Children with parents enjoying work of the king of winter.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Happy New Year
Today I read a short front page newspaper article which said that 20% of the Dutch doesn't celebrate New Year's eve. People seem to be tired of celebrating and doing things they don't want to do. It's the stress factor a page filling article in the same newspaper told. People can't handle more than a month planning for the party month December. When read it I thought of my situation. After December 5 (which is a family-day with presents for the children and grand children and poems) I was asked when I was coming to X-mas dinner with my mother. There are 2 days you must know, December 25 and 26. My mother told me that the 2nd day she would go to The Hague, to my brother and his girlfriend. So I had to go for X-mas dinner to my mum on December 25.
My sister with her 3 children would also be there. The party could begin. Pfff, I'm not used to children. I brought 3 bars fair trade, slave free, Tony chocolonely chocolate for the children with me. 2 ate some chunks of it and left it, because there was so much to do. The oldest one saved her bar though. That's what I would have done at her age.
Soon we'll have the last party of the year: December 31. I think I belong to the 20% minority.
Still I wish you a peaceful 2009!
My sister with her 3 children would also be there. The party could begin. Pfff, I'm not used to children. I brought 3 bars fair trade, slave free, Tony chocolonely chocolate for the children with me. 2 ate some chunks of it and left it, because there was so much to do. The oldest one saved her bar though. That's what I would have done at her age.
Soon we'll have the last party of the year: December 31. I think I belong to the 20% minority.
Still I wish you a peaceful 2009!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Friedman's laisser faire
Milton Friedman on YouTube
Free markets, they make cars with names like KIA and they are sold.
Free markets are imperfect. Governmental interference is necessary.
Governmental interference is especially important nowadays in order to keep the economy running and cash flowing. The world economy comes to a halt if Governments don't support companies with works, like infrastructural works. It's like what happened in Germany in the '30 of the 20th century.
Hitler began to build the motorways, railroads and later huge war craft spending. It helped Germany. I'm not saying we need a third world war but we need Government to activate companies by for instance beginning infrastructural renewal earlier than scheduled. The same for city renewal, building new things. The Eiffel Tower boosted French economy in the 19th century. The world exhibition in Spain and Portugal in the 21st century did the same for the organizing cities. It's all public spending.
What the European Union does in new memberstates in Eastern Europe is also a kind of Governmental stimulus. What to think about Irish poverty before this country joined the EU and how it´s doing now. That island has value for the EU. First Governmental EU intevention had to stimulate companies to go Ireland.
In Holland we have a culture of mutual understanding between the social partners (Government, employers and employees). They must work together to get things done. For Instance, my country lies 5 metres below see level. Dikes keep the water out. That needs working together of the whole country, no one excluded, and that cannot be done by Friedman's -laisser faire, laissez aller- economic theory.
Also the social partners are working together in a bad economic situation to keep the negative effects (a rise in wages, extra inflation, dissatifaction of the people) as low as possible. We need mutual understanding and trust, that's called -het poldermodel-. Clinton knew it, the Dutch model, the poldermodel.
KIA means Killed In Action by the way. Would you drive a car named KIA or do you say what's in a name?
I'm sorry for those KIA and their relatives.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Salute Jeanette
Last night I got a phone call from a neighbor about my downstairs neighbor who is terminally ill. It's the cancer you know. It's affecting her liver. Tomorrow she'll be hospitalized in a so called hospice. She is at the end of her life. 13 Months after the final operation to remove the tumor she trows the towel. It's busy in her house, people come and go. Care isn't garantueed during the x-mas long holiday weekend. She fell in her house and is a little scared.
So, at noon tomorrow she will driven in an ambulance to the house where she will receive the attention and care she needs. It will be very emotional for her. It will probably her in her final descent in the house she lived in for more than 30 years. A descent on a stretcher, not even walking.
Salute Jeanette, you're a brave lady. Hopefully you don't suffer and have a fine X-mas and New Year's eve.
So, at noon tomorrow she will driven in an ambulance to the house where she will receive the attention and care she needs. It will be very emotional for her. It will probably her in her final descent in the house she lived in for more than 30 years. A descent on a stretcher, not even walking.
Salute Jeanette, you're a brave lady. Hopefully you don't suffer and have a fine X-mas and New Year's eve.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
ABNAMRO, Fortis, stakeholders and even life on earth
Imagine yourself. On September 24 2008 you get into a coma and in December 2008 you awake. Bit by bit you start to remember and realize things that happened. It's now, less than a week before x-mas when you start to walk, talk and come to consciousness again. It's a whole different world.
No, it's not the hilarious movie Goodbye Lenin. It's what happened in our times in the past months.
Now it's December 20 and the World is completely different. Some banks went bankrupt,
Obama won the American presidential election, worldwide economy collapsed, the worldwide automotive industry is almost broke, Iceland is on the brink of bankruptcy.
In the Netherlands Governmental intervention prevented 2 banks (ABNAMRO-bank and Fortis-bank), which had to become one bank, to fall. The USA, the European Union, other European nations, Russia, the far east all face a real recession.
In the USA Bernard Madoff, the founder and president of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities , told the police about his fraud in his brokerage firm. The media claims that it's a fraud as high as $50bn. I don't think so, it might be higher, much higher. Also this is probably not the only fraud which becomes obvious together with the fall of the financial system.
This financial crisis might somehow be good for the world economy. It shakes up real life and stresses the values that are really important: The fundamentals of the economy, not the derivative economy.
An example, and I tell you it's not a complaint; I invested € 20.000 in bonds which give a higher revenue when the reference price of the underlying stocks is going up. 2007 Was a profitable year, in 2008 however the bond plunged to 80 or less while 100 or higher is be profitable. Till 2012 I'll have bonds which don´t pay, after 2012 the underlying value will be payed. What, if my bank went broke? Hopefully the Government will support the backbones of the economy. I dislike derivatives as put and call options on company-stocks, specialized products like bonds which are linked to many stocks on invisible markets. It's all not so transparent as you think it is.
These fundamentals are a certain demand on the market and supply of that demand. In fact the demand-factor and supply-factor are the 2 things needed to create a market.
Of course nowadays we need money to trade. However we could do without.
Let's say we need a sound financial system as a ceteris paribus.
Problem is the world has no sound financial system. Regulators fail in many aspects. Banks fail in their task being transparent. According to George Soros in the crisis in global capitalism knowledge of fail-ability of an actor in economy is in certain way positive because it makes the actor aware of his position and the his need to change. (GS. warned the world in 1998 for an unstable (financial) future). A summary of the book.
In a situation of instability of the markets the Children's Investment Fund (CIF) claims in January 2007 that ABNAMRO-bank made to little profit for it's shareholders and other stakeholders. They urged a break-up or sale. This was the start of the Dutch banking crisis which affected all stakeholders. Even today almost 2 years after the carousel started. It's in the worst situation you can imagine.
The stock value plunged from € 5.= to € 0.93, banking personnel is not amused with the uncertain situation, banking customers are not amused with the bad prospectives for their banks whether it is ABNAMRO-bank or Fortis-bank and stock owners are not happy at all. So the theory of CIF didn't stand. All stakeholders are ripped or got away before the crisis started.
I wish you all a merry Christmas, a lot of lights and a fine X-mas tree. Let's celebrate life on earth because there is hope.
No, it's not the hilarious movie Goodbye Lenin. It's what happened in our times in the past months.
Now it's December 20 and the World is completely different. Some banks went bankrupt,
Obama won the American presidential election, worldwide economy collapsed, the worldwide automotive industry is almost broke, Iceland is on the brink of bankruptcy.
In the Netherlands Governmental intervention prevented 2 banks (ABNAMRO-bank and Fortis-bank), which had to become one bank, to fall. The USA, the European Union, other European nations, Russia, the far east all face a real recession.
In the USA Bernard Madoff, the founder and president of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities , told the police about his fraud in his brokerage firm. The media claims that it's a fraud as high as $50bn. I don't think so, it might be higher, much higher. Also this is probably not the only fraud which becomes obvious together with the fall of the financial system.
This financial crisis might somehow be good for the world economy. It shakes up real life and stresses the values that are really important: The fundamentals of the economy, not the derivative economy.
An example, and I tell you it's not a complaint; I invested € 20.000 in bonds which give a higher revenue when the reference price of the underlying stocks is going up. 2007 Was a profitable year, in 2008 however the bond plunged to 80 or less while 100 or higher is be profitable. Till 2012 I'll have bonds which don´t pay, after 2012 the underlying value will be payed. What, if my bank went broke? Hopefully the Government will support the backbones of the economy. I dislike derivatives as put and call options on company-stocks, specialized products like bonds which are linked to many stocks on invisible markets. It's all not so transparent as you think it is.
