to signal deep personal interest in the person behind the post. It can just mean that a small, old-fashioned image felt nice for a second.

For the person who shared the card, the moment still feels big. A verified profile with links to faraway cities, a carefully built grid, and a shop on the world’s largest online store has touched a piece of private family memory. The two lives may never cross again. There may never be a message or a deeper link. Yet that one heart shows how far a single image can travel in 2025. A card printed in 1963 in Argentina can end up on a phone in another country and receive a mark of quiet approval from someone whose daily work depends on images and on the invisible choices of algorithms.

Conclusions

A silver model like Naomi Snyder lives in a world of cameras, campaigns, and curated grids. A person with a small private account lives in a world of family milestones and simple posts for friends. When these worlds touch through one tiny heart, the result is both ordinary and strangely moving.

The like on the communion card is, most likely, a mix of algorithmic chance and a moment of human warmth. It is quick and light. It does not promise friendship, work, or fame. Still, it feels real to the person who sees it appear under a quiet picture from long ago.

The softest way to read a moment like this is to accept it as a small gift of attention. A silver model saw a small, old card, thought it was nice, and tapped a heart. In a crowded online world, that is already something.

Selected References

[1] Amazon Associates. “What Is the Amazon Influencer Program?” Official help article describing the program as an extension of Amazon Associates, with custom shop pages and vanity URLs for creators. https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/node/topic/GTP6NKQ2GXPZL7AT

[2] Amazon. “Influencer Program Info Page.” Overview of the Amazon Influencer Program and how creators earn affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases. https://www.amazon.com/shop/info

[3] Socially Powerful. “Influencer Marketing Statistics in 2025.” Industry report outlining engagement differences between micro- and mega-influencers on Instagram and other platforms. https://sociallypowerful.com/influencer/marketing/statistics

[4] SocialBook. “What Counts as a Good or Average Engagement Rate on Instagram in 2025?” Benchmark guide giving typical engagement ranges for nano, micro, and larger influencers. https://socialbook.io/blog/what-counts-as-a-good-or-average-engagement-rate-on-instagram-in-2025/

[5] StackInfluence. “What Is the Average Influencer Engagement Rate in 2025?” Article summarising 2025 engagement benchmarks across platforms and niches. https://stackinfluence.com/the-average-influencer-engagement-rate-in-2025/

[6] Metricool. “Social Media Algorithms Explained: Why You See What You See.” Explanation of how ranking and recommendation systems build personalised feeds. https://metricool.com/social-media-algorithms/

[7] Sprout Social. “Everything You Need to Know About Social Media Algorithms.” Overview of how algorithms filter, rank, and recommend content on major platforms. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-algorithms/

[8] ABC News (Australia). “How Social Media Algorithms Decide Who You Are.” 2025 feature following a test account to show how feeds are shaped by a few small choices. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-02/social-media-ban-algorithm-phone-addiction-instagram-x-tiktok-/105844066

[9] The Yorkshire Post. “Meet the Silver-Haired Models Who Embrace Their Grey and Refuse to Fade Away.” Lifestyle piece on older models and the rise of silver-haired fashion faces. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/shopping/meet-the-silver-haired-models-who-embrace-their-grey-and-refuse-to-fade-away-2880452

[10] PBS NewsHour. “Kids’ Mental Health, Safety in the Spotlight as Social Media Use Soars.” YouTube video exploring the impact of social media and its algorithms on young people’s wellbeing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-xewarmPNo

Appendix

Algorithm
An algorithm in social media is a set of computer rules and models that decides which posts appear in a user’s feed, based on signals such as likes, comments, viewing time, and past choices.

Amazon Influencer Program
The Amazon Influencer Program is a service for qualifying creators that offers a personalised shop page, a special web address, and commission on purchases made through their recommended product lists, building on Amazon’s existing Associates affiliate system.

Dutch like phrase
In Dutch interfaces, the word linked to the like button is often “leuk,” which in common use signals that someone simply finds something nice, a light form of approval rather than a deep judgment.

Engagement rate
Engagement rate is a percentage that shows how actively an audience reacts to a post, usually calculated by adding likes and comments, dividing by the number of followers, and multiplying by one hundred to compare different accounts.

Micro-influencer
A micro-influencer is a social media creator with a medium-sized audience, often between about ten thousand and one hundred thousand followers, whose posts usually receive stronger engagement and closer reactions than those of very large celebrity accounts.

Silver model
A silver model is a model in midlife or later, often with natural grey or white hair, who appears in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle campaigns that present older adults as stylish, confident, and active.

Social media feed
A social media feed is the main scrolling stream of posts in an app such as Instagram, where photos and videos from followed accounts and from recommended accounts are mixed together by algorithms into a personalised list.

A quiet reminder that can change a working life

Key Takeaways

A short message, a strong signal
A simple notification from XING asking if a profile is up to date shows how important that profile has become for work and career.

One profile, many chances
A clear XING profile that lists real studies and real jobs, such as an electronic engineering degree and a maintenance role in a large energy company, can help recruiters see skills quickly.

Online footprints matter
Recruiters in 2025 often look at online profiles before calling a person, so even small updates can change the first impression.

Rules in the background
Strong data protection rules in Europe shape how platforms may use personal details, even while they help people and jobs find each other.

Story & Details

A quiet moment in front of a screen

In 2025, a worker in Europe sits in front of a laptop and sees a short message from XING. It asks a simple question: is the profile still correct. On the screen, the platform shows what it knows so far. There is an electronic engineering degree from a public university in Argentina. There is a current job as a maintenance engineer at Baker Hughes, a well-known energy technology company. The text is short. The impact is large.

