Monday, January 31, 2011

boab

If my name has been written
on the bark of a baobab
My end will be terrifying

They carved their names in the bark of an oak tree
Killroy was here
On the battlefield
in the second World War
They faced an awful death

Sunday, January 30, 2011

China

Who said, "We´re number one. We're number one." ? Certainly not the US. referring to Lori Harfenist her column of January 28 2011.

I saw the women Australian open tennis final on Saturday. A national from tiny Belgium, Kim Clijsters, won the final from Chinese coming tennis hero Li Na.
And yes, they played a great match. Not the tennis from another planet but human tennis.

History shows that China is coming as a tennis nation. Li Na is the first Chinese finalist of a Grand Slam. It became possible just 2 years after the possibility for Chinese tennis players to choose an own coach.

Help, the Chinese are coming?
No way, if they are good and fit in the worldwide system they are more than welcome.
Beside all this, the Chinese is a fresh woman. A new role model.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

News

Woke up this morning with the 9 am radio newsbulletin. The first I heard was that Iran executed Zahra Bahrami. A Dutch national who was born in Iran.
I shiverred and it's not the first time with such bad news from Iran. It's not confirmed yet by the Dutch embassy so there is still hope.

* Execution by hanging has been confirmed and the most exterme Dutch party has said that we should expel the Iranian ambassador.

This is the nightmare every person could find himself in, esspecially with double nationality. The Netherlands warns nationals with also an Iranian nationality not to go to the land of origin.
This is so absurd. I heard that just yesterday there were movements in the juridical field. That possibly triggered her execution by the ones who wanted her dead.
This is a foreign political game. The Netherlands should remain giving shelter to the surpressed in the world. Calling the ambassador back home isn't a wise thing because you have to stay on spreaking terms. Even if the other country has different values.

* update January 31 2011 Bahrami is convicted to have smuggled almost 16 kilograms cocaine into the Netherlands in 2003.

Friday, January 28, 2011

sound bites

All the turmoil in North Africa, what is it good for? Soundbite, it has a melody. Tell me what is it good for?

I always thought it was the goodlife in North Africa. But why did all the people from there come to Europe in the sixties, seventies and eighties?
We had of course, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Ike & Tina Turner, the Ramones, or on way to the disco era.



Of course they came here for the music. We all go where the music is.
We all come to churches where the music is. We come to the popconcerts where the music is.
So now we have to go to North Africa where the music is. But who cancelled our flights to where the music is?
Aren't we allowed by our own Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hear the sound of music in the streets of Tunis and Cairo?

You really should watch this Antwerp flash mob video..... we only need music to be happy.
But it's a shame that a company is behind it. It's not original anymore.

If I have this thought and let it apply on the situation in Egypt, then it isn't really the voice of the people but the voice of the movement behind it. Nevertheless such huge organized protests must have organisers. Hopefully the organisers do what is in the interest of the people of Egypt.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

N-word

Es gibt größere Probleme wie das Amerikänischen N-wort.
Nevertheless I want to express my opinion.



"..... but names will never harm." This is right.. but the man in the street says also it depends on the way you say it. The N-word in HF is functional and removing it means censorship... So wrong.... Maybe in the USA people might sue the publisher..
To censor yourself is an act of good taste. (or it can cost you a lot of money)
Look at Sarah Palins deathlist that should be illegal and be censored!

Did I hear a lady say "that's how the Dutch think."
Holland is a small nation and we always try to find common sense. But the freedom of speech and expression is one of the basic principles in the Dutch constitution.
The Court will judge if it is in violation of a (higher) law.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

reshuffle

Two weeks ago the Works Council received a report. It's rubbish I told the Works Council in a mail.

At last Monday's meeting I heard the chairman saying that the report has to be reshuffled. She said it has to be changed because it didn't meet her standards.

It was so sexy to hear that from her. I keep it in my head; to be reshuffled. Wall Street shuffle. The world shuffles every now and then.
So why can't we. I'm still rehearsing.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

7 trillion



All the lonely people.

Monday, January 24, 2011

the rat

We don't see each other but we communicate, not much but still we do. Sometimes we hear from each other by a message, a note, an email, rumors. Then suddenly we meet in the underground parking garage where I stall my bike and where you lend a bike.
Like rats we meet when you wanted to go in to bring back the bike. I opened the door and there you stood.
"how are you?"
"fine, how are you?"
Like social rats we talked about the rumors. Things which will going to happen with the implementation of the Organizational Plan, the possibilities the Organizational Plan gives, the opportunities of it.

Sometimes it gives a good feeling to be a rat down in the basement of the building. It feels good.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Money

Lori Harfenist has an open authentic style of asking questions, great. She is so vivid.

Do you know where my money is? On Wall Street.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

weekend

The Saturday was good. I read my books and did other reading stuff.

In the portal some one is going to do some jobs in the newly bought house. So it could be a little bit noisy was stated on a letter I found yesterday in the postbox. Everything is still quiet in my portal. So far so good.

Finally some one who is specific about the times the work will be done. On labour days, some times on a Saturday.