These fundamentals are a certain demand on the market and supply of that demand. In fact the demand-factor and supply-factor are the 2 things needed to create a market.
Of course nowadays we need money to trade. However we could do without.
Let's say we need a sound financial system as a ceteris paribus.
Problem is the world has no sound financial system. Regulators fail in many aspects. Banks fail in their task being transparent. According to George Soros in the crisis in global capitalism knowledge of fail-ability of an actor in economy is in certain way positive because it makes the actor aware of his position and the his need to change. (GS. warned the world in 1998 for an unstable (financial) future). A summary of the book.
In a situation of instability of the markets the Children's Investment Fund (CIF) claims in January 2007 that ABNAMRO-bank made to little profit for it's shareholders and other stakeholders. They urged a break-up or sale. This was the start of the Dutch banking crisis which affected all stakeholders. Even today almost 2 years after the carousel started. It's in the worst situation you can imagine.
The stock value plunged from € 5.= to € 0.93, banking personnel is not amused with the uncertain situation, banking customers are not amused with the bad prospectives for their banks whether it is ABNAMRO-bank or Fortis-bank and stock owners are not happy at all. So the theory of CIF didn't stand. All stakeholders are ripped or got away before the crisis started.
I wish you all a merry Christmas, a lot of lights and a fine X-mas tree. Let's celebrate life on earth because there is hope.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
sick
After being sick for 3 day's I went for a walk through the neighborhood and and bought the things I needed for a weekend. That means food and a newspaper. Tomorrow another day to stay inhouse and read the books.
It was cold outside, only 2 degrees and a northeast wind made me shiver. Walking made it better, made me warm. I took some pictures, which I haven't done for quite a while, of a new installed bridge. It took the builders 6 months to install, a fiasco for municipality. Also an early 20th century house with the advertising of those day's.
It was cold outside, only 2 degrees and a northeast wind made me shiver. Walking made it better, made me warm. I took some pictures, which I haven't done for quite a while, of a new installed bridge. It took the builders 6 months to install, a fiasco for municipality. Also an early 20th century house with the advertising of those day's.
Friday, December 12, 2008
George Soros
Seems to be a filantrophe.
He's written a lot of books about the imperfect economy, about the imperfection of the financial marketsystem and the imperfections of the actors on those markets. The latest book (2008) is tittled the international creditcrisis, subtittle the future of the financial markets.
There must be change of that global financial system. We're not in the day's of Bretton Woods anymore. Europe is almost united in the EU and the far east plays another important role. The world isn't anymore what it used to be.
The EU has come to an agreement (under chairmanship of French president Sarkozy) on climate change, the credit crisis, the Irish no previous this year and other things.
While googling on some international English news about the EU-top, I found an artivle of Martin Kettle in the Guardian of 12 December 2008.
You should know that there are some tensions between the Anglo-American (Great Britain) and Rhineland bookkeepers (France, Germany, the Netherlands, etcetera) which model is adequate dealing with the present crisis. I think none of those models because of the reflexivity of the markets. Soros explained that in a 1998 book, tittled The crisis of global economy, subtittle the downfall of the free world.
The person who makes a model which explains the problems we face now, can earn a lot of money when he also knows the shortcomings of his model (because everything is liable to error as Soros said)
He's written a lot of books about the imperfect economy, about the imperfection of the financial marketsystem and the imperfections of the actors on those markets. The latest book (2008) is tittled the international creditcrisis, subtittle the future of the financial markets.
There must be change of that global financial system. We're not in the day's of Bretton Woods anymore. Europe is almost united in the EU and the far east plays another important role. The world isn't anymore what it used to be.
The EU has come to an agreement (under chairmanship of French president Sarkozy) on climate change, the credit crisis, the Irish no previous this year and other things.
While googling on some international English news about the EU-top, I found an artivle of Martin Kettle in the Guardian of 12 December 2008.
You should know that there are some tensions between the Anglo-American (Great Britain) and Rhineland bookkeepers (France, Germany, the Netherlands, etcetera) which model is adequate dealing with the present crisis. I think none of those models because of the reflexivity of the markets. Soros explained that in a 1998 book, tittled The crisis of global economy, subtittle the downfall of the free world.
The person who makes a model which explains the problems we face now, can earn a lot of money when he also knows the shortcomings of his model (because everything is liable to error as Soros said)
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Friday, December 05, 2008
where did my money go?
Geert Wilders his movie Fitna still makes the world not save for him. Who cares?
The Dutch should because the threats against the nation are still there and those threats feel like a burden if you're sensitive for it.
A spokesman of his party was asked about Wilders' opinion. He referred to Wilders himself. He would not answer the question himself. According to a political satire it´s good not to express his opinion because to secure one man in today´s turmoil is expensive enough.
Maybe he's with Ayaan Hirshi Ali in the US. Nobody knows him in the US. ;-)
At work the question was raised where all the money went to due to the credit crisis.
Where did the money go to? If you take everything into consideration the international financial system lost 90 billion Euro.
My simplification:
Banks have had balance sheet values which didn't have the value after facing the sub prime loans affair. In the US banks collapsed directly due to this affair. Banks in Europe followed with serious financial problems.
Let's go back where it started. Let's suppose it started in the US, where people have dreams and where dreams can come true with hard work. Where people with small wages can buy a homes because of the sub prime loans.
Mortgage company lend money -> Real estate agents earn their fee -> People pimp their houses -> Stores earn money -> US have a trade surplus -> Exporting countries are doing well (Dutch export should rise too but the Euro became to expensive -> Flourishing labour market on US and Euro side of the Atlantic -> Bouncing industry and trade -> Citizen in US and Europe are doing well financially -> signs of weakness became obvious when the Internet bubble burst in 2000/2001 -> 7 years later, after excessive spending, the financial bubble burst.
Who has earned on these collapses? The people (= you & me) did in the past years.
Who is gonna pay for it? the people (you & me) will in the coming years.
The Dutch should because the threats against the nation are still there and those threats feel like a burden if you're sensitive for it.
A spokesman of his party was asked about Wilders' opinion. He referred to Wilders himself. He would not answer the question himself. According to a political satire it´s good not to express his opinion because to secure one man in today´s turmoil is expensive enough.
Maybe he's with Ayaan Hirshi Ali in the US. Nobody knows him in the US. ;-)
At work the question was raised where all the money went to due to the credit crisis.
Where did the money go to? If you take everything into consideration the international financial system lost 90 billion Euro.
My simplification:
Banks have had balance sheet values which didn't have the value after facing the sub prime loans affair. In the US banks collapsed directly due to this affair. Banks in Europe followed with serious financial problems.
Let's go back where it started. Let's suppose it started in the US, where people have dreams and where dreams can come true with hard work. Where people with small wages can buy a homes because of the sub prime loans.
Mortgage company lend money -> Real estate agents earn their fee -> People pimp their houses -> Stores earn money -> US have a trade surplus -> Exporting countries are doing well (Dutch export should rise too but the Euro became to expensive -> Flourishing labour market on US and Euro side of the Atlantic -> Bouncing industry and trade -> Citizen in US and Europe are doing well financially -> signs of weakness became obvious when the Internet bubble burst in 2000/2001 -> 7 years later, after excessive spending, the financial bubble burst.
Who has earned on these collapses? The people (= you & me) did in the past years.
Who is gonna pay for it? the people (you & me) will in the coming years.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Your Mamma Won't Like Me
The title is exactly what it says. I found it in the possessions of the woman my father had a relation with after my dad and mother broke up. I was 13 or 14 years old when I found it and the song wasn´t quite as bad as the genre supposed to be.
Googling I found this video on YouTube. You like it or you do not.
Googling I found this video on YouTube. You like it or you do not.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Testimony
Maybe it's time to inform the world about my neighbor with a bad aggressive cancer.
I wrote you about her in my blog in September 2007.
Her situation worsened that should be clear. She was operated more than a year ago and she recovered slowly, first without a voice. Then it seemed doctors made an error during the operation which resulted in another way using her voice. When the days got warmer she went outside for a walk but it was to much, she fainted several again. She even got dizzy in her house. When Summer past she hardly went outside. A wheelchair was arranged to go for a walk with her. But when Autumn arrived and the weather worsened she stayed inside. Afraid to catch a cold. She became more and more tired because she was locked in in her own apartment. Days past and many visitors came. They had some smalltalk about the past and the things they had together. She wrote her testimony and made a list of things she would give away. Dead is near.
She got morphine and other painkillers. A wrong dose and she had a trip. A roller coaster ride in her bed. She was afraid that night. After that night her friends made a schedule to sleep in her house and watch over her.