The worker understands that this is more than a friendly reminder. The platform uses the profile to match people and open roles. Recruiters see these lines before they see the real person. If the lines are wrong or old, the match can fail before it even starts.

What XING offers to workers and recruiters

XING is a professional network based in Hamburg and part of New Work SE. It focuses strongly on German-speaking countries and nearby markets. Public figures from the company say that the goal is to support more than twenty million members through their working lives. On the site, people can browse over one million jobs and can be found by more than twenty thousand recruiters and companies. The platform wants to create a “perfect match” between a person and a workplace, not only a match between a resume and a job title.

For the worker who sees the message in 2025, this means that a short text box holds real weight. When the profile says “maintenance engineer”, a recruiter in another city or another country can quickly imagine the type of work, tools and duty this person knows. When it lists an electronic engineering degree, the reader can trust that there is a strong technical base behind that job.

How wider online profiles shape hiring

XING is only one part of the picture. Many people also use LinkedIn or other online job platforms. Some have created accounts with a Dutch temporary employment agency or local job centre. Each service keeps a version of the worker’s story. Research in recent years shows that recruiters now look at these online profiles and at wider social media pages during the hiring process. They often check whether the information is clear, whether dates and titles line up, and whether the tone feels professional.

New experimental studies in 2025 show that even small details, such as the style of a profile picture or the words used in a headline, can change how attractive a candidate seems to a recruiter. Older papers found similar patterns: positive, work-focused content tends to help, while messy or very personal content can hurt. Taken together, these findings make the XING message feel less like a routine alert and more like a serious prompt to act.

Law and protection behind the scenes

Behind these screens and profiles sits a strong legal base. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation sets rules for how companies must handle personal data. It covers names, dates, locations, job history, and other details that appear on a profile. Guidance from European and national bodies explains that, in recruitment, employers need a clear legal reason to collect and use personal data. They must tell candidates what happens with the data, keep it only as long as needed, and protect it from misuse.

This does not stop recruiters from looking at XING or other sites. It does, however, shape how they are allowed to use what they see. It also gives workers rights: the right to see what data is stored, to correct it, and in some cases to ask for removal. The short reminder on the screen is part of this wider system. It encourages people to take control of the text that others read about them.

A tiny Dutch word for a big goal

The story also has a small Dutch element. People in the Netherlands often use the short word “baan” when they talk about a job. It is an easy word to say and to remember. A person who is out of work may say, in Dutch, that they are looking for a “baan”. Thinking about that small word helps keep the goal simple. The goal is not just a perfect online profile. The goal is a real job that feels right.

What can change with just a few lines

When the worker finally clicks through the XING profile, the changes do not need to be complex. A clear job title in simple English can replace a long internal label. Dates can be checked and corrected. Old roles that no longer matter can be shortened. A short, friendly summary can show what kind of work feels good and what kind of work does not. If the person also uses LinkedIn or other services, small edits can bring all the profiles into line so they tell the same story.

Digital tools can help in the background. Some can suggest new wording or shorter sentences. Some can help people check spelling and grammar if English is not their first language. Others can help set reminders to look at the profile again every few months, so it does not become old by surprise. All of this support turns a simple XING message into a chance to take real control of how a working life looks online.

A wider view of learning and support

Careers services from universities and public bodies now offer guides on how to use networks like XING and LinkedIn. One short video from a university careers service in Cambridge, for example, explains how to boost a job search by using social media in a smart and safe way. It talks about simple steps, such as keeping profiles clear, joining groups, and sharing content that matches the type of work a person wants. For many workers, this kind of guidance turns a vague idea into a plan they can follow in small steps.

Conclusions

A soft nudge with real weight

By the end of 2025, short messages from XING asking people to check their profiles have become part of normal working life. They can look small on a busy screen, but they carry a clear message. The online profile is now a front door. It is the first thing many recruiters see, and it shapes how they think about a person long before a call or a meeting.

A calm, human way forward

Answering that message does not require a grand plan. It only asks for a calm look at a few lines of text. If the profile matches real life, it can stay. If it does not, it can change. With each small edit, the story on the screen comes closer to the real worker behind it. In a world of many platforms, many rules and many eyes, that quiet act of making the profile honest and clear is already a strong and hopeful step.

Selected References

[1] XING. “Find the right job for you. Or get found!” Overview of the XING jobs network, including job search tools, profile features and recruiter access. Available at: https://www.xing.com/en

[2] New Work SE. “New Work SE – For a better working life.” Corporate information about the company behind XING, its brands and its focus on modern work. Available at: https://new-work.se/en

[3] Business News Daily. “How Social Media Screenings Affect Hiring Decisions.” Report on how employers use social media profiles in recruitment and the risks and trends involved. Available at: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2377-social-media-hiring.html

[4] Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). “Employment practices and data protection: recruitment and selection.” Guidance on data protection duties for employers and recruiters under data protection law. Available at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/recruitment-and-selection/

[5] Cambridge University Careers Service. “Boost your job search – Using Social Media.” Short video with practical advice on using platforms such as LinkedIn to support a job search. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGJ3WKmUytI

Appendix

Baker Hughes
Baker Hughes is a large international energy technology company that designs and services equipment and solutions for oil, gas and renewable energy projects, and it often appears on technical workers’ profiles as an employer.

Data protection
Data protection is the set of laws and practices that control how organisations collect, store, use and share personal details such as names, contact data, job history and online identifiers.

Dutch word “baan”
The Dutch word “baan” means “job” and is used in everyday speech when people talk about work, making it a simple and helpful word for anyone thinking about the goal of finding employment.

Electronic engineering
Electronic engineering is a branch of engineering that focuses on designing, building and maintaining devices and systems that use electricity, such as control systems, communication tools and industrial machines.