This is better than the last new neighbors who didn't tell anything.
I didn't tell nothing either when I moved to this house. My neighbor made her complaint about it. It looks such a long time ago.

I have put a link on the blogs I read The Resident

Thursday, January 20, 2011

sleep

Tonight I go to bed early. I long for a long night.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

contrast

A long time ago there was a house in a man made forest. I was afraid of the house. In the house lived a family. That family had 2 lovely daughters. The path leading to the house started at the public road. At the junction of the path and the public road there was a farmhouse.

After the divorce of my parents I went to that farmhouse. I learned something about farm life, country life. I learned the language of my parents. I learned something from the bible, being in a church, going to school on a Sunday. I learned how it feels to be the best in class. I learned how not to make love to a lovely girl in a cornfield. I learned the difference between life and death. I learned the difference between snowfall and a blizzard. I learned about the danger of a storm.
I killed fish and nurtured calves. I chased birds to be shot by hunters. I stole bird eggs from nesting birds. I learned how to ride an unsaddled horse.

That year I've had no fear while my parents had a fight. While my lil sis and lil bro lived in the house we used to live in as a family. This continued for more than a year. That year I felt that I lost family life. And I wept about it, silently.
That year was also the most fantastic year in my life in which I don´t want to play a part in again.

Back to the house in the man made woods there once lived my great grandmother. I didn´t know that history in those days. It was a year of the contrasts, the good and bad side.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Monday

Yesterday seemed to be the Blue Monday of 2011. I heard it on my work.
A colleague said it to our teamleader.... when I heard the 2 words I told them that every Monday is a blue one to me.

Monday 17 January I had a great WC meeting. We discussed questions we have for the Management Team concerning the reorganisation and the meeting with the director. In fact the reorganization is fantastic for personel, everything will be heavenly arranged if it goes as it should go.

120 employees worked on the plan. That is almost 20% of the total population of my department. Here management has a pro because they created a huge supporting area. That is the basis of every reorganisation, at least it should be. But from business life I know that 60 to 85% of mergers don't succeed. Why should reorganizations in a department of a Municipality be very different?

From my point of view as an employee I welcome the reorganization. Everything will be difficult but it opens many windows of opportunities.
For example the posibility to grow personally. The organisation has come to an halt because growth is blocked.

I was at the office till 5.30 pm. If I don't have a positive work attitude ..... Do I invest in growth?

Monday, January 17, 2011

Flat

Suddenly I knew it. The title of the book. The world is flat by Thomas Friedman. A book about a positive possible reality about globalization in the near future if I may believe what I read. That book I wanted to buy as a present for E.? Think.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

fairy tales

Sometimes I got the feeling I´m living in another dimension, in a parallel world. For example when I walk through the city to buy another book I feel euphoric. In the bookstore I got time and feel relaxed to find the book which I didn´t find. (a present for E.) It´s no problem I also wanted to read a book (the prey) about the downfall of ABNAMRO bank. I was very angry about these stupidities of some people in top levels of the predator (several banks) as well as prey. Those people believed in fairy tales. How to get rich in an instance.

Laura Jansen is a fairy tale too... I thought she was British... but is authentic Dutch.



And Urban Dance Squad could have been the older brother of Rage Against The Machine.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

running

My sport was running, mother of all sports. After an injury I changed my sport to cycling. Try to be fast and /or cycle large distances. Until September 2010, I lost the appetite to cycle. Since the ninth month I didn't sport and that I feel. I tried several times to run again. I need to sport. A colleague of me asked me to run with her. She ran the Sylvester run together with another colleague whom I helped to finish below the 4 hours on the Marathon a few years ago.

She was persistent and also asked me to run when I told her that I always run to fast. She told me I should run with her when I should slow down. She doesn't run fast.
Last weekend had high temperatures and made it good to run. Unfortunately I didn't take the chance. This weekend the same. But today I ran, not fast, but that's not important. Hopefully I can run tomorrow. Her persistence in the back of my mind helps.

Friday, January 14, 2011

lot

My day was okay. I had a lot of work to do.
At 8.30 am I was at the office. We had a rush-hour because of the accounting figures we had to deliver. And as always is the fact in the late hours something has to be adjusted.
After that I could return to my normal work and made some progress with that.
I made some calls with colleagues, read and wrote a few emails to the Works Council. C'est inderdit pour moi But the work was interesting.
Next Monday we have a meeting with the WC. We'll shake things up hopefully.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

music

It is said that music makes people happy. Listening to music is a good way to get through the dark and gloomy days after New Year's Day. Work is also a help to get through the day.



Kill Bill II Bang bang


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

document

What would would be like when everybody has his own ego document?

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Informing

I have an opinion about informing people.
If you inform people about something that's going to change some one's personal situation you do it personally.

Management must think that it wasn't the case for them.
Thursday/Friday we all could read the Organisational plan on the Intranet. Including the plans which have huge effect on some people... to put it bluntly, your present job will be no longer there in the new organisation.
Then the employer should tell what their obligations are. He has a lot of them.
But it wasn't that way. It was just a message on the intranet.