Some weeks ago she phoned me and told in which condition she was. The doctors give me 5 till 7 weeks, she told, I might not be here anymore when Christmas arrives.
Her liver grows and doesn't work properly. Also it presses against her lungs so she gets short-winded.
She has a hospital bed in the middle of her living room, a lot of people who care for her and morphine to endure the pain. She said that it's the worst illness one can have. It damages the whole of her body. Luckily not her mind.
She has mentioned euthanasia as a possible way of dying. Her feeding machine prevents her from dying. She gets enough Joules to stay alive. Normally people with cancer get weak because they don't eat anymore and die. It's a simplification but in the end it's the truth.
I wrote you about her in my blog in September 2007.
Her situation worsened that should be clear. She was operated more than a year ago and she recovered slowly, first without a voice. Then it seemed doctors made an error during the operation which resulted in another way using her voice. When the days got warmer she went outside for a walk but it was to much, she fainted several again. She even got dizzy in her house. When Summer past she hardly went outside. A wheelchair was arranged to go for a walk with her. But when Autumn arrived and the weather worsened she stayed inside. Afraid to catch a cold. She became more and more tired because she was locked in in her own apartment. Days past and many visitors came. They had some smalltalk about the past and the things they had together. She wrote her testimony and made a list of things she would give away. Dead is near.
She got morphine and other painkillers. A wrong dose and she had a trip. A roller coaster ride in her bed. She was afraid that night. After that night her friends made a schedule to sleep in her house and watch over her.
Some weeks ago she phoned me and told in which condition she was. The doctors give me 5 till 7 weeks, she told, I might not be here anymore when Christmas arrives.
Her liver grows and doesn't work properly. Also it presses against her lungs so she gets short-winded.
She has a hospital bed in the middle of her living room, a lot of people who care for her and morphine to endure the pain. She said that it's the worst illness one can have. It damages the whole of her body. Luckily not her mind.
She has mentioned euthanasia as a possible way of dying. Her feeding machine prevents her from dying. She gets enough Joules to stay alive. Normally people with cancer get weak because they don't eat anymore and die. It's a simplification but in the end it's the truth.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Rote Armee Fraction
Nah Klar, nach 26 Jahren Haft für Mord auf Hanns-Martin Schleyer, Siegfried Buback und Jürgen Ponto in 1977 und andere.
Did he really changed his view on the world? I hope so because the world changed after 1982.
Did he really changed his view on the world? I hope so because the world changed after 1982.
Friday, November 07, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Joe the plumber
In both campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama they mentioned Joe the plumber as a hard working American with a small business making less than $250,000 a year.
I don't mind. The only thing I do mind is that all those Joe's don't have a certificate. They don't invest in proper education. They didn't pay the bill or their taxes. Excuse me, but isn't Joe the plumber not really Johnny Freerider?
It's not only men like Joe the plumber I oppose. It's the free rider problem.
All over the world pharmacists do their work. Also in the Netherlands. They provide people with medicals to get healthy, stay healthy, or to compensate a deficit.
As the pharmacist are the providers of drugs they are a target for the chemical industry. When the pharmacist sell a lot of drugs of a certain drugs company, pharmacist will be annually overloaded with a bonus of the company. (bonuses of € 180,000,= exist)
This is a kind of freerider effect/behaviour. I'm sure this happens all over the world. Not only in a small town in the Netherlands.
The Dutch, the world should stand up against these practices because the average man in the street pays the bill in the end. We, all citizens of the world, pay for the freeloader behaviour of pharmacists.
The average man's the one who should count. The average man pays his bills, taxes, as long as he can. If Joe the plumber does this all and he's certified than Joe has a last name.
I don't mind. The only thing I do mind is that all those Joe's don't have a certificate. They don't invest in proper education. They didn't pay the bill or their taxes. Excuse me, but isn't Joe the plumber not really Johnny Freerider?
It's not only men like Joe the plumber I oppose. It's the free rider problem.
All over the world pharmacists do their work. Also in the Netherlands. They provide people with medicals to get healthy, stay healthy, or to compensate a deficit.
As the pharmacist are the providers of drugs they are a target for the chemical industry. When the pharmacist sell a lot of drugs of a certain drugs company, pharmacist will be annually overloaded with a bonus of the company. (bonuses of € 180,000,= exist)
This is a kind of freerider effect/behaviour. I'm sure this happens all over the world. Not only in a small town in the Netherlands.
The Dutch, the world should stand up against these practices because the average man in the street pays the bill in the end. We, all citizens of the world, pay for the freeloader behaviour of pharmacists.
The average man's the one who should count. The average man pays his bills, taxes, as long as he can. If Joe the plumber does this all and he's certified than Joe has a last name.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
November 4 2008
This election is excitement. I took a day off to follow the results at night. I'm informed now that we'll have a broadcast till 9 am. It seems not a good idea to watch all but at 1 am the first results will come in. (Kentucky and Indiana)
But it'll be historical, so I have to see it (on my tv-screen).
At 6.30 am the winner of the election for presidency will be known.
My newspaper will be delivered. The latest news will not be in it. Maybe the deadline is 2 am. Some smaller East coast States will be known.
But only at 7 am the polls in California will close. And it's possible that the 55 electors will not be important who is the next President of the USA.
But it'll be historical, so I have to see it (on my tv-screen).
At 6.30 am the winner of the election for presidency will be known.
My newspaper will be delivered. The latest news will not be in it. Maybe the deadline is 2 am. Some smaller East coast States will be known.
But only at 7 am the polls in California will close. And it's possible that the 55 electors will not be important who is the next President of the USA.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Foreign affairs
In a foreign country far away a new head of State will be elected. A President will be chosen. This seems to be a mayor important thing for the world. Every nation is awaiting who the next president will be. But for what? What will he bring to the world. What does the world know about the two male candidates for President of the United States of America?
Really nothing...One is talking about change and hope....but what kind of change, what kind of hope and for who?
Sunday afternoon just before cycling I had to look at an interesting political program. An interview with Kishore Mahbubani.
What the Western world not seems to realize is said by Kishore Mahbubani from Singapore. He is a philosopher and retired diplomat. The says that together with the economic growth of the power of the east (Brazil, India, China and others, also the Arab world) there will be a shift of the political and cultural center. The Asians (and Brazilians) have the future.
The Western world doesn't realize it according to mr. Mahbubani, but there will be a rapid change in structures which keep the world together.
The new President of the USA will not be able to stop the change.
For the West it's time to let the arrogance go and realize that this change is a window of opportunities.
Good luck America! Choose Obama :-)
Really nothing...One is talking about change and hope....but what kind of change, what kind of hope and for who?
Sunday afternoon just before cycling I had to look at an interesting political program. An interview with Kishore Mahbubani.
What the Western world not seems to realize is said by Kishore Mahbubani from Singapore. He is a philosopher and retired diplomat. The says that together with the economic growth of the power of the east (Brazil, India, China and others, also the Arab world) there will be a shift of the political and cultural center. The Asians (and Brazilians) have the future.
The Western world doesn't realize it according to mr. Mahbubani, but there will be a rapid change in structures which keep the world together.
The new President of the USA will not be able to stop the change.
For the West it's time to let the arrogance go and realize that this change is a window of opportunities.
Good luck America! Choose Obama :-)
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Trivia
Do you know that Ian Fleming created James Bond based on the Dutch Prince Bernhard van Lippe-Biesterfeld.
I googled on Prince Bernhard and found this paragraph... The Bilderberger group, founded after World War II by Britain’s genocidal Prince Philip and the Nazi SS Prince Bernard of the Netherlands, represents one of the key nodal points where the international finance oligarchs meet under US-UK leadership to ratify consensus on larger strategic initiatives. It was for example the Bilderberger meeting held near Stockholm in Saltsjøbaden, Sweden in the spring of 1973 which secured the final consensus for the Royal Dutch Shell plans for the October 1973 Middle East War and the attendant “Arab” oil boycott, which looted Japan and Europe and imposed global austerity to stabilize the US dollar and the Atlanticist banking system. That financiers’ staged oil boycott was the 1973 version of today’s “peak oil” hoax. read more on this site
if you put it in today's context you know nothing has changed and that the western banking system has failed and that the failure goes back to times just after World war II
I googled on Prince Bernhard and found this paragraph... The Bilderberger group, founded after World War II by Britain’s genocidal Prince Philip and the Nazi SS Prince Bernard of the Netherlands, represents one of the key nodal points where the international finance oligarchs meet under US-UK leadership to ratify consensus on larger strategic initiatives. It was for example the Bilderberger meeting held near Stockholm in Saltsjøbaden, Sweden in the spring of 1973 which secured the final consensus for the Royal Dutch Shell plans for the October 1973 Middle East War and the attendant “Arab” oil boycott, which looted Japan and Europe and imposed global austerity to stabilize the US dollar and the Atlanticist banking system. That financiers’ staged oil boycott was the 1973 version of today’s “peak oil” hoax. read more on this site
if you put it in today's context you know nothing has changed and that the western banking system has failed and that the failure goes back to times just after World war II
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Everything in perspective
Thanks Ocean, maybe my blog is in the essence a way to put thoughts in perspective. In my native language we say wie schrijft die blijft. It is a saying originally from business administration meaning that it's necessary for the continuity of an organisation to keep the books in a proper way.
