spain

Por qué conseguiría en este sitio la vez última tan muchos visitantes de España? Viene porque es una crisis económica. Eso aplica más a allí que aquí. El porcentaje del desempleo en España va al 21%. En los Países Bajos el 6% está. El "Spanjaarden" conoce los Países Bajos de los años 50 y de los años 60 del siglo anterior. Por esta razón no es ciertamente extraño que los jobseekers intentan en los Países Bajos. Qué haría si tocaría a parados. Iguales pero entonces en los Estados Unidos de América. Un libro a escribir referente cómo la gente que trabaja en el gobierno piensa referente a su trabajo. El trabajo periodístico. Haría mi trabajo de mi manía. (automatically translated with Bing!)

Why would I get on this site the last time so many visitors from Spain? Does it come because of an economic crisis? That applies more to there than here. The unemployment percentage in Spain goes to the 21%. In the Netherlands it is 6%. The Spanish know the Netherlands of the 1950s and 1960s. For this reason it is certainly not strange that jobseekers try to get a job in the Netherlands.

What I would do if I would touch unemployed? The same but then in the United States of America. A book to write concerning how people who work with/for the government think concerning their work. Journalistic work to do. I would make my work of my hobby.


Waarom zou ik op deze site de laatste tijd zoveel bezoekers uit spanje krijgen?

Komt het omdat het een economische crisis is. Dat geldt meer voor daar dan voor hier. Het werkloosheidspercentage in Spanje gaat naar de 21%. In Nederland is het 6%. De Spanjaarden kennen Nederland van de jaren 50 en 60 van de vorige eeuw. Het is daarom zeker niet vreemd dat werkzoekenden het in Nederland proberen.

Wat zou ik doen als ik werkloos zou raken? Hetzelfde maar dan in de Verenigde Staten van Amerika. Een boek schrijven over hoe mensen die werken bij de overheid denken over hun werk. Journalistiek werk doen. Ik zou van mijn hobby mijn werk maken.

condemn

I wrote some things on the Internet about the crisis in Greece and the politics involved with it. It seems that the Greek politics is like an oligarchy of families, one of them is the Papandreou family.

A minority ruling the Greek nation. Isn't that a huge contrast with the referendum Papandreou wanted to save his ass. democracy had to save olicharchy. Democracy is only meant to be for men with 6 slaves or more. Isn't it all ironic?
The referendum he wanted to use to clear his own internal problems. He wanted the other party to support his plans to keep the Greek into the EU. This operation almost succeeded but Papandreou lost his position. Talks proceed.

Italy is another problem. Yesterday evening Berlusconi almost resigned. Today he almost found a way out to stay for a while. He has made a condition for his resignation.

The financial markets shiver with this kind of news. Economist have no words for this crisis. They are speakless, finally.
This is really almost the implementation of the worst case scenario. And you know what people don´t know, life is going on like yesterday and 2 years before.

The past 3 years nothing happened to solve these inevitable problems with politics in the EU. This decisiveless EU parliament and EU-Government with highly paid EU-officials I condemn strongly.
It's not because what they are, it's because what they do and the system in which they work. Change has to come from within, from the people, from me.
It doesn't come and that is what I condemn too.

damned

Greece, an inspiring country under the Mediterranean sun in the south east of Europe. The islands along the Turkish coastline, the shore on the mainland, Athens and the history since mankind could reason. Where great philosophers had their cradle and where Papandreou shook the EU with his Greek version of Demos Kratos. His box of Pandora.

I thought that he might short sell stocks by proposing something crazy.
We need a great stability pact with more freedom of decision making with the Economic Commissions.
I´m very grieved with the Greek actions of the last days. We need silence and stability on the financial markets.

Eurocrisis

China, Canada and the USA have put pressure on Europe on the IMF summit in New York.
I'm happy with that pressure on and the advice for the delegation of 20 or something! Ministers of Finance got.
Europe is so decisive-less on the crisis with the debt countries in the south.
The European politicians don't decide on the major issues. They postpone the decision how to handle the crisis. In the meantime the crisis on the financial markets deepens.

