A Captain held hostage, four pirates in a lifeboat, a mass, a crown of thorns

Here in the Netherlands it sounds odd to hear the radio announcers this morning go into great detail to describe what's good about Good Friday....to explain what happened on Easter Sunday....to explain that the Easter Bunny came from Germany and was originally a bird, not a bunny....to explain the somewhat disputed meaning of the Easter Egg.

The weather will be fine here this weekend. German shops are closed. Dutch shops are open. The Germans will come to the Dutch beaches and the Dutch will visit Germany. Sidewalk cafes will be filled with smokers (no you can't smoke in Dutch bars and restaurants)....the recession will be discussed....the Obamas....the news of one American Sea Captain on one of his own lifeboats with four scared Somalis with AK-47s wanting to pawn him off, one Navy ship off starboard, two more in the distance off port, Hillary hot on their case....and the news of a destroyed city in Abruzzi holding an exceptional mass for its dead on Good Friday.

The St.Matthew Passion begins at noon on Dutch television....Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra....Ton Koopman....taped four years ago....Oh Haupt voll Blut und Wunden, voll Schmerz und voller Hohn. Oh Haupt zu Spott gebunden mit einer Dornenkron.