At present the expression is used also to say that a writer remains (well)known after death. Of course it's used in relative sense, but it's absolutely true. If one does his work properly he can stay.
Last week I had my RGW and it was worse than the previous one in December 2006. My team leader and I have a different opinion on how to deal with work that has to be done. I can do better maybe.
I'll change some things but what can't be changed, can't.
Yesterday I've had a time trial at the end of the season of the Sunday club-cycling.
The result wasn't good at all. I rode as a sack potatoes on a bicycle. I couldn't make the real speed which is needed on a small distance of 10.4 kilometer. Maybe my season was too long? More people complaint that they had no power. Well, now we'll have a long period to recover.
And of course there is the financial crisis. In fact, months before the real crunch of the stockmarkets in the world France was warned by their economists.
I photographed in June '08 one bilboard in Avignon announcing a debate about the financial crisis and the impact on the real economy.
Did I have a feeling on that moment that things would go this way? No. I didn't.
It's time for a change!
Ocean, Sarah, Caren and all the others, our generation has to do things different!!We got to think out of the box, think local and act global. We got to learn from eachother more.
Monday, October 20, 2008
736th post
I'm blogging 4 years and 3 months now.
I've written 735 posts and used an average of 150 words. I used per post appr. 30 minutes. That makes 360 hours. That equals 10 working weeks of 36 hours.
Per year I could save 2.35 weeks of vacation if I didn't blog. But I do.
I could do the same with cycling. 4 years cycling with an average of 6,000 k a year equals 24,000k. With an average speed of 28k/hr it means I rode 857 hours in 4.25 years.
Per year I could save 5.6 working weeks if I didn't bicycle. But unfortunately I do.
This week I'll have a newspaper again. I didn't have one for some time now and it felt good. But lately I bought again a daily paper called NRCNext. It's a readable newspaper with all the news, though a little brief. When I received a letter of the publisher to have a free subscription I couldn't say no. It's without obligation so why not?
Exactly at the right moment a few weeks before the US presidential election.
My neighbor isn't doing well. I told you a long time ago about. The cancer worsened. The tumors spread to her liver. A few months ago she was told she would possibly not be alive at the end of the year.
Last week she was told that her life expectation is only 5 to 7 weeks. The day before yesterday she told me. She can't believe herself that it goes so quick. Last week she told me she could still wash herself but now she needs help. She isn't tired with life at all but she is tired of being in her house for so long now. She can't do so many things anymore as she is really weakened. She made a list of the things in her house she'll give away to some people. She checked her testimony, her will.
Now her friends will come at the nights, which she fears most, to sleep and watch over her. This week a hospital bed will be brought. They made a schedule who will sleep in her house. Those are the practical things.
Psychologically it's hard for her too. She has to let everything go. She gives her belongings away, mostly paintings, sculptures and things used in other cultures she collected on her journeys a long time ago.
So she follows almost the path of Taoism. I told her to let the things go. Yes, she said till now all my travels were going somewhere but now I'm going to somewhere which is unknown. I agreed, this will be your biggest journey so far.
Okay, we talked about daily life too. About dog's tax. And we laughed.
I've written 735 posts and used an average of 150 words. I used per post appr. 30 minutes. That makes 360 hours. That equals 10 working weeks of 36 hours.
Per year I could save 2.35 weeks of vacation if I didn't blog. But I do.
I could do the same with cycling. 4 years cycling with an average of 6,000 k a year equals 24,000k. With an average speed of 28k/hr it means I rode 857 hours in 4.25 years.
Per year I could save 5.6 working weeks if I didn't bicycle. But unfortunately I do.
This week I'll have a newspaper again. I didn't have one for some time now and it felt good. But lately I bought again a daily paper called NRCNext. It's a readable newspaper with all the news, though a little brief. When I received a letter of the publisher to have a free subscription I couldn't say no. It's without obligation so why not?
Exactly at the right moment a few weeks before the US presidential election.
My neighbor isn't doing well. I told you a long time ago about. The cancer worsened. The tumors spread to her liver. A few months ago she was told she would possibly not be alive at the end of the year.
Last week she was told that her life expectation is only 5 to 7 weeks. The day before yesterday she told me. She can't believe herself that it goes so quick. Last week she told me she could still wash herself but now she needs help. She isn't tired with life at all but she is tired of being in her house for so long now. She can't do so many things anymore as she is really weakened. She made a list of the things in her house she'll give away to some people. She checked her testimony, her will.
Now her friends will come at the nights, which she fears most, to sleep and watch over her. This week a hospital bed will be brought. They made a schedule who will sleep in her house. Those are the practical things.
Psychologically it's hard for her too. She has to let everything go. She gives her belongings away, mostly paintings, sculptures and things used in other cultures she collected on her journeys a long time ago.
So she follows almost the path of Taoism. I told her to let the things go. Yes, she said till now all my travels were going somewhere but now I'm going to somewhere which is unknown. I agreed, this will be your biggest journey so far.
Okay, we talked about daily life too. About dog's tax. And we laughed.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
science versus myth
October 7 2008, an Air France-KLM airliner saw an asteroid exploding several kilometers above the ground. The plane was 1,400 kilometers away.
The pilot and crew saw at the estimated time 2 or 3 light pulses which lasted 1.5 seconds. More about this event on eumetsat.
What did people on the ground in Northern Sudan and Arabia see from the spectacle in the sky? Nothing? It can't be. It happened at 02.45 UTC, early in the morning local time. I don't think nobody saw it.
How do they explain the event? Will this be the basis of a new myth?
It might that people who don't know anything about world economy will link this event with drying up of the help of NGOs and UNHCR.
The pilot and crew saw at the estimated time 2 or 3 light pulses which lasted 1.5 seconds. More about this event on eumetsat.
What did people on the ground in Northern Sudan and Arabia see from the spectacle in the sky? Nothing? It can't be. It happened at 02.45 UTC, early in the morning local time. I don't think nobody saw it.
How do they explain the event? Will this be the basis of a new myth?
It might that people who don't know anything about world economy will link this event with drying up of the help of NGOs and UNHCR.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Burning World
Well, well, well, what's going on? Sarah is not gonna marry (I'm puzzled), the world still has it's financial crisis and smart people say the worst part is over.
Why doesn't anybody except Sarah take it all serious. Of course the world is burning, however you don't see it. It's like a fire in the moor. Under the surface the fire hides waiting for some oxygen.
The burning world also stands for human beings burning fossiles as their energy. It's time for change. Time to choose Obama.
I'm tired; cycled 200 kilometer this weekend. Tomorrow I got to wake up early, so adios.
Why doesn't anybody except Sarah take it all serious. Of course the world is burning, however you don't see it. It's like a fire in the moor. Under the surface the fire hides waiting for some oxygen.
The burning world also stands for human beings burning fossiles as their energy. It's time for change. Time to choose Obama.
I'm tired; cycled 200 kilometer this weekend. Tomorrow I got to wake up early, so adios.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Bad weekend
This I found on Sarah's blog, LOL
So I could laugh this weekend. hahaha= that means lol laugh out loud
This weekend started with a statement of our Government that Fortis and ABN Amro are bought by the Government. Due to the credit crisis Fortis had liquidity problems. ABN Amro was part of the problems because Fortis bought that bank which they couldn't afford really.
As ABN Amro is my bank I had a bad week, with some worries. Thursday I transferred some Euro's to another big bank/insurer ING, mainly because they made me a good offer.
People of the US, and other individuals, you made a mess of the worldwide financial market and you know why.. You buy to much you can't really afford. You make war which you have to win at all costs.. And poverty in the US and the world is sky high.. there is no balance.. The Netherlands were going that way. Hopefully this credit crisis will be stopped by legislation because what can happen will happen.
The world has to stop the irresponsible self enrichment of (businesses and) private persons (former Prime Minister Wim Kok said it already 10 years ago) because it will bring down the fragile balance there could be on this world.