I wrote 2 emails to the Works Council colleagues. I telephoned with 1 colleague whose job is in the danger zone. On my department I spoke with a colleague who visited the gathering about the plans. He is positive and sees chances for the present employees.
I must admit that.

If I was real cynical, I should say it's a survival of the fittest, natural selection. A Darwinian, sociological and psychological experiment.

Monday, January 10, 2011

World

Freedom is great, but what is freedom?

In this blog the writer says the right thing concerning Mrs Simple Palin.

She has the right to take a stand. She has the right to target members of congress like they are animals which should be decimated.
Does she have the integrity and Christian moral (love your enemy...) not to do that?

America has double moral standard. Murdering abortion doctors is OK. Gun smoke is okay to get rid of your enemy. Born to kill. Death row is OK. 19 Years in prison for help in a street robbery. 30 Years locked up behind bars is OK even if you are not guilty.

For conservative America believing in the God of love apparently everything is allowed.

There might be a screw loose in the United States. The world needs conservative Joe the Plumber to repair. Well, you know, the conservatives are reigning in Europe. Europe could help a hand.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Utrecht

Utrecht wants to become a beautiful city. It is already with the gorgeous old city.
Utrecht wants to become a more attractive city of over 300,000 inhabitants. Therefor the city invests in public transport to the train station, a better Public Transport Terminal, also integrated with the town hall (ready in 2014) which will be situated nearby. Traffic will be underground concerning a by cars crowded square. That place will be an oasis for people living on the east side of Lombok, an old neighborhood. It will be a pleasure to walk to the city.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Spring

Saturday 10.00 AM cup of coffee and read some pages concerning the Works Council.

11.00 AM I read some pages while the washing machine turned the laundry around in the water. I only have to read the organisational plan again.
There is also a formation plan which says which function are disputable. Management is discussing if functions can be done by external parties. They should also communicate with the people involved.
I know of 2 colleagues whose jobs are in the danger zone. Of a third person I know that she is an external flex worker. Also her job might be on the danger list. But the exact organisation is not clear. 2 Team Leader will have a secretary to support them?

Noon, the wind blows, some rain showers, high temperatures (11 C) instead of the low temperatures (-2 C) of last weeks.
I go to my grocery.

14.30 PM I've read the newspaper and watched some ice speed skating.
The door in the lee of the house is ajar. Fresh air fills the space.

16.00 PM I read again in skin and hair, cleaned my fridge and went to the groceries again. I think I like the word groceries, grocery store.

Walking to the shopping centre I saw blue lights of a police car. I saw the car blocking a TNT post box. When returning home I saw a policeman talking with a shop owner. When I went home I saw a police helicopter circling in the air above the centre of the neighborhood. On the Internet I read that the shop was robbed by someone with a gun. Doesn´t happen often here and that on broad daylight. On this site a picture.

20.00 dinner and television. Still got to read some more and write this down.

Friday, January 07, 2011

bored

This reaction I read on grunberg.com. Actually it's mine.
ha ha, who wants to be a bore... boredom cost to many lives in history. Wasn't WWII started with a bored Deutchland?
If a Genocide triggers the economy of those who commit a Genocide then the solution is there where the boredom is.

But without taking risks nobody flies like a bird.
The loser will have to take a risk to fly.
Eventually the bored loser will be smart enough to stay in the air.

It's about the idea how a Genocide helps the economy of those who commit the Genocide. They gain the most from it.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

smile



Plenty of smiles a day keeps the doctor away.

At work the plans of management were made public. What will happen from May 2011 is that the team leaders have to apply for their job. The excess of labour supply will be phased out on a natural way for the time being.
The goal is that in 2014 there will be 30% less employees. The municipality is forced to expense cutting in for instance subsidising integration and language schools.
The main cutting will be on it's own employees. That is the easiest part but probably the citizen will feel the colder wind too.

It's funny but in 2014 there will be a mega building for the employees of the whole municipality. It costs hundreds of millions of Euro. I smile about this. It's gonna be great. Smile........

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

sacrifice

Faust sold his soul to the devil. He did his utmost to be immortal.
In words of these times;
How far do you go developing yourself? Which sacrifices are you prepared to bring?

Talking about these times. Yesterday evening I got a phone call from the broadcast corp. I supported once. They could offer me a 26 weeks subscription and a trolley for only € 9,=. I said no to this offer and I motivated this with the words that the programs they broadcast are good but that the system is wrong. Times are changing. Everything must be more efficient and effective, therefor all the public broadcast corporations should unite in a BBC-like, commercial free, corporation.

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

hate

Unfortunately some people think that the reverse of love is hate… ha ha dream on.
Primo Levi said "The reverse of love is not hate, but nonchalance. "
It therefore will be possible that something you hate, you also might love… A hate-love affair?
If you are ended up in a hate-love affair, you're almost in an impossible position which could damage your personal integrity. If that is the fact, you have a problem. Then it is time to talk.

Haus am See - House at the lake - nameless lake, Freedom