This is not good for the stability in the world. China, Brazil, India, the USA, Australia, Japan, Indonesia will feel the lack of leadership.
This is the main problem of the EU.

House

Can't hardly believe I am in the process of buying a house.
A house with a garden, 2 bedrooms, a study and a big attic.

I can't hardly believe it. It's a dream. It's also the process of cutting my decision bow I told about in a previous post.
But this is an extreme example. From nothing to something in less than 2 months. Don't think but do it. Buying a house I mean. But I thought it over for eight years.

Maybe not thinking but just doing is the meaning of life.

In one way or another this is another step on the Maslow pyramid.

addition

In my last post I asked the next question;
Why have Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and other countries entered the EU while they weren't ready economically and politically?
This is not important now.
The question is how to get out of that mess.

To translate it to the future, the question is how we can learn from it.
From example Croatia as 28th country entering the EU. Others will follow, like Serbia, Montenegro, Albania. And they all want an equal standard of living. That is poli-economically hard to do.

bankrupt

Will Greece face bankruptcy? Yes they already face it. Whether Greece goes bankrupt that's the question.
History is on Greece's side. So the public opinion will save Greece once again. In the 19th century bank loans saved Greece. Now bank capital might save Greece. Banks have to give Greece voluntary new bank loans.
There is nothing voluntary about it. If they don't, the EU financial crisis will deepen itself. Banks will have less capital, Pension funds can't pay the pensions, states will face shortages. Money will be wasted.
Europe is in crisis for nothing than money and some people who can't handle it.

Why have Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and other countries entered the EU while they weren't ready economically and politically?

Roll over Greece

I used to roll the dice
feel the fear in my enemies
eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
"Now the old king is dead!"
"Long live the king!"

tiger

Years ago we had neighboors raising their children in a strange way. When the children didn't make their homework from school well they had to stand on the staircase, face the stairs and there the children had to stand for some time. How long? No idea. But it was to make the children better, to let them learn and have excellent marks. The parents tried to break the children to make them do things the parents wanted them to do. It's psychological warfare between the parents and children.

For us, Dutchmen it's like being crazy. But in a way it isn't. It's accepted in society. We got a name for it; the church. It has it's derivates which are all based on the same believe in God. Some believes are more strict than others. But when it all comes together they can achieve great results in exploiting people. Churches bring people together and together they can reach something beyond reach for an individual.

With a non Catholic church the Dutch united to free their country from the Spanish Inquisitor.
In the meantime the 17th century started and it became the Golden Century of the Dutch. Only 5 million (a quick estimate) people ruled the waves. We had outposts everywhere in the known world of those days.

How did we do that?
We were reliable when we had to. Traders exist by having customers. The Dutch merchants could deliver products nobody had in Europe.
So unity made us big. (the United East Indies Company) We didn't want the highest quality because quality has it's price. We just had the best price/quality ratio.

Now I'm back in the present world where I see competitiveness and fathers and mothers still wanting the best for their kids.
They tell their kids what to do, what to want and how to pursue the objectives the parents set. For one type of parent the highest isn't good enough. They are called the tiger mother and tiger father. They want their offspring to be the best in the qualities they have. They demand 10's in Europe and the equivalent A's in the US.

Okay, what's up doc? Boring?
Well the American Amy Chua is a tiger mother and she wrote a book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

This is madness if it's being institutionalized.
Yeah, being the best in something you study at University. Only one can be the best. There will be a lot of ugly faces because they didn't make it.
This is not efficient and effective. The price of studying will be higher. Maybe the money driven college will attrack more motivated students but keeps the spirit of creativity away.
In a way the Dutch are moving towards an University where only the best can go to. This is painfull for those who aren't. Being the best costs a lot. I should have had a tiger mother, ha ha.
It pays when you have one.
Are studies available on being raised by a tiger mother? I wonder how the social & emotional component of the study is interpreted.