Another sad thing was the "collission" between my teamleader and I.
We had a conversation about work. I was irritated and negative about a lot of things.
Maybe another time I tell more about it. It's 11 o'clock already.
So I could laugh this weekend. hahaha= that means lol laugh out loud
This weekend started with a statement of our Government that Fortis and ABN Amro are bought by the Government. Due to the credit crisis Fortis had liquidity problems. ABN Amro was part of the problems because Fortis bought that bank which they couldn't afford really.
As ABN Amro is my bank I had a bad week, with some worries. Thursday I transferred some Euro's to another big bank/insurer ING, mainly because they made me a good offer.
People of the US, and other individuals, you made a mess of the worldwide financial market and you know why.. You buy to much you can't really afford. You make war which you have to win at all costs.. And poverty in the US and the world is sky high.. there is no balance.. The Netherlands were going that way. Hopefully this credit crisis will be stopped by legislation because what can happen will happen.
The world has to stop the irresponsible self enrichment of (businesses and) private persons (former Prime Minister Wim Kok said it already 10 years ago) because it will bring down the fragile balance there could be on this world.
Another sad thing was the "collission" between my teamleader and I.
We had a conversation about work. I was irritated and negative about a lot of things.
Maybe another time I tell more about it. It's 11 o'clock already.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Who will it be
In November '08 is the big day I think. Hopefully the US-citizens do the right thing and choose for change. I'm a little bit worried as European because what kind of change? More troops to Iraq and Afghanistan to win a war? M. said it, "I rather loose an election than a war" Just a war? Whose Waterloo was Vietnam? It wasn't M's.
Did he win? M. survived and US lost a war. Was it bad? Not at all.
The best way to win a war is to become friends with your enemy.
Did he win? M. survived and US lost a war. Was it bad? Not at all.
The best way to win a war is to become friends with your enemy.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
better
It's Sunday evening at the moment. @ Day's ago I called my doctor and as I already expected he told me that Sunday this flu must be over. I must say I feel a lot better. Tomorrow back to work again. I can't wait what to expect ;-)
I've never been a week off-duty due to illness. So it was a weird week for me. A week lying in bed, sitting on the sofa, listening to nothing, But the silence....
I've never been a week off-duty due to illness. So it was a weird week for me. A week lying in bed, sitting on the sofa, listening to nothing, But the silence....
Friday, August 08, 2008
being sick
Since I wrote last post I catched the summer flu. A lot of people are sick, catched the summerflu the doctor told me. Symptoms: fever, headache, a sore throat, painful muscles and so on.
So this week nothing happened. I was just hanging around in my bedroom. I slept for hours and the afternoon was over before I knew it. When the evening came with a low sun shining in my kitchen-window I was out of energy. I even didn't have
the energy to use the Internet since today.
I actually called the doctor. Today he told me it's a summer flu. On the Internet in read that rating non-fresh vegetables can cause it. I think that the food of last Saturday wasn't okay.
This afternoon I got a call from a man who said being the doctor dealing with absences through illnesses who wants to know what's wrong and how I feel, if I were consulting my private doctor and so on. I couldn't hear very clear because my ears were affected too. He asked me some questions and and me when I expect myself being ready for work...Next Monday I told him.
Then he said "It's good to hear that Jan. Hans here.." Then I knew it was a joke.
But a nasty one. No person should be a person he isn't. I couldn't see Hans, I couldn't hear as good as I should. This hurts the reliability of Hans and of anybody else who's on the telephone. I expected a telephone call from someone concerning my absence through illness.
So this week nothing happened. I was just hanging around in my bedroom. I slept for hours and the afternoon was over before I knew it. When the evening came with a low sun shining in my kitchen-window I was out of energy. I even didn't have
the energy to use the Internet since today.
I actually called the doctor. Today he told me it's a summer flu. On the Internet in read that rating non-fresh vegetables can cause it. I think that the food of last Saturday wasn't okay.
This afternoon I got a call from a man who said being the doctor dealing with absences through illnesses who wants to know what's wrong and how I feel, if I were consulting my private doctor and so on. I couldn't hear very clear because my ears were affected too. He asked me some questions and and me when I expect myself being ready for work...Next Monday I told him.
Then he said "It's good to hear that Jan. Hans here.." Then I knew it was a joke.
But a nasty one. No person should be a person he isn't. I couldn't see Hans, I couldn't hear as good as I should. This hurts the reliability of Hans and of anybody else who's on the telephone. I expected a telephone call from someone concerning my absence through illness.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Confidential information
I was just placed some photo's on fotothing. when I noticed that in Belgium campsites have to provide police-authorities with police-notes.
A note on which the traveler has to give private information and his whereabouts. It goes further than the ordinary name, address and nationality. Even the traveler's profession seems to be important. What the heck...I'm traveling-writer and I´m going to Wonderland.
This was the moment something became obvious in my point of view. Is Europe becoming a police-state with an EU-dictatorship? A wise man will say "you'll see".
At work we are transforming to use a kind of Citizen service number. With this number all the information of the Civil Service can be traced and linked to the person concerned. That is scary if you think about it. Big brother is watching us.
A note on which the traveler has to give private information and his whereabouts. It goes further than the ordinary name, address and nationality. Even the traveler's profession seems to be important. What the heck...I'm traveling-writer and I´m going to Wonderland.
This was the moment something became obvious in my point of view. Is Europe becoming a police-state with an EU-dictatorship? A wise man will say "you'll see".
At work we are transforming to use a kind of Citizen service number. With this number all the information of the Civil Service can be traced and linked to the person concerned. That is scary if you think about it. Big brother is watching us.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
hardship
Everything is okay... I quit cycling for a while because of a souring elbow (tennis elbow?) I had a souring headache Friday and couldn't keep attention to the things I was doing. But okay, I'm OK now. My computer is running out of memory and my bicycle is not in perfect condition. But I'm fine. It's nothing to complain about when you read the blogs of the youngsters in Mosul.
After being back for 4,5 weeks I still feel the hardship of cycling through France. I can imagine cyclists in the Tour the France who have a difficult resting day tomorrow. After that there will be 2 days in which the famous TdF will be decided.
I'm okay, the weather here in Holland isn't (much rain, wind and temporarily autumn temperatures) and too much television and internet will kill me.
I still got to write a letter to mme Jaillard, order some photo's and get a new curtain.. (I need one, what I got now is poverty)
An American election campaign
After being back for 4,5 weeks I still feel the hardship of cycling through France. I can imagine cyclists in the Tour the France who have a difficult resting day tomorrow. After that there will be 2 days in which the famous TdF will be decided.
I'm okay, the weather here in Holland isn't (much rain, wind and temporarily autumn temperatures) and too much television and internet will kill me.
I still got to write a letter to mme Jaillard, order some photo's and get a new curtain.. (I need one, what I got now is poverty)
An American election campaign
Sunday, July 06, 2008
work
In the last weeks I had to accept that my vacation is over. It was very difficult for various reasons. The main reason was the time between arrival and going back to work. It was only 2 days. As I need some kind of structure in my life it was hard work to overcome that change. But at work they had changed the whole department a week before I returned. The majority of the employees work in 3 different teams. The 3 teams have their own room.
For finance, which isn't part of any team, was no room left so my colleague and I were placed in the room of the team which had some free space. It was the noisiest place I've ever been.
My colleague has spent a week on our new workplace and wasn't happy with it at all. He told our department manager about his problem with the new spot. It didn't help. My co-worker felt that our manager didn't listen seriously.
A week later I returned and heard about his complaint, the problem, frustration and the problem between 2 other colleagues who planned the removal. (one can be weak if one stands alone). Wednesday, 3 day's after returning, I told my colleague that I got to talk with our manager about the spot where we ought to work. Thursday I sat somewhere else and Friday too. Our manager came to me and I told my story why I moved to another place. It had to do with all those incentives of constant loud voices, my weakness to process those incentives and of course my medical background.
Monday I had an appointment with our company´s medical officer. And he told the same I wanted. I had his support! Luckily on Tuesday our manager came with an option to move to a quieter place in another team´s room. Last week we moved our bureau´s and worked on an improvised workplace. But it´s so much better. Hopefully next week everything will be installed.
It were stressful weeks after a superb holiday.
For finance, which isn't part of any team, was no room left so my colleague and I were placed in the room of the team which had some free space. It was the noisiest place I've ever been.
My colleague has spent a week on our new workplace and wasn't happy with it at all. He told our department manager about his problem with the new spot. It didn't help. My co-worker felt that our manager didn't listen seriously.