GDPR
GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, is a major European Union law that sets strict rules for how personal data must be handled, including data used in hiring and online profiles.

Job profile
A job profile is a short text that describes a person’s work life, including skills, tasks, experience and goals, and it appears on online platforms to help recruiters understand what the person can do.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a global online professional network where people can show their work history, skills and interests, connect with others, and search and apply for jobs.

New Work SE
New Work SE is a company based in Hamburg that owns XING and other brands related to careers and workplaces, and it promotes the idea of better working lives for people using its services.

Online job platform
An online job platform is a website or app where people can search for jobs, create profiles and sometimes be contacted directly by recruiters and employers.

Recruiter
A recruiter is a person who works for a company or a staffing organisation and searches for suitable candidates to fill open roles, often using online profiles and social media as tools.

XING
XING is an online professional network and job platform that is especially strong in German-speaking countries, helping workers create profiles and helping companies and recruiters search for candidates.

Key Takeaways

Simple ideas up front

• The Big Bang is the name for a very hot, very dense early phase of the universe when space started to expand.
• The beginning did not happen in one single spot inside space; it is the early state of all space.
• If “universe” means “everything that exists”, there is no outside place where it could start.
• Science today can describe the universe back to a very early moment, but not what, if anything, came before that moment.
• Possible futures such as a “Big Rip”, where the universe tears itself apart, are ideas under study, not firm predictions.

Story & Details

A hot start, not a simple explosion

In December 2025, the basic picture of the early universe is well tested. When astronomers measure light from distant galaxies, they see that almost all of them are moving away. The farther a galaxy is, the faster it seems to move. This fits with a simple idea: space itself is stretching.

If space is stretching now, then in the past everything was closer together. The universe was smaller, much hotter, and much denser than it is today. NASA describes the Big Bang as this very hot, dense beginning and the slow cooling and expansion that follow, not as a firework exploding into empty space [1][2].

Light from the young universe is still around. It has cooled and now arrives as a soft microwave “glow” that fills the sky in every direction. The European Space Agency calls this glow the cosmic microwave background and treats it as a fossil picture of the universe when it was only a few hundred thousand years old [3]. This light is strong evidence that the universe really did pass through a hot, dense phase.

The problem with “where”

Daily life trains the mind to think that everything happens somewhere. A child is born in a city. A storm forms in a region of sky. A star forms in a cloud of gas. In every case, the event takes place inside a bigger setting.

It is natural to try the same idea on the universe itself and ask: “Where did the universe begin?” This sounds simple but hides a trick. The word “where” already assumes a space that exists first, so that things can sit inside it.

Now take the word “universe” in a strict way: all of space, all of time, and everything in them. If this is the meaning, then any real place is already part of the universe. There is no larger room around it. In that strict sense, the universe does not begin inside a place. The “place” is part of what begins.

Cosmology talks instead about an early state of the whole of space. At that time, space everywhere is extremely hot and dense. As time goes on, distances between galaxies grow. No centre point is picked out. Every region can trace its story back to the same kind of early state.

A tiny language detour makes this a bit concrete: in Dutch, the word “heelal” is a common word for “universe”. The question “Where did the heelal begin?” runs into the same problem. If the heelal is “everything”, there is no bigger container to point to.

The puzzle of “before”

The word “before” also comes from daily life. It assumes that time is already running. One thing happens, then another thing happens later.

Modern physics treats time as part of the universe, not as a stage outside it. Using current theories, scientists can follow the history of the universe back to a very early moment when it is extremely hot and dense. NASA’s cosmic history pages describe a brief phase of extremely fast expansion near this start, known as inflation, that helps explain why the universe looks so smooth on large scales [4].

Close to that first moment, however, the usual laws become unclear. Values such as density and temperature reach extremes. Researchers expect that a more complete theory, one that joins gravity and quantum physics, is needed there. For now, no such full theory is confirmed.

Because of this, there is no agreed scientific answer to questions like “What was there before the universe?” or “What was time doing before it began?” Some ideas say there might have been an earlier state, or even many cycles of universes. Others say that asking for a “before” the start of time is like asking for a point north of the North Pole. These ideas are discussed, but none has strong evidence yet.

Can something come from “nothing”?

Behind the questions about “where” and “before” stands a sharp intuition: it feels possible that something might somehow come from nothing, but not that it could be born in nothing. The word “in” points to a container. If there really were “nothing at all”, then there would be no container.

This small shift in words shows why the topic is so hard. On one side is logic: if the universe is all that exists, an outside place for its birth cannot exist as well. On the other side is feeling: the mind is used to boxes inside bigger boxes and finds it hard to stop. Much of the tension in the public debate comes from this clash between strict meanings and deep habits of thought.

How the story might end

Thinking about the beginning of the universe almost always leads to questions about its end. One dramatic idea is the “Big Rip”. In this scenario, the mysterious dark energy that speeds up the expansion of the universe becomes stronger over time. If that happens, expansion could grow so fast that, in the far future, galaxy clusters, galaxies, stars, planets, and even atoms are pulled apart. Space.com describes this as a possible fate of the universe, driven by a special kind of dark energy sometimes called phantom energy [5][7].

Other possible endings are less violent. The universe might keep expanding forever, getting colder and more empty in a “Big Freeze”. Or expansion might slow and reverse, ending in a “Big Crunch” where everything falls back together [6][7].

As of late 2025, observations tell scientists that the expansion of the universe is speeding up, and that dark energy is real in some sense. They do not yet show which, if any, of these endings will actually happen.

Conclusions

The Big Bang describes a universe that begins in a very hot, very dense state and then expands. In this picture, the beginning is not a blast at one spot inside space. It is the early state of all space at once.

