Sun

Here it comes:

An old Renault 4

Often I got a feeling to buy myself a car. An oldie. A Renault 4. One in which I can bring luggage and my bike with me to all places on the earth.
I imagine myself driving to the mountains and cycle up mountain all day and then go back to my car and tent. But when I hear and see the cardrivers on the road I lose my appetite. Cardriving is no fun anymore. Those days are gone. Everybody knows what I mean. I could spend some apocalyptic words on it but I won't.

Rain and a catastrophe

Yearly we got 800 milimeters of rain. This is another 50 milimeters.
Rainfall in the Netherlands is always better than the "showers" in India, Bombay or those with golfball size hailstones in Auxerre, France.
The world has to deal with it. If it's a result of the climate change due to human pollution, it won't be changed because humans can't stop this catastrophy. Humans don't critize themselves, they always blame another. They always look for scapegoats.

Good standing

Today the IRA said they will disarm.... That's for thousands of people much to late, they are wounded or dead.
CNN wrote

"All units have been ordered to dump arms," said an IRA statement, which said the move was effective 1500 GMT on Thursday. (Full story)

"All volunteers have been instructed to assist the development of purely political and democratic programs through exclusively peaceful means. Volunteers must not engage in any other activities whatsoever."

But the leader of the hard-line The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), 78-year-old preacher Ian Paisley, all but dismissed the IRA's statement.

"Do they think that the people of Northern Ireland are fools?" the firebrand Paisley said, noting that unionists are particularly incensed that convicted IRA bomber Sean Kelly was let out of prison Wednesday, apparently a precursor to the statement.

I don't like this protestant ex-preacherman. He let's me think too much of the Apartheid in South Africa, the Orangist's, the protestant Dutch. It's the way they think like make money, but don't spend it. It's the old merchant-mentality which made Holland known all over the world.
In fact it's my mentality and I don't like it too much.
The catholic mentality is sometimes better. That gives the freedom to enjoy life.
On the other hand that believe relies too much on a God.

Cycling is a catholic sport. In Spain, France and Italy the riders cycle as if it's an art even a religion. The riders in Northern (protestant) Europe see it more like work, a profession. Who works hard will benefit from it. Who will not won't and doom will be upon you.

If I speak about curses and so on, how long will Ariel Sharon stay alive?
Rabin only lived 31 days after his malediction. Will Sharon survive the curse of infantile orthodox men?

Marten Toonder was certainly not a orthodox Dutchman. He was the grand monsieur of the Dutch cartoons. He died in his sleep yesterday on an age of 93 years.
He brought to us a new style of language, new words and inspiration to use new words. His cartoon was really his life. He died as a man of good standing.

No training

This evening I didn't cycle. Last Sunday's ride I didn't feel okay. I took some rest and I feel a lot better now. Probably I don't have a pay a visit to the doctor.
The weather is also helping not to get a hard feeling not being there. The humidity and possible rain prevents to ride. Also I'm tired. It can't be work. No problems with that. Maybe I just got to take a step back in the next couple of weeks.

The death of a Muslim terrorist

Amsterdam.
Today, July 25, the judge condemned mohammed bouyeri to spend the rest of his life in prison. The murderer will probably be isolated from the inmates, so his life will probably be pretty monotone.
This is the death of terrorist who wanted to be a martyr of the Islam. A fake martyr.

But if you read his curriculum vitae, you ask yourself why a boy who was in 1995 a highschool graduate and studied 5 years after that (several studies, without any certificate), who did voluntary some social work became in 2003 a right wing fundamental Islamist.

Does the dead of his mother have a large impact on his behavior?
Does the mosk he visited from then on changed him?
Does the war against saddam hussein made him angry?
What does him make a terrorist, a wannabe martyr?

I don't know,
Kafir

Today on the local news I saw a reporter asking the question what do you think of the sentence for mohammed bouyeri?
I heard 3 answers:
- he wanted to be a martyr, okay he may spend his life in jail. It's okay.
- too short (?)
- deathpenalty, you know I'm Christian and in the holy book this was really common.

The last answer is astonishing. In the streets of Utrecht men walk around with these narrowminded Chistian fundamentalistic views.
Someday we all wish these fundamentalists uncloake themselves.
One nation with a kluxklux clan is enough.

after midnight

Dutch Public television does anything to keep the viewer satified. The Worldchampionships swimming are broadcasted live from Canada.
After midnight.... we're gonna let it all hang out

After three weeks TdF I'm tired.
The summer is only halfway and I ain't got dirt under my shoes.