A week later I returned and heard about his complaint, the problem, frustration and the problem between 2 other colleagues who planned the removal. (one can be weak if one stands alone). Wednesday, 3 day's after returning, I told my colleague that I got to talk with our manager about the spot where we ought to work. Thursday I sat somewhere else and Friday too. Our manager came to me and I told my story why I moved to another place. It had to do with all those incentives of constant loud voices, my weakness to process those incentives and of course my medical background.
Monday I had an appointment with our company´s medical officer. And he told the same I wanted. I had his support! Luckily on Tuesday our manager came with an option to move to a quieter place in another team´s room. Last week we moved our bureau´s and worked on an improvised workplace. But it´s so much better. Hopefully next week everything will be installed.
It were stressful weeks after a superb holiday.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Back
After a holiday of 26 days I returned to Utrecht, The Netherlands. In this period I cycled 1846 kilometers to the Mediterenean. I spent some time in Saintes Maries de la Mer, swam in the sea, cycled over the top of the Mont Ventoux, saw the time trial of the cycling tour Dauphiné Liberé in Avignon and a lot more.
I met and spoke with a lot of people.
It was a vacation exceptionelle, an extraordinary holiday.
I'll place some photo's on fotothing
I met and spoke with a lot of people.
It was a vacation exceptionelle, an extraordinary holiday.
I'll place some photo's on fotothing
Sunday, May 18, 2008
holidays
Last Friday was my last day at work. June 16 will be my first day after the break and in between I'll cycle. Tomorrow May 19 I'll start. The weather will be improving. (It was shivering cold last week and rainy too)
Now I'm packing.
By the way, yesterday I made a nice picture of a giant insect, a dragonfly.
All virtual friends, especially Ocean, take care.
Now I'm packing.
By the way, yesterday I made a nice picture of a giant insect, a dragonfly.
All virtual friends, especially Ocean, take care.
Monday, May 12, 2008
video's from the train going home
Last week I went to Family on a beautiful day.. May the 5th, Liberation day. The day we celebrate the end of WW2 in the Netherlands.
It was the same trip Anne Frank made in 1944 from Amsterdam to Westerbork. The difference is I did it 64 years later and in different direction.
The first 2 movies is what she could have seen in a 1944 setting.
This is a movie of the train coming to a stop at my hometown Utrecht. Hear the sound of the breaking wheels...
Apparently the video's have to be installed with help of youtube ;-)
Next time
Ocean, I'm okay. We had almost 2 weeks of holidays here in the Netherlands. Luckily we had very good summer weather too.
I'll go to the south of France by bike on May 19. (1,500 kilometer) Probably I will not post.
It was the same trip Anne Frank made in 1944 from Amsterdam to Westerbork. The difference is I did it 64 years later and in different direction.
The first 2 movies is what she could have seen in a 1944 setting.
This is a movie of the train coming to a stop at my hometown Utrecht. Hear the sound of the breaking wheels...
Apparently the video's have to be installed with help of youtube ;-)
Next time
Ocean, I'm okay. We had almost 2 weeks of holidays here in the Netherlands. Luckily we had very good summer weather too.
I'll go to the south of France by bike on May 19. (1,500 kilometer) Probably I will not post.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
here's Johnny....
Last Sunday I fell with my bicycle. It was an hillarious fall because I stood still. The frontwheel of my cycle blocked because of a little sanddune. There I lied on the ground. I stood up and finished the ride. Total distance 90 kilometer.
Monday I just went to work but it was a strange day on which I didn't stay quite as calm as I should be. Maybe I had a concussion of the fall. It was better to stay at home on Tuesday. I learned from an earlier fall in September that I should not keep on going.
Tuesday I stayed calm but suddenly while sitting on the sofa I had an awkward or inconvenient feeling inside my head. It was if a couple of bees or other insects were flying around and they couldn't get out.
I had this sensation before. I hoped it wouldn't come back. But now it's there again saying "Hellooo, I'm back!" I had that feeling before an epileptic attack. The last one was more than 6 years ago though. "here's Johnny...."
So today I took another day off (officially ill) and tomorrow I'll go to the office. Hopefully Johnnie's back to his home.
Monday I just went to work but it was a strange day on which I didn't stay quite as calm as I should be. Maybe I had a concussion of the fall. It was better to stay at home on Tuesday. I learned from an earlier fall in September that I should not keep on going.
Tuesday I stayed calm but suddenly while sitting on the sofa I had an awkward or inconvenient feeling inside my head. It was if a couple of bees or other insects were flying around and they couldn't get out.
I had this sensation before. I hoped it wouldn't come back. But now it's there again saying "Hellooo, I'm back!" I had that feeling before an epileptic attack. The last one was more than 6 years ago though. "here's Johnny...."
So today I took another day off (officially ill) and tomorrow I'll go to the office. Hopefully Johnnie's back to his home.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Feeling good
After last Sunday (cycling 3.5 hours in rain and cold) I've had a low interest in cycling. But today I cleaned my bike and went of for a 2 hours ride with my club.. It made me feel okay.
I hope to stay okay because at work the next months lots will change.
My direct colleague and I will probably have one or more other colleagues in the room. The 3 present other roommates are so called quality workers and will circulate over the department in order to secure the quality of the work of the counselors.
My work remains the same, prepare payments and control the work-flow. I got a new instruction.... make thing simpler (In fact it is the slogan of Philips)
I hope to stay okay because at work the next months lots will change.
My direct colleague and I will probably have one or more other colleagues in the room. The 3 present other roommates are so called quality workers and will circulate over the department in order to secure the quality of the work of the counselors.
My work remains the same, prepare payments and control the work-flow. I got a new instruction.... make thing simpler (In fact it is the slogan of Philips)
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
spring?
Hear this bird singing
Or watch this video of two or more bats flying around my house
Yes, it's certainly spring.
Or watch this video of two or more bats flying around my house
Yes, it's certainly spring.
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Wilders "movie"
Dutch politician Geert Wilders has released his so called movie. It can be seen on this site.
Wilders made a couple of errors in his 16 minutes statement on the Internet. He showed a photograph of the murderer of Theo van Gogh. It was actually the photo of rapper Salah Edin
Wilders showed in Fitna some images of terrorists attacks and showed Quran verses.
It isn't much to talk about. It wasn't the talk of town. We expected more. Mind that Geert Wilders had almost 5 months to realize his so called movie. He said a lot about it in public but at the release it appeared to be a copy and paste effort of the Dutch Parlementarian.
The Dutch Prime Minister was afraid that it could harm Dutch interest abroad like it did Denmark with the cartoons printed in the Jylland Posten
Also Wilders violated copyrights of the maker of the Mohammed cartoons he used in Fitna.
Also the voice of a Dutch journalist was without permission in the Internet broadcast interviewing Theo van Gogh.
Note: Fitna has been removed from the Liveleak servers tonight.
Is this freedom of speech?
Wilders made a couple of errors in his 16 minutes statement on the Internet. He showed a photograph of the murderer of Theo van Gogh. It was actually the photo of rapper Salah Edin
Wilders showed in Fitna some images of terrorists attacks and showed Quran verses.
It isn't much to talk about. It wasn't the talk of town. We expected more. Mind that Geert Wilders had almost 5 months to realize his so called movie. He said a lot about it in public but at the release it appeared to be a copy and paste effort of the Dutch Parlementarian.
The Dutch Prime Minister was afraid that it could harm Dutch interest abroad like it did Denmark with the cartoons printed in the Jylland Posten
Also Wilders violated copyrights of the maker of the Mohammed cartoons he used in Fitna.
Also the voice of a Dutch journalist was without permission in the Internet broadcast interviewing Theo van Gogh.
Note: Fitna has been removed from the Liveleak servers tonight.
Is this freedom of speech?
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Optimism about the future
Geert Wilders, L'Enfant terrible of Dutch society, has a problem. His US-based internet host doesn't want to host him anymore. The website is out of work.
He told the media that he wanted to make his movie public this month. (March 2008)
Friday (yes, Good Friday) there was a protest manifestation in Amsterdam because of what Wilders might state in his movie and what he has said in public. It widens the gap between different ethnic minorities and the ethnic majority in the Netherlands.
As I write this down, it reminds me that this is a big difference between the US and the Netherlands.
In America there is no majority. The only majority, the native Americans, the Indians, are almost ethnically clinched.
The white man in the US made history by conquering land on the native Americans... Does he consider himself as the new native American?
We actually live in the Netherlands in different ethnic boxes. There are some exceptions, but those exceptions confirm the rule.
That is the difference between the US and over here. The horizontal movement to another box needs time. An ordinary Dutchman doesn't fit in an ordinary Moroccan culture. Both have to grow to each other. Time does it all.