When “universe” means “everything that exists”, the usual question “Where did it begin?” does not quite fit. Any real place is already part of that “everything”, so it cannot stand outside it as a cradle. In the same way, “What was before the universe?” reaches beyond what present-day science can test, because time itself belongs to the universe’s story.

Research on dark energy, on the first tiny fraction of a second, and on the possible futures of the cosmos continues. New telescopes, such as missions designed to map the sky in detail, keep adding data. For now, the firm ground is the path from the hot, dense early universe to the rich, expanding cosmos seen today. Around that path remain questions that are simple to ask, difficult to answer, and powerful enough to stretch both language and imagination.

Selected References

[1] NASA – “The Big Bang”
https://science.nasa.gov/universe/the-big-bang/

[2] NASA Space Place – “What Is the Big Bang?”
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/big-bang/

[3] European Space Agency – “Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation”
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Cosmic_Microwave_Background_CMB_radiation

[4] NASA – “Cosmic History”
https://science.nasa.gov/universe/overview/

[5] Space.com – “What is the big rip, and can we stop it?”
https://www.space.com/universe-the-big-rip-can-we-stop-it

[6] Space.com – “Endless Void or Big Crunch: How Will the Universe End?”
https://www.space.com/13393-universe-endless-void-big-crunch.html

[7] Wikipedia – “Big Rip” (background summary, cross-checked with institutional sources)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rip

[8] NASA Science – “What is the big bang? Astro-Investigates Ep. 4” (YouTube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsoLni0I5_U

Appendix

Big Bang
The Big Bang is the name for the very hot, very dense early phase of the universe and the expansion that followed, not a simple explosion inside empty space.

Big Rip
The Big Rip is a possible future of the universe in which expansion speeds up so strongly that, in the far future, even galaxies, stars, planets, and atoms are pulled apart.

Cosmic microwave background
The cosmic microwave background is faint microwave light that fills all of space and comes from the young universe, acting like a fossil picture of conditions long ago.

Dark energy
Dark energy is the unknown cause of the observed speeding up of the universe’s expansion, seen through its effects on galaxies and space but not yet directly detected.

Inflation
Inflation is a very short period of extremely fast expansion near the start of the universe’s history that helps explain why space looks smooth and similar in all directions on large scales.

Multiverse
The multiverse is a group of ideas that suggest there may be many different universes, where the visible universe is just one region in a larger reality.

Phantom energy
Phantom energy is a suggested type of dark energy that becomes stronger as the universe expands and could, if it exists, lead to a Big Rip.

Universe
The universe is all physical reality: every region of space, every moment of time, and everything that exists within them, from tiny particles to vast clusters of galaxies.

Key Takeaways

A bright year in a bright building

The Groninger Museum in the city of Groningen fills 2025 with bold design, textile art, long-term collection shows and a citywide museum night.

Exhibitions that change over time

Some shows, like “Otherworldly” and “Bound to the Miraculous (after Bas Jan Ader)”, have already closed, while others such as “Draken & Demonen” and “Nieuw licht – De Ploeg” continue into 2026.

Culture for day and night

The programme includes a large museum night in September and, at the end of the year, a new exhibition about hip hop and its place in Dutch culture.

Story & Details

A colourful museum on the water

The Groninger Museum stands on a small island opposite the main railway station. Its postmodern building is famous for sharp angles, bright colours and different pavilions designed by several architects. Inside, 2025 turns into a busy year that mixes design, contemporary art, history and music.

At the heart of the summer and autumn programme is the exhibition “Welcome to the Dreamhouse! A Postmodern Interior by Marloes and Wikke” in which visitors walk through a full-size dream home. Each room is filled with postmodern chairs, lamps, cabinets and small objects from the museum’s own design collection. Designers such as Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass and other members of the Memphis group appear in living rooms, bedrooms and even an improvised garden. The atmosphere is playful and theatrical, and everyday things like toys and ashtrays are treated as part of a moving stage set. The exhibition opened in June 2025 and ran into mid-November, so by the end of November it has just finished, leaving strong memories for visitors who enjoyed its bright humour and strong shapes.

Textile worlds and a risky sea voyage

In another part of the museum, 2025 started with “Joana Schneider – Otherworldly”. This exhibition showed large textile sculptures made from materials such as wool, rope and recycled fishing lines. The works looked like creatures from stories or dreams and asked visitors to think about change, identity and beauty. The show opened in April and closed on the last day of August 2025, so now it belongs to the recent past, but the images still circulate in photos and reviews, especially a figure with pink hair that played with ideas about youth and social media.

A very different journey came with “Bound to the Miraculous (after Bas Jan Ader)” by Edward Clydesdale Thomson. This installation took inspiration from the Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader, who set off alone across the Atlantic Ocean in a small sailing boat fifty years earlier and disappeared at sea. Thomson’s work used data and long-term observation to follow a virtual boat on repeated crossings, always exposed to changing weather and currents. At the same time a small exhibition presented documents and photographs related to Ader’s life and his links to Groningen. This project was on view during the summer and closed at the end of October 2025, adding a quiet, reflective note to the year.

Time, painting and a new look at De Ploeg

From July 2025 onward, the museum also presents “It’s About Time”, a new display of its own collection. Instead of arranging works in strict date order, the show places seventeenth-century paintings next to conceptual pieces, photographs and installations. Themes such as labour, the human body and everyday routines bring the works together. The exhibition continues beyond 2025, so visitors at the end of the year can still walk through this mix of centuries and styles.