There is a lot to do.

As the world turns:

- continues the suicide bombings
- recruits the Taliban children around 14 years
- wins Lance his 7th Tour de France
- do I feel some pain stabs in my chest

- are the victims of the Sharm El-Sheik not yet identified
- does terror strike the world
- has the British police a license to kill
- will the human rights be limited
- do politicians still not understand the world
- do extremists try to threaten major cities in countries with forces in the middle east
- do the Beatles plan a reunion

This is not gossip!

Lance chapeau

Tomorrow will be his last yellow jersey. Lance Armstrongs 81st yellow Tour de France jersey.
Today he won the individual time trial stage. What a power got this man.
Okay I not real supporter of him, but he his one of the best winners of the Tour de France, if not the best. 6 Years in a row he was the best and tomorrow he achieve his 7th overall victory. Lance chapeau.

I admire that he fact that Lance Armstrong places his achievement into perspective.
On the press conference after the time trial he said after one or two years there will be another cyclists with a new face and new style. In another words he will be history.

Dutch amarilo

The Dutch are encamped in Afghanistan. This is the result. A view over the Dutch compound.

The terrorists try to spread terror by the second bombing in London.
Is it relatively safe in the main City?
People step laughing in the bus or metro not knowing it is safe.
They laugh because they're scared.
Listen to Hnk, read her blog, http://iraqigirl.blogspot.com. She perfectly describes her feeling of being afraid. Just laugh it out when hearing that some one you know is killed. The next one can be you.
That is being scared.
Laughter are emotions (sometimes uncontrolled) and you need emotions to control yourself.
There are of coarse other ways to express yourself and to control your life. Sports in all forms help to get rid of aggression

My early youthly perception of being scared for monsters, jaws and freaks is an empty feeling compared to real feeling of being terrorized like Londoners, Iraqi's and so on.

Sunflower

Finally the wetter is changing. We have clouds, suns and some wind. the temperatures are low and this will be so the rest of the week.
The end of the summer? I don't hope that. So far so good the summer may last some months. My sunflower isn't even fully grown. It needs some more sun.

Another holiday this summer?

I asked colleague of mine if he still has plans to go on holiday. Yes he said he still wants to go to Greece, to the small island he and his wife visited last year. Also they want to go to China, but the great railways in South Africa are interesting too. The west coast of Africa have them too and in Australia not long ago a new stretch connects North with South, also interesting. But what about the money, I asked him, you only can spend it once.
-Oh money doesn't count, let's spend it-

And do you have plans? Yeah, maybe just another week this summer.
And silently I thought about a week walking along the Dutch shore, North-South.

strange life and a broken record

Life is strange.

A colleague of mine has troubles with his past. These problems react on the body so he's often injured. It seems that a a past with a demanding father was the cause. Now he's in therapy with a psychologist. He should be on speaking terms with his father (90 years of age). Isn't it that a healthy body needs/requires a healthy mind?
That reminds me of my own dad. We're not really on speaking terms either. In fact I don't know anything of him since May 18 2004.

A penfriend, yes the do exist in this era of blog, is wondering if she's the only one with headinjury (contusio cerebri).
No she isn't we got similar complaints.

A colleague has cancer and heard finally some good news after 2 years of negativeness. In moisture behind her lungs the specialists didn't find cancer cells.
Next friday she's on holiday for 2 weeks to Greece and after that she will face the last stage on her way to recovery. That will be the last medical treatment. The specialist have done whatever they could. My colleague will be monitored periodically and every period is a positive delay. I believe 5 years cancer free means no more cancer in one's body. So these 5 years will be crucial.

Life is strange, but you get used too when getting older.

Ps. I cycled this morning and a part of the afternoon and broke a record.
Never been over an average of 34 kilometers in an hour. Today I could keep that speed for two and a half hour. look at IPOT

stats:
88.14 k
34.44 k/hr
2:33:33 hr
54 k/hr
2567 k on my batavus racingbike

Total this year 4353 k

work & training

I slept, worked and cycled after work 2.5 hours (79 k).
Feel tired but there's no need to go to bed. It's weekend... enjoy the night.

Infidels

Sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace, by Bob Dylan.

I got nothing to say. I only ask myself who's gonna be the peacemaker.

Look out your window, baby, there's a scene you'd like to catch,
The band is playing "Dixie," a man got his hand outstretched.
Could be the Fuhrer
Could be the local priest.
You know sometimes
Satan comes as a man of peace.