I think the Chinese concept for raising your kid(s) is functional in a Chinese structure. There are many people with the same skills and knowledge.
The Chinese have as object China. China is aimed at the interior. That means much competition and being outstanding is something to be when you want to climb Maslow's mountain of these days.

The Dutch have to be aimed at the exterior. Through history we have had to be efficient and effective. The last thing we need is a tiger as a parent.

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.

Melancholy

Delicious end year feeling. 3 days even entirely nada, nothing. Some rest and preparation on a spring offensive at my work, Works Council related.

Purely for myself, the result orientated talks with my team-leader, the personal develop plan and talks about it, my own development. Today I want to read Quadriga till the end (F. Springer writes persuading concerning love) and start with skin & hair of the in New York living Dutch writer Arnon Grunberg. Perhaps I tear the book apart. Cauz I'm mean

My end year feeling is not melancholic. I have a positive feeling over 2010, not only by the end year rally in my life this year. (The end year rally of my life must still come.)

By the end of November I did not put myself eligible for a 3 years period in the WC. To much to do and in May 2011 the organisational changes start to penetrate. Then there will be a slide with functions and people. Sadness will temporary appear, like dust behind a moved bookcase.

I'm reading like being crazy, beautiful books, with Freedom of J. Franzen as top of the list, in which almost everything for me personally fell at it's place.

Stock, I did better than the AEX with my portfolio.
How much experience do I have? The years will count, I would say that I am experienced.
But the AEX, it says more to nothing. It is a worthless index. Always has been as a matter of fact. Ha ha, Toon Hermans would say.
But who am I to tell I did better than the National Stock Exchange Index.

E., you have had all my attention since the time we have known each-other. Then I asked you to go along over lunchtime to vote and you said no. I feel great! My respect. (But I still hope to become acquinted with you.)
You have got my vote, unfortunately insufficient.
My love for you says nothing to you, but I know that I can love, thanks for that. It is my feeling and nobody can take that. That feeling I will keep as long as I know your name.
Once again thanks and greets.

And 2011?
It will become a fantastic year if you look for authenticity and believe in it.

Happy 2011

Triumph

Trump might run for president. It wasn't mentioned on the news-channel in my country. Actually it was mentioned as a comic sideline in lay back news show. Nobody knows what it was about cause we don't know much about America. Do we fellow Dutch? Donald Trump might run as a republican candidate for the presidential office. A billionaire focused on money, on the unequal trade balance with China. His only goal is to have the Chinese Yen it's real value. With or without him in the office, there's gonna be a currency war in the end.

Will Trump Triumph?

Al Jazeera

In Al Jazeera Riz Kahn Slavoj Zizek, a Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic, tries to give an answer on the question whether we live in the end times.
It's about the collapse of society and the failure of capitalism.
An interesting view.

wake up-call

In 2008 I cycled to the Mediterranean coast and back. I met a former director who told me his pessimistic view on Europe. The Mediterranean countries like Italy, Greece, Spain might drag the EU-economy down because of their bad bookkeeping.

I realized what he said, the accounting principles in the south are very poor regarded to the German-Dutch principles (Dutch former Finance Minister G. Zalm, had his own rigid and defensive accounting principle) The Anglo-American principles are after the crisis too lush in my opinion

Greece and Portugal are the first countries who can give problems and could damage the EU economy. The Stock Markets are responding to that uncertainty. a 2 days plunge of almost 3%-points a day.

The Euro compared to the US Dollar is falling this time. Export can gain of it. That's good for our exporters.
Some hold on the Euro-value isn't bad of course. 1.5 USD for 1 Euro is much, almost too much.

A lecture

This long video of a lecture of George Soros.
It's about his book "The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crash of 2008 and What It Means" a book I'm currently reading (in Dutch of course, isbn 978-90-254-2951-5)



There is a lot of criticism on Soros and I don't know why. Of course he earned his money in a way many people disgust, but his theory is quite right. It's about fallibility and reflexivity.

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.