On 25 October 2025 another long-term project opened: “Nieuw licht – De Ploeg” (“New Light – De Ploeg”). De Ploeg is an artists’ group founded in Groningen in 1918, known for expressionist paintings in strong colours. The new presentation uses several rooms to show landscapes, portraits and prints by members such as Jan Altink, Johan Dijkstra and Jan Wiegers. It offers a fresh view of a group that helped shape modern art in the north of the Netherlands and is planned to stay on display until at least the end of 2026, so visitors have plenty of time to meet or revisit these paintings.

Dragons, demons and a museum that stays open late

Ceramics lovers receive a detailed travel through history with “Draken & Demonen – 5000 jaar Aziatische keramiek uit de collectie Anders”. This show uses around four hundred objects to tell stories of tea drinking, incense, family rituals and mythic creatures such as dragons and demons. The pieces range over five thousand years of Asian art. The exhibition links to a broader interest in Asian ceramics at the museum and remains open into early January 2026, so it is still on view at the end of November.

History also appears in a new collaboration with Museum aan de A, the city’s museum of local history. From 15 November 2025 a pop-up exhibition inside the Groninger Museum offers a preview of Museum aan de A’s future permanent displays. The show looks at who tells the story of Groningen and includes voices that are often missing from traditional history books, as well as a digital map that helps visitors plan trips to other heritage sites in the province.

One date from the year stands out: Saturday 20 September 2025. On that evening, the ninth Groninger Museumnacht took place. Seven museums across the city, including the Groninger Museum and Museum aan de A, opened their doors with one shared ticket. Visitors enjoyed art, music, workshops, lectures, poetry and dance until after midnight, turning the city centre into a lively cultural route that linked collections, performances and nightlife.

Towards hip hop and a small Dutch language corner

As the year moves towards winter, attention shifts to the culture of hip hop. A large exhibition titled “Hip Hop Is” is planned to run from 20 December 2025 until May 2026. It will present artworks, fashion, photography and music connected to local and international hip hop scenes. The show is expected to highlight the strong hip hop history of Groningen and to host events such as talks, concerts and a meeting of the European Hiphop Studies Network in March 2026, turning the museum into a hub for discussion about rap, dance and street culture.

The museum as a whole keeps an eye on young visitors and accessibility. Children and teenagers can join workshops and family tours, while the building includes routes and tools for visitors with mobility or visual needs. The museum shop and café offer design gifts, books, lunch and coffee, so a visit can easily fill a day in the city.

A small language corner adds one last detail. In Dutch, the word “Museumnacht” joins “museum” with “nacht”, which means night. The phrase is short, but it catches the feeling of that special September evening when art and darkness share the same streets.

Conclusions

The Groninger Museum uses 2025 to show how one institution can hold many worlds at once. A visitor who came in spring met textile creatures and a risky sea voyage. Someone walking through the doors in late autumn finds dragons, local history and expressive painters from a century ago, with hip hop just around the corner. The building itself, with its strong colours and different pavilions, mirrors that variety.

Because several exhibitions, like “It’s About Time” and “Nieuw licht – De Ploeg”, continue beyond the calendar year, the museum does not simply close the book on 2025. Instead, it turns the year into a bridge between past and future shows. Anyone planning a trip to Groningen can still step into much of this story, choosing a route through design, ceramics, painting or music according to taste and mood.

Selected References

[1] Groninger Museum. “Welcome to the Dreamhouse! A Postmodern Interior by Marloes and Wikke.”
https://www.groningermuseum.nl/en/art/exhibitions/welcometothedreamhouse

[2] Groninger Museum. “Joana Schneider – Otherworldly.”
https://www.groningermuseum.nl/en/art/exhibitions/joanna-schneider-otherworldly

[3] Groninger Museum. “Bound to the Miraculous (after Bas Jan Ader).”
https://www.groningermuseum.nl/en/art/exhibitions/bound-to-the-miraculous-after-bas-jan-ader

[4] Groninger Museum Collection. “It’s About Time.”
https://collectie.groningermuseum.nl/tentoonstellingen/its-about-time

[5] Groninger Museum. “Nieuw licht – De Ploeg.”
https://www.groningermuseum.nl/kunst/tentoonstellingen/nieuw-licht-de-ploeg

[6] Groninger Museum. “Draken en Demonen: 5000 Jaar Aziatische Keramiek uit de Collectie Anders.”
https://www.groningermuseum.nl/kunst/tentoonstellingen/draken-en-demonen-5000-jaar-aziatische-keramiek-uit-de-collectie-anders

[7] Groninger Museum. “Pop-up Museum aan de A in Groninger Museum in 2025.”
https://www.groningermuseum.nl/museum/nieuws/pop-up-museum-aan-de-a-in-groninger-museum-in-2025

[8] Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Museum. “Groninger Museumnacht 2025 (Museum Night Groningen).”
https://www.rug.nl/museum/visitor-information/calendar/2025/2025-09-20-groninger-museumnacht?lang=en

[9] Groninger Museum. “Hip Hop Is.”
https://www.groningermuseum.nl/kunst/tentoonstellingen/hip-hop-is

[10] Visit Groningen. “Exhibitions in Groningen.”
https://www.visitgroningen.nl/en/blogs/exhibitions-in-groningen

[11] Thuismuseum. “Groninger Museum: bright colours, many styles and art from every time – Thuismuseum #60.” YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5cQrPNjyCw

Appendix

De Ploeg
An artists’ group founded in Groningen in 1918, known for expressionist paintings and prints with strong colours and bold forms, and an important part of Dutch modern art history.

Draken & Demonen
The title of an exhibition at the Groninger Museum that presents five thousand years of Asian ceramics, including objects with dragon and demon motifs and many pieces used in daily life and rituals.

Groninger Museumnacht
A yearly museum night in the city of Groningen during which several museums open late with one shared ticket, offering exhibitions alongside music, workshops and performances.