He got a sweet gift of gab, he got a harmonious tongue,
He knows every song of love that ever has been sung.
Good intentions can be evil,
Both hands can be full of grease.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, first he's in the background, then he's in the front,
Both eyes are looking like they're on a rabbit hunt.
Nobody can see through him,
No, not even the Chief of Police.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, he catch you when you're hoping for a glimpse of the sun,
Catch you when your troubles feel like they weigh a ton.
He could be standing next to you,
The person that you'd notice least.
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, he can be fascinating, he can be dull,
He can ride down Niagara Falls in the barrels of your skull.
I can smell something cooking,
I can tell there's going to be a feast.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

He's a great humanitarian, he's a great philanthropist,
He knows just where to touch you, honey, and how you like to be kissed.
He'll put both his arms around you,
You can feel the tender touch of the beast.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Well, the howling wolf will howl tonight, the king snake will crawl,
Trees that've stood for a thousand years suddenly will fall.
Wanna get married? Do it now,
Tomorrow all activity will cease.
You know that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.

Somewhere Mama's weeping for her blue-eyed boy,
She's holding them little white shoes and that little broken toy
And he's following a star,
The same one them three men followed from the East.
I hear that sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.



Copyright © 1983 Special Rider Music

To believe in something

Today I had a quiet day at work. Just payday.
After work I had something to do. With 11 Nightingale riders we rode 79 kilometers.
We needed 2:37:48 hour.
After a while the speed was in creasing and on the dike of one of the great rivers we rode close to 40 kilometers an hour. We had a short break (never happened before)to eat some cherries (they), an apple and a banana (me). Then we had to climb some hills we do also on Sundays. This time I reached 63 kilometers an hour as a maximum. My all time high! Yeah this is great.
I cycled in the mountain s but never exceeded 60 k/hr. Now I did.

And last Sunday I cycled with the A-riders. I have confirmation of one the Nightingalers who was there too.
10 Months ago I started riding together with the C-riders, I now often ride with the B's. But now I rode with the A's(!). And they are fast, to fast for me. But the B's were that for me too when I started with kind of cycling.
This is somewhat different than riding on your own which I did almost all of my life (since I was 12)

Yeah I believe that if you want to reach a goal you can make it when you believe in it, invest in it and make it part of your life.

After work

I had a pleasant evening enjoining the sun under the parasol on the balcony reading papers of yesterday, this morning and listening to Coldplay's CD A rush of blood to the head while having my 6th (!) cup of coffee this day.

The newspaper: the Theo Van Gogh case; the murderer of Theo Van Gogh, mohammed b., was put on trial yesterday. But apparently he didn't say anything, until today.

Today he said something directly to the parents of the murdered Van Gogh. he said that he did kill van Gogh because of his allegations to allah and the profet. (no capitals because at the moment they don't deserve it in my mind) Van Gogh wasn't killed because he was really bad in his eyes. He just insulted allah and his profet.
Everybody who does such a thing he would cut his head off he said. Well that he did with Van Gogh. It was a ritual manslaughter.
It doesn't happen very often that a religious madman, obviously sane, says that he did kill a man and tried to kill 2 policemen and hoped to be killed.

This person should be sentenced to spend his life in prison. (we don't have deathpenalty)
Hearing the murderer it was clear that his Dutch wasn't really as good as other second generations (children of immigrants, often born here).

In the islam it isn't allowed to commit suicide. Why such islamo fascists think that doing something in the hope of being killed doesn't equal suicide is my question.

North Korea

Yesterday I saw a documentary about the people's republic of Korea. It's about the system and the people living in it.
People there are living in a prison. They are controlled by the state in everything they do.
Maybe because of the bad economic situation there they are all focused on surviving and beating the western imperial world. The US are their enemy #1.

This is likely due to the Korean war in the 1950's. There is so much propagandistic hatred. Young children learn that at school, at home and when they grow older they don't know anything else than to hate the west and idolize their present leader Kim Jong Il and his father Kim Il Song.

Knowing that not much can be done to change all this it made me sad.

A good weekend

At 8.15 am the radio in my bedroom started with the last broadcast of early birds-host Ivo de Wijs. After 20 years this radio poet stops with his radio work.
It's a pity, but life goes on.

At work one colleague of mine retired last Friday. He only worked 20 hours but mostly the knowledge of 30 years is spilled. And that's a pity. Okay there are others who have arrived and have the knowledge the retired colleague has. The organisation is hopefully flexible enough to absorb the missing 30 years of knowledge.
But hear me, it's 28 degrees C, weekend and I'm writing these nothings.

