Yesterday I was at a party of my mothers friend on behalf of his 65th birthday. In the Netherlands the age of 65 is the start of getting a state pension and employers pension. He still works for a postal services company.
At the party were some people I haven't seen for 15 years! One is 80 now and still eager to know everything what happens. The other is in her seventies and still cycles 5,000 kilometer a year.
In France they had strikes because of the proposal of Sarkouzy to postpone pension with 2 years. Normal pension will start at 63 in the new proposal.
In my newspaper a french woman, Hala Naoum Nehme(Politics, French university) says that according to others France is left oriented. Left because the strike-rate is high due to their conservatism to keep the social rights and their conservatism to the changing outside world.
France is left, according to them because of the French policy of protectionism and the hostile attitude of free trade and free market.
This cannot be left. This is conservatism, communism. France is ruled from Paris like a real centralized communistic country.
According to the woman above isn't true because the world in France changes too. The universities and Grand Écoles change the way the students are prepared for their work in society.
Education is internationalized and the French students come to universities abroad and other way round. That means that on the institutes English and German are also languages in which colleges are given. This makes France more accessible for foreigners. Also French students are obliged to study abroad for 1 year. Amazing.
It's strange that youngsters still are so conservative. Maybe it's a relic for the decades of protests, or did they have a revolution centuries ago that shocked the world?
Nehme concludes that future leaders of France know that the country needs to be reformed. This is in spite of the massive protests in the last weeks.
France got no way to turn back.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Crazy
Today I took a day off. First of all because my central heater had to be cleaned. The appointment was made in the afternoon so I had some time to do things I can't do at work. I wanted to call the last known laborer of the woman I want to get back in touch with.
I haven't seen her for more than 15 years now. I completely lost track of her while I knew her so well. She made me what I am partly. She was kind of mother for me. Call her a friend. 32 Years ago she came into my life and finally 17 later it was over. Due to myself I must say. I sometimes completely get fucked up with myself. If I'm crazy.
I called her former employer and finally spoke an ex colleague who knows the woman I'm looking for. That was emotional. I asked her how Fennie is doing. She hasn't spoken with her for a long time so she didn't know. But she will ask her to contact me. That's all she can do. But I felt happy that Fennie might get in touch. Let's hope for it.
I haven't seen her for more than 15 years now. I completely lost track of her while I knew her so well. She made me what I am partly. She was kind of mother for me. Call her a friend. 32 Years ago she came into my life and finally 17 later it was over. Due to myself I must say. I sometimes completely get fucked up with myself. If I'm crazy.
I called her former employer and finally spoke an ex colleague who knows the woman I'm looking for. That was emotional. I asked her how Fennie is doing. She hasn't spoken with her for a long time so she didn't know. But she will ask her to contact me. That's all she can do. But I felt happy that Fennie might get in touch. Let's hope for it.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
criticism
Arnon Grunberg is a Dutch writer living in New York. He wrote Tirza.
Tirza is also the name of the movie of he Dutch submission for the Academy Awards.
In this movie Johanna Ter Steege plays a role. It happens that the writer fell in love with her years ago but she left his love unanswered. Together they had an agreement to write a series monologues. It was cancelled however. He used the work in a small book and published it. Against the will of Johanna. That's why Johanna is angry.
"In a strange way," Arnon Grunberg said, "the unanswered love is honourable. Even her angriness, after all these years flatters me."
Arnon quoted Primo Levi, an Italian writer. Levi said,"The opposite of love is not hatred but regardless or indifference."
When I look at my own behaviour towards E. I can understand the quote above.
I love her, but it's an one way love. She doesn't. What can I do? Choose the other side of the spectrum of love? I try to marginalize what happened. I avoid her as much as possible. I answer telephone calls as strictly business like she does. It feels a little bit heartaching after 4 months.
The Works Council is going well. We have some discussion about whose task it is to tell our voters, the rank and file, how decisions (WC?) are made and which direction we are going. That means which direction the Director wants to go.
I agree with some accountability, but it's the Director who runs the business, not the WC.
We can only say this and that happened and we support the decision. How it will be executed is up to the Director and her staff.
I wrote an email to my WC-colleagues in which I said this all.
I also wrote an email about the jobs mobility. In a periodical I read that someone got a job from someone else whose job will be vacant because of retirement. They are not on the same department. I know them both but I never read about a vacancy. This rang a bell with me.
I took this case with me to last weeks meeting with the WC and made my point.
It hasn't much to do with the 2 persons concerned but with the whole idea, the concept of what the work of the WC is.
Tirza is also the name of the movie of he Dutch submission for the Academy Awards.
In this movie Johanna Ter Steege plays a role. It happens that the writer fell in love with her years ago but she left his love unanswered. Together they had an agreement to write a series monologues. It was cancelled however. He used the work in a small book and published it. Against the will of Johanna. That's why Johanna is angry.
"In a strange way," Arnon Grunberg said, "the unanswered love is honourable. Even her angriness, after all these years flatters me."
Arnon quoted Primo Levi, an Italian writer. Levi said,"The opposite of love is not hatred but regardless or indifference."