Hip Hop Is
A large exhibition at the Groninger Museum opening in December 2025 that looks at hip hop as a cultural movement, combining art, fashion, photography and music from local and international scenes.

It’s About Time
A long-term collection display at the Groninger Museum that mixes artworks from different centuries to explore how ideas about time, work, the body and daily life appear in art.

Joana Schneider – Otherworldly
An exhibition of textile sculptures by artist Joana Schneider at the Groninger Museum in 2025, using materials such as wool and rope to create dreamlike figures that explore change, identity and beauty.

Museum aan de A
A museum of the history of the city and province of Groningen that is currently renewing its permanent displays and, in 2025, presents a pop-up exhibition inside the Groninger Museum.

Museumnacht
A Dutch word that combines “museum” and “nacht” (night) and is used for night-time museum events where collections can be visited after dark.

Postmodern design
A style of design that became popular from the 1980s, often using bright colours, unusual shapes and playful references to past styles, seen clearly in the “Welcome to the Dreamhouse!” exhibition.

Textile art
Artworks made mainly from fibres and fabrics such as wool, rope or cloth, often created through techniques like weaving, knitting or embroidery, and used in the Groninger Museum’s “Otherworldly” exhibition.

Key Takeaways

A thank-you on bright pink.
A simple flyer from Dutch bakery chain Bakker Bart thanks customers for their order and shows a rider on a delivery bike with boxes full of food.

Lunch moves online.
The flyer invites people to order filled sandwiches, snacks, and sweet treats through the bakery’s own website, with clear price limits for delivery.

Bikes carry the bread.
The scene joins two strong Dutch habits in late November 2025: eating bread-based lunches and using bicycles, now including cargo bikes, for city deliveries.

Story & Details

A card on a checkered table.
Picture a kitchen table covered with a yellow checkered cloth. On it lies a glossy pink flyer. At the top, large white letters say “Thank you for your order” in Dutch. Below the words, a young rider sits on a sturdy delivery bike. On the front rack, two square boxes promise that “something tasty” is inside. The image is cheerful and relaxed, like a small celebration of an everyday lunch.

A friendly voice from the bakery.
On the back, the text starts with “Dear customer” and offers warm thanks. It explains that the cosy feeling of the shop does not stop at the counter. The bakery wants that feeling to travel all the way to the front door, whether the food goes to a home or an office. The flyer says that customers can use the bakery’s own website to order, making the route from craving to sandwich quick and simple.

Deals, trust, and clear prices.
The message also talks about money and trust in very direct language. Some special deals, like “four plus one” offers and snack or lunch combinations, are only available when ordering on the bakery website. This keeps prices attractive for regular customers. The flyer also promises that deliveries come from familiar staff, so the person ringing the bell is someone from the bakery, not an unknown driver. At the bottom, the rules are neat and easy: delivery starts from an order of fifteen euros, and delivery is free once the basket reaches thirty euros.

A small Dutch language lesson.
The flyer hints at classic Dutch food words that appear on the website. One key word is “broodje”. It means a small roll or sandwich, usually served cold. “Belegde broodjes” are those rolls already filled with cheese, meats, salad, or other toppings. In the Netherlands, many people eat these for lunch almost every day, often with milk or juice. Articles on Dutch food culture describe lunches based on bread with cheese, cold cuts, or sweet spreads. They show that simple sandwiches still dominate the midday meal, even when life feels modern and fast [1–5].

From shop counter to office desk.
Bakker Bart’s own pages show how deeply this pattern runs. There are menus for filled sandwiches, paninis, breakfast boxes, group lunches, and business trays that can be ordered for meetings or trainings [1,2,8]. Customers pick a local branch, choose their rolls, and add extras such as dressings or extra toppings. For offices, the bakery promises that group lunches can be ordered up to an hour in advance and will arrive at the chosen time [2,8]. It is an efficient system built around something very basic: fresh bread.

Bikes as moving counters.
The flyer’s bike is not just decoration. Across Dutch cities, cargo bikes now play a growing role in delivering goods. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency explains how companies such as DHL and PostNL use hundreds of cargo bikes for urban deliveries, cutting noise and emissions while still reaching tight streets and busy centres [6]. News reports describe new zero-emission zones in several Dutch cities from January 2025, which push delivery firms to swap vans for cleaner options like electric cargo bikes [7]. In this setting, a bakery bike carrying sandwiches is part of a much larger movement.

Cycling culture in motion.
Cycling has long been a symbol of Dutch life. Roads, paths, and traffic rules are built with bikes in mind. A BBC World Service documentary on cycling across Europe shows how investment in bike lanes rose sharply after the pandemic and how the Netherlands stands out for everyday cycling, from school runs to commuting and cargo [9]. When a bakery uses bikes for lunch delivery, it does not feel like a bold experiment. It feels like a natural extension of a culture where bicycles already do much of the light work of the day.

Conclusions

An everyday card with a bigger story.
The pink Bakker Bart flyer looks simple at first glance: a thank-you note, a bike, some prices. Yet it tells a wider story about how Dutch people eat and move in 2025. It shows a country that still loves bread-based lunches, now ordered with a quick scan or click, and a city streetscape where bikes carry not only people but also boxes of sandwiches and cakes.

Small rituals, modern tools.
The flyer also shows how small rituals adapt without losing their heart. The warm tone, the familiar rider, and the focus on clear, fair deals keep the experience close and local, even when the order travels through a website. A lunch of simple sandwiches arrives by bike, and a normal day feels a little more special when the doorbell rings.