I cycled this morning from 11 am to 13.30 pm and it was something. Probably every fast rider starts at 11 am. After 35 k I couldn't see them anymore. They were to fast. Later on some riders couldn't keep up either. So in the end one other person and me rode back to the finish.
With an average of 32 k/hr this was my fastest round.

When I came home I saw and heard a large part of the 2nd mountain stage of the TdF in the Vogesen. And again a victory of the Dutch Rabobank team. Only this time the winner is Rasmussen, a Danish rider.

Bye all, have a good week especially too Hnk

Tour de France

Finally we got him!!
The first stage win in years for Holland. Pieter Weening did it in the first mountanious stage.
In his first TdF he won a stage, a difficult stage. Congratulations boy!

Tomorrow will be a good day for cycling. Sun and temperatures climbing to 25 degrees C or more.

Today I already did some riding. 18 Kilometers through my city in 34 minutes.

Have a nice weekend.

Terrorism in Europe?

Well, I don't know if the Bin Laden lookalikes know something about history.

History shows that terrorism only ruled the waves temporarily. Wasn't it the dark ages in Europe when gangs made life unsafe all over Europe. There wasn't any governing body and if there was it was own safety first. We had several wars under which common people suffered but we conquered those difficult episodes.
And look how we are now, Europe is a strong continent, America is too and despite the hardship in Africa people in Africa are proud. Asia overcame their problems.
The only region in today's world which makes problems while they could be wealthy is the middle east. Mainly there are some people there who think different. They tell the world that they won't let the west suffer their country, but in fact their people suffer most under these acts of terror.
It terrorises the Muslim minority in the west. They are afraid that the children won't have equal opportunities and will be neglected.
And also they could be victims of the assault in London. In Madrid Muslims were victims.
In the eyes of the murderers those Muslim victims go directly to the hereafter and receive a dozen virgins?

Terror

Hi all humans,

Of course the London attacks are barbaric and reminds us that terror isn't out of this world.
But what about car accidents? They kill more innocent people than all terroristic attacks all over the world! Maybe that's more terrifying.

But what if this is only the beginning, a prelude for what is coming soon in the world's theatre: terroristic chemical and nuclear attacks?

Hi everybody

It's 10.50 pm and it's getting dark. The sun set at 10 pm and I catched the last ray's of light. I felt terrible, horrible I really wanted to sleep on the other hand I didn't. Everything was available to fall asleep instantly on the coach, but I restisted.
Last night I couldn't get asleep, this morning I woke up after a short night, I felt dizzy in the head, have something of a headache and a feeling that the world is changing and I'm not. As if I were the center of the universe.
And I only had one bottle of vin blanc de la Moselle last weekend to celebrate the end of my summerholiday.


If I'm going to bed now, everything will be different tomorrow. (mind it's my third workingday already)

work work work

Returning to office was rather difficult. It was the first time in 3 weeks wearing trousers or pants. Instead being outside the walls I stayed 8 hours inside 4 walls. Looking through glass to the outside world instead of being part of that world.
Yeah, sometimes you realize that office-work isn't all there is.
I realized that I was really out of my daily routine. And that's what a good vacation is all about.

And now the show goes on....

Good time

It's a good time to be here in Utrecht.... I heard a sportscommentator say at the final of the worldchampionships Football under 20.
The match between Argentina and Nigeria is a friendly game. The public is enthusiastic, the conditions are okay and on the whole the tournament was organised perfectly.

Live8 is going now. I watch parts of it. It's not about the music. It's about politics. The G7 and Russia will have a summit in Scotland next week.
It's about the future of the world to get poverty out of this world.
We (the western world) have to change. First of all we should remit most of all debts, if not all.

There should be found other ways to help developing countries, like micro credits for individuals. Africa should have a well organised internal market. Developing countries must have the possiblity to export to Europe, America and the rest of the world, but they must protect their own internal market.
This is the way America could build world's largest economy.

Sign the petition before the G7/G8 meeting in Edinbrough. You only have to fill in your name and country.

My vacation has ended. Monday I have to go to work again. Don't know exactly what I got to do. Probably there is much to pay.

Existence

After a cup of coffee I had my first long descent to Dasburg (Germany) back to the Our valley. After a busy road to Vianden in Luxemburg (photo), I found a new campsite close to the Our in Wallendorf (Germany).
That evening I had dinner on the other side of the river Wallendorf-Pont (Luxemburg). If there were still physical borders and every country had it's own money this should be more difficult. This is one of the reasons why the European Union is worth to exist, very practical.