When I look at my own behaviour towards E. I can understand the quote above.
I love her, but it's an one way love. She doesn't. What can I do? Choose the other side of the spectrum of love? I try to marginalize what happened. I avoid her as much as possible. I answer telephone calls as strictly business like she does. It feels a little bit heartaching after 4 months.
The Works Council is going well. We have some discussion about whose task it is to tell our voters, the rank and file, how decisions (WC?) are made and which direction we are going. That means which direction the Director wants to go.
I agree with some accountability, but it's the Director who runs the business, not the WC.
We can only say this and that happened and we support the decision. How it will be executed is up to the Director and her staff.
I wrote an email to my WC-colleagues in which I said this all.
I also wrote an email about the jobs mobility. In a periodical I read that someone got a job from someone else whose job will be vacant because of retirement. They are not on the same department. I know them both but I never read about a vacancy. This rang a bell with me.
I took this case with me to last weeks meeting with the WC and made my point.
It hasn't much to do with the 2 persons concerned but with the whole idea, the concept of what the work of the WC is.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
the 12 headed monster
On the frontrow from the left Uri Rosenthal, Mark Rutte, queen Beatrix, Maxime Verhagen and Ivo Opstelten. The
This row is an example how politics work. The 2 men on the outside did the inquiries in the first stage and the second stage. They got a ministerpost for their work. The man left of the queen won the election. He becomes the new minister president. Right of the queen, the big loser of the election 4 months ago. He waited for his turn and is now vice minister president.
This is really outrageous. Wilders who makes this cabinet possible supports the hidden backroom politics giving jobs to men who made this possible (the outsiders on the row mentioned). The bad thing is the lack of transparancy in the formation proces.
The average age is high ( some say 63) maybe because of the reliability of the men.
There are 3 women, to please the emancipation lobby?
How long will this awkward structure last? I think it won't last it's whole term of 4 years. Some people say 6 months, others say 4 years.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Saturday, October 09, 2010
shakespeare
King Lear, Shakespeare, I know. Difficult? No, in fact it's not. I must say, Cordelia is like E. for me.
I read a book of Fernando Savater. It's a small philosophy about unbelief and doubt
What is not surrounded by uncertainty cannot be true (by Richard Feynman) is a nice saying because it says to ask questions if something is told to be true or the truth. Doubt on everything there is. Doubt on me being here or there. As far as you can know I'm just a ghost writing because know-one ever saw me actually write.
Today is the 70th birthday of John Lennon. Well, if people know your birthday, you must be important. He had some charism to give peace a chance.
I read a book of Fernando Savater. It's a small philosophy about unbelief and doubt
What is not surrounded by uncertainty cannot be true (by Richard Feynman) is a nice saying because it says to ask questions if something is told to be true or the truth. Doubt on everything there is. Doubt on me being here or there. As far as you can know I'm just a ghost writing because know-one ever saw me actually write.
Today is the 70th birthday of John Lennon. Well, if people know your birthday, you must be important. He had some charism to give peace a chance.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
crisis
Referring to the previous 2 posts, the Christian congress was emotional for many people. The minister of foreign affairs was even tearfully in his last speech to persuade the voters to vote yes for the agreement. He was one of the negotiators. It was in his personal interest that there was a huge yes, 68% is not enough to say it´s overwhelming. Something happened on the congress. Their party is still alive. The question is if they can get protest-votes back . The next election in March 2011 will be the next indication. The Christians are in crisis.
Today the weather was fine. Maybe the last day above the 20 degrees C. Again I didn't cycle. My whole hobby is in a crisis. What to do?
Today the weather was fine. Maybe the last day above the 20 degrees C. Again I didn't cycle. My whole hobby is in a crisis. What to do?
Saturday, October 02, 2010
congress
The congress of the Christian party has spoken. 68% in pro coalition with VVD and the party of Wilders.
2 Members of parliament voted against the proposal. They doubt what to do. I can understand these 2 people. When you have certain values than it's problematic to support a cabinet with a party which is against these values.
Next step is what the 2 people who lead the 32% inside the Christian party do.
This country will be divided by the political controversy about Islam.
Wilders talked for an hour in Berlin about his ideas. Ideas? Well only one idea. His party PVV is an one issue party. It's all about Islam. He now compares it with communism and national socialism. Insiders in Wilders' party call even socialism as the evil in politics.
And of course he made his followers in Berlin shiver from his views about the future. He plays his role as a prophet,
2 Members of parliament voted against the proposal. They doubt what to do. I can understand these 2 people. When you have certain values than it's problematic to support a cabinet with a party which is against these values.
Next step is what the 2 people who lead the 32% inside the Christian party do.
This country will be divided by the political controversy about Islam.
Wilders talked for an hour in Berlin about his ideas. Ideas? Well only one idea. His party PVV is an one issue party. It's all about Islam. He now compares it with communism and national socialism. Insiders in Wilders' party call even socialism as the evil in politics.
And of course he made his followers in Berlin shiver from his views about the future. He plays his role as a prophet,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)