Selected References

[1] Bakker Bart – Main website and product overview. https://www.bakkerbart.nl/
[2] Bakker Bart – Filled sandwiches ordering page. https://www.bakkerbart.nl/bestellen/belegde-broodjes
[3] DutchReview – “Sandwich society: A guide to lunch in the Netherlands”, 27 March 2024. https://dutchreview.com/culture/dutch-lunch-culture-bread-and-society/
[4] The Dutch Table – “Ode to the Dutch Sandwich”. https://www.thedutchtable.com/2011/03/ode-to-dutch-sandwich.html
[5] IamExpat – “Lunch break, Dutch style”, 9 July 2012. https://www.iamexpat.nl/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/lunch-break-dutch-style
[6] Netherlands Enterprise Agency – Cycling and cargo bikes in sustainable mobility. https://english.rvo.nl/topics/sustainable-mobility/cycling
[7] ZAG Daily – “The Netherlands launches zero-emission zones for urban freight”, 2 January 2025. https://zagdaily.com/places/the-netherlands-launches-zero-emission-zones-for-urban-freight/
[8] Bakker Bart – Breakfast and lunch group menus. https://www.bakkerbart.nl/bestellen/ontbijt-lunch/groepslunches
[9] BBC World Service – “Cycling across Europe in the pandemic” (video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cukx_BSQ0Ww

Appendix

Bakker Bart
A Dutch bakery and lunch chain with many branches, known for fresh bread, filled sandwiches, snacks, and sweet pastries, and for offering both in-store and online ordering.

Belegde broodjes
Dutch term for filled sandwiches, usually small rolls with toppings such as cheese, meats, salad, or spreads, often eaten as a quick lunch.

Broodje
Dutch word for a small bread roll or simple sandwich, a basic part of daily meals and a key item on bakery menus.

Cargo bike
A bicycle with a large box or platform for carrying goods, sometimes electric, used in Dutch cities for delivering parcels, food, and other items.

Dutch lunch
A midday meal in the Netherlands that often consists of cold sandwiches made with bread, cheese, sliced meats, or sweet spreads, sometimes with milk or juice.

QR code
A square barcode that can be scanned with a smartphone to open a website or app, often used on flyers and menus for quick online ordering.

Zero-emission delivery
Delivery of goods using vehicles that do not produce exhaust emissions, such as bicycles or electric cargo bikes, especially in city areas that limit polluting traffic.

The 2025 programme of Museum Belvédère in Heerenveen-Oranjewoud turns one small museum in the Dutch north into a full year of stories about landscape, light and quiet human feeling. A simple folded leaflet for the seasons of summer, autumn and winter shows how these stories connect.

Key Takeaways

A year in one small museum

• Museum Belvédère focuses on modern and contemporary art from the northern Netherlands, set in a calm park near Heerenveen.
• In 2025 the museum built a full year around Jan Mankes, Henk Visch, Noorderlicht and the Faroese painter Sámal Joensen Mikines.
• By late November 2025, the shows by Mankes, Visch and Noorderlicht have ended, while “Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea” continues until early February 2026.

Story & Details

A low building beside the water

Museum Belvédère stands in a green park with trees, water and open sky near the town of Heerenveen in Friesland. The museum building is long and low, with large windows that bring in northern light. Inside, visitors see paintings and sculptures from Friesland and the wider north of the Netherlands, together with guest shows from abroad. The museum opens from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 17:00 local Dutch time, giving plenty of space in the day for slow visits. [1][20]

A busy art year in 2025

The year 2025 began with a major show of the Dutch painter Jan Mankes. From 25 January until 22 June 2025, Museum Belvédère and Museum Arnhem shared a double exhibition that brought together a large part of his small but intense body of work. Demand was so strong that the run was extended in both places until 24 August 2025, so the first part of the year at Oranjewoud was filled with his pale animals, quiet rooms and soft landscapes. [5][6][21][25][29]

While the Mankes paintings still hung on the walls, the museum park started to change. From 28 June until 21 September 2025, the outdoor spaces and the west wing hosted “Henk Visch – Unguided Tours”. Twelve sculptures, two smaller installations and other works by the Dutch artist formed a kind of walking route. Visitors could move among long, thin figures, strange bodies and poetic shapes that seemed to ask questions without words. [2][16][30]

A second summer project looked at technology and the environment. The Noorderlicht exhibition “Machine Entanglements” ran in the west wing from 12 July to 7 September 2025. It focused on the way satellites, drones, sensors and other systems change how people see nature and how they affect animals and plants. The show asked what the word “nature” still means when even remote places are watched by cameras and data streams. [6][14]

After these summer projects, the focus shifted from Dutch fields and digital clouds to the rough Atlantic. On 11 October 2025 Museum Belvédère opened “Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea”, the first solo exhibition in the Netherlands of the Faroese painter who worked mainly on the island of Mykines. The show runs until 8 February 2026, so at the end of November 2025 it is fully under way. The paintings bring strong seas, steep cliffs, dark hills and small villages into the museum’s large east wing. They stand in quiet dialogue with the landscapes by northern Dutch painters that are part of the museum’s own collection. [0][4][8][10][11][13][15][17][22][24][26]

At the same time, art lovers can see “Art Noord VII”, a compact art fair hosted by the museum, also planned for the period from 11 October 2025 to 8 February 2026. This event brings together galleries and artists from the wider region and turns the museum into a lively meeting place for collectors, visitors and makers. [6][26]

Three artists, three kinds of quiet

The 2025 programme highlights three very different artists who share a love of quiet tension.