Young Moroccan families have almost the same preferences as young Dutch families. They mix together, the styling of their houses is the same {thanks to Ikea ;)}, they work more and more together.
I think that in the future there will be one common culture. Of course the old cultures must be preserved... I'm optimistic about the future.
The near future is the Mont Ventoux. The first ride with the team was in very wet conditions. Completely soaked we arived in the pub where we found seats a the bar. I'm not only training to be prepered for the summer ride but also I'm gaining some pounds of weight because endurance needs slow burning fats. Also I want to be able to resist cold. This night I found out that my sleeping bag is a bit small for me. How did I sleep in it last year?
With Eastern I'll read the roadmap to Avignon and Sainte Marie á la Mer and find a horrible picture of the top of the Ventoux. Ventoux means wind, always wind.
Note: Hours later after riding in wet conditions again I read about the real background of the name Ventoux; it's a derivative of the occitanian word ven which means mountain. It has nothing to do with the mistral-wind.
He told the media that he wanted to make his movie public this month. (March 2008)
Friday (yes, Good Friday) there was a protest manifestation in Amsterdam because of what Wilders might state in his movie and what he has said in public. It widens the gap between different ethnic minorities and the ethnic majority in the Netherlands.
As I write this down, it reminds me that this is a big difference between the US and the Netherlands.
In America there is no majority. The only majority, the native Americans, the Indians, are almost ethnically clinched.
The white man in the US made history by conquering land on the native Americans... Does he consider himself as the new native American?
We actually live in the Netherlands in different ethnic boxes. There are some exceptions, but those exceptions confirm the rule.
That is the difference between the US and over here. The horizontal movement to another box needs time. An ordinary Dutchman doesn't fit in an ordinary Moroccan culture. Both have to grow to each other. Time does it all.
Young Moroccan families have almost the same preferences as young Dutch families. They mix together, the styling of their houses is the same {thanks to Ikea ;)}, they work more and more together.
I think that in the future there will be one common culture. Of course the old cultures must be preserved... I'm optimistic about the future.
The near future is the Mont Ventoux. The first ride with the team was in very wet conditions. Completely soaked we arived in the pub where we found seats a the bar. I'm not only training to be prepered for the summer ride but also I'm gaining some pounds of weight because endurance needs slow burning fats. Also I want to be able to resist cold. This night I found out that my sleeping bag is a bit small for me. How did I sleep in it last year?
With Eastern I'll read the roadmap to Avignon and Sainte Marie á la Mer and find a horrible picture of the top of the Ventoux. Ventoux means wind, always wind.
Note: Hours later after riding in wet conditions again I read about the real background of the name Ventoux; it's a derivative of the occitanian word ven which means mountain. It has nothing to do with the mistral-wind.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Hopefully everyone is okay
Since November/December 07 I didn't write about my downstairs-neighbor. She'd a huge tumor in her oesophagus. The surgeons removed her oesophagus and due to complications she literally lost her voice. She could only whisper. In the weeks after she had to recover by gaining weight. But how? She cannot eat like we do. Her stomach is used for a new oesophagus so food was nothing more than bouillon or a very light soup. The intestines couldn't bear the food. But now she's improving however still fears the dumping-syndrome. She doesn't gain weight so the doctors fear that her body might affect her muscles. She must gain weight by eating and not using energy. (no walking, no household, keeping temperature in the house comfortable, try to eat every hour some bouillon)
At work I asked a colleague of mine who dealt with my neighbors case if he heard something about her new application to get some extra support for several weeks.
A few hours later this colleague told my roommates and me the terrifying news that he has a tumor in his head and possibly cancer in his liver. Last week he had a MRI-scan which made that obvious.
Hopefully everybody else I know is fine...
At work I asked a colleague of mine who dealt with my neighbors case if he heard something about her new application to get some extra support for several weeks.
A few hours later this colleague told my roommates and me the terrifying news that he has a tumor in his head and possibly cancer in his liver. Last week he had a MRI-scan which made that obvious.
Hopefully everybody else I know is fine...
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Milestone
Riding is going well. Today I reached the first milestone on my way to the 1300 kilometer trip to Avignon. I cycled 1 k in 22 rides this year.
TOTAL till 8-3-08 1,001.25 kilometer
Total hours I used 37:59:25
TOTAL till 8-3-08 1,001.25 kilometer
Total hours I used 37:59:25
Monday, March 03, 2008
Have you heard about Fitna
.... the movie of Geert Wilders? There isn't any at all... It's all an ordeal.
It's a might be movie to destabilize the nation.
Was The last temptation of Christ a movie which was blaspheme according to some orhodox Christians. Now Fitna of Geert Wilders is almost censored under pressure of the Dutch prime minister Balkenende and his cabinet. the anti-Islam movie might cause Holland big personal, social and economic problems. You can all name it.
If Fitna isn't broad-casted the anxiety for terror has won, do I want that?
No of course not. I can only think that the movie doesn't exist. It's fake, like the Organ Donorshow was. (see the post -BNN's great Donorshow- at May 5 2007)
However there is a dutch countermovie on Youtube.. really good I think if you understand Dutch
It's a might be movie to destabilize the nation.
Was The last temptation of Christ a movie which was blaspheme according to some orhodox Christians. Now Fitna of Geert Wilders is almost censored under pressure of the Dutch prime minister Balkenende and his cabinet. the anti-Islam movie might cause Holland big personal, social and economic problems. You can all name it.
If Fitna isn't broad-casted the anxiety for terror has won, do I want that?
No of course not. I can only think that the movie doesn't exist. It's fake, like the Organ Donorshow was. (see the post -BNN's great Donorshow- at May 5 2007)
However there is a dutch countermovie on Youtube.. really good I think if you understand Dutch
Thursday, February 28, 2008
March 1 spring
I'm more or less preparing myself for the holidays in May/June.
Riding from my hometown in the Netherlands to the Mont Ventoux in the south of France.
It's about 1,300 kilometer. At this moment I rode as much as last year but the total distance was somewhat larger. And as a logic consequence I feel stronger than last year. Yesterday I made some kilometers on my race bike and I didn't do my utmost to keep the average above the 30 k/hr.
It might be the weather that I could do this. We didn't have wintry weather since the second decade of December 07. No, temperatures are high and from a bright sunny on Monday we went to a rainy Tuesday, a sunny Wednesday to a wind-still Thursday. But tomorrow it'll rain again and Saturday we'll have storm.
I can't say however we had a stormy winter, far from that. And beside that Saturday is March 1st. The meteorological winter 2007/2008 is over. The book can be closed. Spring can start.
Riding from my hometown in the Netherlands to the Mont Ventoux in the south of France.
It's about 1,300 kilometer. At this moment I rode as much as last year but the total distance was somewhat larger. And as a logic consequence I feel stronger than last year. Yesterday I made some kilometers on my race bike and I didn't do my utmost to keep the average above the 30 k/hr.
It might be the weather that I could do this. We didn't have wintry weather since the second decade of December 07. No, temperatures are high and from a bright sunny on Monday we went to a rainy Tuesday, a sunny Wednesday to a wind-still Thursday. But tomorrow it'll rain again and Saturday we'll have storm.
I can't say however we had a stormy winter, far from that. And beside that Saturday is March 1st. The meteorological winter 2007/2008 is over. The book can be closed. Spring can start.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
An awful lot of wheelchairs
and this was half of it... All these wheelchairs are shipped to countries where the care for disabled people is poor. Turkey, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Hungary will benefit from this gift.My criticism is that there is no plan what to do with the wheelchairs when they're out of work. In the Netherlands each part will be recycled so there will be no environmental pollution.
The gift can be criticised because we save the recycle cost. When the wheelchair reached the end of it's life cycle the different countries have those recycle costs.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
World Press
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
my wonder years
It's been a great day. I woke up early to have some time to cycle as the forecast was that in the morning there would be some sunshine. Maybe it's the first time in this young year to cycle in sunshine. Ha ha, my short term memory (< 1 year) is like good cheese; it got holes in it.
In the last working week I spent my lunch-break outside the office. My colleague and I walked through the neighborhood. Everything looks so different then. Normally I don't walk in other neighborhoods other than my own, especially not on a working day. I only cycle through other boroughs. I saw many houses for sale, some for a long time now, expensive ones and cheaper ones. In none I would like to live in.
I'm still looking for a new place. So was my new neighbor. I met her today "I'm your new neighbor" she said. She told me that he's got to paint the interior next week. That's what you do when you move into a new house.
Well, bon change!
She bought the house which I don't do, not my own house.
This week I analysed my behaviour concerning buying things, or even my house or another house.