Jan Mankes, active in the early twentieth century, painted small works with a soft, almost glowing light. Many of his best-known paintings show farm animals, self-portraits or simple interiors. The 2025 exhibition at Museum Belvédère concentrated on the years when he lived in the Frisian village of De Knipe, close to where the museum now stands, and drew his ideas from the local fields, canals and houses. [1][5][21][25][29][32]

Henk Visch, born in the mid twentieth century, works with sculpture, drawing and installations. His figures often stand on thin legs, reach out long arms or bend in unusual ways. They can look playful, spiritual or slightly uneasy at the same time. In the summer show “Unguided Tours”, these works filled the park and rooms of the west wing, inviting visitors to walk without a fixed route and to make their own storyline. [2][16][30]

Sámal Joensen Mikines brings in a different kind of intensity. His canvases show storms, funerals, fishing boats and high cliffs from the Faroe Islands, together with scenes from his time in Denmark. Critics describe his style as a strong mix between Impressionism and Expressionism, with thick brushmarks and sharp contrasts between dark and light. The current show in Heerenveen presents mainly seascapes and landscapes and is accompanied by a Dutch-language book with the same title as the exhibition. [0][4][7][10][11][13][15][17][22]

Northern light, new tools

The Noorderlicht exhibition “Machine Entanglements” connects strongly to the wider world. Artists in this show look at satellite images that track climate change, drone views of forests and fields, and smart farming systems guided by artificial intelligence. Their photos and installations suggest that landscapes are now shaped not only by weather and soil but also by code and cables. This makes the museum a place where art, science and daily life meet. [6][14]

A tiny Dutch lesson from the leaflet

On the seasonal leaflet, three Dutch words stand out under the museum’s name: “zomer, herfst, winter”. They are simple but helpful for any visitor. “Zomer” means summer, “herfst” means autumn and “winter” is the same as in English. Together they show that the museum thinks in seasons, not just single dates, and that art here is tied closely to the feeling of time passing in the north.

Conclusions

A small museum with a wide horizon

The 2025 leaflet of Museum Belvédère shows how a modest building in Friesland can open onto very different worlds. In one year, visitors move from the soft silence of Jan Mankes to the playful figures of Henk Visch, then to the cold Atlantic seas of Sámal Joensen Mikines and the complex networks of “Machine Entanglements”. Some of these shows have already closed by late November 2025, while “Always the Sea” and “Art Noord VII” continue into the new year, keeping the museum full of life on short winter days. The leaflet acts as a pocket map to this journey, and the museum itself offers a calm place where northern light, long views and thoughtful art meet.

Selected References

[1] Museum Belvédère – official site and visitor information.
https://www.museumbelvedere.nl/

[2] Museum Belvédère – park and information about “Henk Visch – Unguided Tours”.
https://www.museumbelvedere.nl/en/museum/park/

[3] Museum Belvédère – archive overview of the 2025 programme.
https://www.museumbelvedere.nl/archief/

[4] Museum Belvédère – English page for “Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea”.
https://www.museumbelvedere.nl/en/current/grote-zaal/

[5] Kunstpunt Groningen – exhibition page for “Jan Mankes – Uiting geven aan geestelijk leven”.
https://www.kunstpuntgroningen.nl/agenda/jan-mankes-uiting-geven-aan-geestelijk-leven/

[6] Museum Belvédère – Dutch agenda and information on 2025 exhibitions.
https://www.museumbelvedere.nl/nl/activiteiten/agenda/

[7] Museum.nl – exhibition description for “Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea”.
https://www.museum.nl/en/museum-belvedere/exhibition/samal-joensen-mikines-always-the-sea

[8] Kunstpunt Groningen – “Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea” overview.
https://www.kunstpuntgroningen.nl/en/agenda/samal-joensen-mikines-always-the-sea/

[9] Kunstpunt Groningen – “Noorderlicht Biënnale – Machine Entanglements”.
https://www.kunstpuntgroningen.nl/agenda/noorderlicht-machine-entanglements/

[10] Museumtijdschrift – article on the Jan Mankes exhibitions in Arnhem and Heerenveen.
https://museumtijdschrift.nl/artikelen/recensies/de-kleine-kwetsbare-wereld-van-jan-mankes/

[11] Friesland.nl – event page for “Sámal Joensen-Mikines – Always the Sea”.
https://www.friesland.nl/en/plan/evenementen/events/3795976928/samal-joensen-mikines-always-the-sea

[12] YouTube – Museum Belvédère video “Henk Visch – Unguided Tours”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjzDpPjdcRQ

Appendix

Art Noord
Art Noord is a small art fair held at Museum Belvédère that brings together galleries and artists from the northern Netherlands for a few days of sales, talks and meetings.

Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are a group of rocky islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, between Scotland and Iceland, known for high cliffs, strong winds and small fishing towns.

Henk Visch
Henk Visch is a Dutch visual artist known mainly for slim, often playful sculptures that stand or walk in unusual poses and appear both simple and philosophical.

Jan Mankes
Jan Mankes was a Dutch painter whose small works show animals, self-portraits and quiet rooms in soft, gentle light, giving an intimate and sometimes dreamy mood.

Museum Belvédère
Museum Belvédère is an art museum near Heerenveen in the Dutch province of Friesland, focused on modern and contemporary art with a strong link to the northern Netherlands.

Noorderlicht
Noorderlicht is a Dutch photography and media-art organisation that creates exhibitions and festivals, often linking visual culture to social, political and environmental themes.

Sámal Joensen Mikines
Sámal Joensen Mikines was a painter from the Faroe Islands whose strong, expressive works show seascapes, landscapes and life in small island communities, as well as scenes from Denmark.

Unguided Tours
“Unguided Tours” is the title of the 2025 exhibition by Henk Visch at Museum Belvédère, where visitors walked among sculptures and installations without a fixed route.

Zomer, herfst, winter
“Zomer, herfst, winter” are Dutch words printed on the museum leaflet; they mean “summer, autumn, winter” and point to the seasonal rhythm of the 2025 programme.