I wonder if it has to do with the stress I had as a child loosing all his toys and relations built up in the child-years, in the wonder years, either by divorce (of parents) or removal.
I just know that one can easily loose everything he has. However from zero one can also build something up easily. Especially when there is time.
Am I afraid of loosing?
At work I was a kind of angry when my boss came to me with the question if I could explain something to her. It was something 2 colleagues asked me on a Friday. (So I had a weekend to think it over and build up the anger) I answered them the same day and my conclusion is that one colleague did something for which he's authorized, but apparently without knowledge. Murphy's law will be suitable then. You can wait till things go wrong. The other thing is a payment which went wrong. In this case the procedures have to be followed, they were not. Nevertheless the payment was mistaken.
Luckily the creditor has seen that and did the right thing in his opinion. Unfortunately he didn't inform my department till now.
Well, being a little bit angry is showing my responsibility for my job. Hopefully my boss interprets the same way.
One colleague I told about my concerns. The next day she asked me how I felt. Okay, I said, but how are you, how was your holiday I asked.
Holiday, she said, I'm planning again.
Where do you go? I asked.
Israel, she said, hopefully we fly El Al.
A colleague asked if she's Jewish then.
Yes, she said, but don´t tell anybody.
The colleague asked if her mother's too.
Yes, she said, but don´t tell anybody
In my life there are people who told me their secret.
Some of those I don´t remember
Other secrets I understand that it´s my secret as well
This secret is so weird.
It frightens me because is there so much to be scared for that one can't publicly be Jewish?
In the last working week I spent my lunch-break outside the office. My colleague and I walked through the neighborhood. Everything looks so different then. Normally I don't walk in other neighborhoods other than my own, especially not on a working day. I only cycle through other boroughs. I saw many houses for sale, some for a long time now, expensive ones and cheaper ones. In none I would like to live in.
I'm still looking for a new place. So was my new neighbor. I met her today "I'm your new neighbor" she said. She told me that he's got to paint the interior next week. That's what you do when you move into a new house.
Well, bon change!
She bought the house which I don't do, not my own house.
This week I analysed my behaviour concerning buying things, or even my house or another house.
I wonder if it has to do with the stress I had as a child loosing all his toys and relations built up in the child-years, in the wonder years, either by divorce (of parents) or removal.
I just know that one can easily loose everything he has. However from zero one can also build something up easily. Especially when there is time.
Am I afraid of loosing?
At work I was a kind of angry when my boss came to me with the question if I could explain something to her. It was something 2 colleagues asked me on a Friday. (So I had a weekend to think it over and build up the anger) I answered them the same day and my conclusion is that one colleague did something for which he's authorized, but apparently without knowledge. Murphy's law will be suitable then. You can wait till things go wrong. The other thing is a payment which went wrong. In this case the procedures have to be followed, they were not. Nevertheless the payment was mistaken.
Luckily the creditor has seen that and did the right thing in his opinion. Unfortunately he didn't inform my department till now.
Well, being a little bit angry is showing my responsibility for my job. Hopefully my boss interprets the same way.
One colleague I told about my concerns. The next day she asked me how I felt. Okay, I said, but how are you, how was your holiday I asked.
Holiday, she said, I'm planning again.
Where do you go? I asked.
Israel, she said, hopefully we fly El Al.
A colleague asked if she's Jewish then.
Yes, she said, but don´t tell anybody.
The colleague asked if her mother's too.
Yes, she said, but don´t tell anybody
In my life there are people who told me their secret.
Some of those I don´t remember
Other secrets I understand that it´s my secret as well
This secret is so weird.
It frightens me because is there so much to be scared for that one can't publicly be Jewish?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
US secretary criticizes NATO approach in Afghanistan
The undertitle should be: in a war we'll never win.
US Defense secretary Gates said in the New York Times in this article that NATO forces don't know how to fight the insurgents. The names of the countries who are operating in the south are mentioned. The Netherlands is one of them.
In the Los Angeles Times Gates is quoted
It seems to me that the US defense secretary doesn't know anything about the mission and possibility of the NATO forces being in South Afghanistan.
The Netherlands lost 2 soldiers on January 12 in so called friendly fire.
They were well trained men, but with 20 and 22 years of age they were only kids.
These soldiers were not trained for the Fulda Gap. The LA Times thinks that European NATO forces are trained nowadays to stop a Soviet invasion.
If that's true the countries united in NATO including the USA should blame themselves and should redefine the mission statement.
Maybe Mr. Gates never heard of a Quick Reaction Force, the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the real mission.
Wasn't it the US who don't know itself how to deal with insurgents in Iraq until David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Baghdad who co-wrote the military's new counterinsurgency field manual? And this manual might be implemented in south Afghanistan? Don't they know that you never win a war from insurgents with a hit & run tactic? It's a way of living they're better adapted to compared with us staying in Afghanistan for a 3 months period.
The Netherlands has to get out there immediately, else they face a defeat like Srebrenica in 1995. But instead we extend our mission with 2 years, until the end of 2009.
Hopefully we can say mission accomplished by then.
US Defense secretary Gates said in the New York Times in this article that NATO forces don't know how to fight the insurgents. The names of the countries who are operating in the south are mentioned. The Netherlands is one of them.
In the Los Angeles Times Gates is quoted
It seems to me that the US defense secretary doesn't know anything about the mission and possibility of the NATO forces being in South Afghanistan.
The Netherlands lost 2 soldiers on January 12 in so called friendly fire.
They were well trained men, but with 20 and 22 years of age they were only kids.
These soldiers were not trained for the Fulda Gap. The LA Times thinks that European NATO forces are trained nowadays to stop a Soviet invasion.
If that's true the countries united in NATO including the USA should blame themselves and should redefine the mission statement.
Maybe Mr. Gates never heard of a Quick Reaction Force, the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the real mission.
Wasn't it the US who don't know itself how to deal with insurgents in Iraq until David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Baghdad who co-wrote the military's new counterinsurgency field manual? And this manual might be implemented in south Afghanistan? Don't they know that you never win a war from insurgents with a hit & run tactic? It's a way of living they're better adapted to compared with us staying in Afghanistan for a 3 months period.
The Netherlands has to get out there immediately, else they face a defeat like Srebrenica in 1995. But instead we extend our mission with 2 years, until the end of 2009.
Hopefully we can say mission accomplished by then.
Monday, January 14, 2008
What would you do?
What would you do if you're a suspect in a disappearance.
You live on an island and with 2 friends you meet a girl.
On the beach you get drunk and apparently you seem to be the last person who saw the girl.
You are suspect in a missing case. What would you do?
First of all you got to deny everything.
Secondly you write a book about the missing.
Thirdly you talk in the press about the case.
Fourthly you go to the United States.
Fifthly you present yourself with mother and dad in a talk-show in your homeland.
Sixthly you are questioned by an eager man, he's a guest in the show too, well known in solving murder cases.
Seventh you say that you weren't honest to the police because you didn't know what to do.
Eightly at the end of the talk-show you throw a glass of red wine in the man's face.
Mind that you are only 20 years of age and that you were 17 years old when the case started.
Yes I'm talking about the Natalee Holloway disappearance on Aruba.
If I were Joran van der Sloot, that's the guy I'm talking about, and happily for me I'm not because he's a spoilt young man, I wouldn't do the same except the wine-throwing-part.
You live on an island and with 2 friends you meet a girl.
On the beach you get drunk and apparently you seem to be the last person who saw the girl.
You are suspect in a missing case. What would you do?
First of all you got to deny everything.
Secondly you write a book about the missing.
Thirdly you talk in the press about the case.
Fourthly you go to the United States.
Fifthly you present yourself with mother and dad in a talk-show in your homeland.
Sixthly you are questioned by an eager man, he's a guest in the show too, well known in solving murder cases.
Seventh you say that you weren't honest to the police because you didn't know what to do.
Eightly at the end of the talk-show you throw a glass of red wine in the man's face.
Mind that you are only 20 years of age and that you were 17 years old when the case started.
Yes I'm talking about the Natalee Holloway disappearance on Aruba.
If I were Joran van der Sloot, that's the guy I'm talking about, and happily for me I'm not because he's a spoilt young man, I wouldn't do the same except the wine-throwing-part.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Spielerei, together we can make it work
The Addled writer got an e-mail about this thing where her story "Carrie Pilby's New Year's Resolution" is nominated. It didn't come out in 2007, so she doesn't know how she is eligible, but she's on the list, so take a look and vote...third category down!
I thought why not, let's all vote for the book of Caren Lissner.
I thought why not, let's all vote for the book of Caren Lissner.
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