About a Dutch girl and the FARC

Suddenly it was news in Colombia (South America). A Dutch girl, Tanja Nijmeijer, is fighting the government, a guerrilla in Colombia. What can I say, is she naive? Maybe she is but after 4 years in the jungle she must be a tough one. Yes, she is partly responsible for the killing of people by FARC and kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt (opposition-leader).
It is sad to watch the media on television and internet, hear about her frustration and living dangerously on the edge and see that her mother went to a FARC camp (she can find it!) to visit her daughter.
Mothers do their utmost to bring their kids in safety. But sometimes it won't work.

If the mother of Tanja can find her then the Colombian national army and police will probably know where Ingrid Betancourt and other kidnapped people are.
When they dismantle the FARC I think it may destabilize Colombia. In the war on drug the US is one of Colombia's best friends. Without FARC this can change quickly. That's certainly no good news for the government.

On my way to Amsterdam

When I came back in my old town I came along this wall. This was last weekend. I took my camera with me on cycle tour which was a day return Utrecht-Amsterdam. Partly I followed the road between the canal and the railway on the video. The return was 102 kilometer by the way.

On my way to Amsterdam I had a lot to think over. At work really a lot is going on. Especially the spreading of rumors about my colleague's and my position leaving the department is something which interest me. But it's true between 3 months and a year I will be doing work in a different way. But which way, that is the question. The management who favours our transfer does mention the pros but doesn't speak about the contras of it. Being on the department means having short lines with the work-floor and having access to (not digitalized) information and people. Files cannot leave the department so for payments I have to be on the department. There is so much to say about it. As we have a new team-leader we first want to inform her about the progress in this transfer.

Today we had a trip with our department. Some kind of team-building without the coming team-leader. (what made the interim manager decide to plan it on his last day in office?) It was a ride with cars and in the meantime we had to do some tests as in a rally like Paris-Dakar. The cars we drove were Citroen 2CV's. Very nostalgic cars, but not really for me. After 10 kilometers I was sick and at the first stop I decided to to back home. I walked 4 k to a train-station and took the train back home. That happened at 2 pm. 10 Hours later I still felt sick.

 Two days ago I had this view from my window.

this week

This week I thought I would work without co-worker. But suddenly he appeared Tuesday at work. He postponed his holiday. At work some thing are going on. A colleague who worked on a temporary basis with us was suddenly fired by her coordinator. This is not done.
Next week my co-worker and I will have talks with the manager of the department where we might work in future. This manager wants to break the ice. I informed the Unions of what will happen and they told me to put everything on paper and to make sure that the works council knows about the alterations.
I will influence the job we're having now.

About this weekend: I'll make a long distance bike tour.
I'll leave at 7 am.
When I come back the weekend will almost be over.
So all of you enjoy your days.

Paris

From above, place de la Bastille, place de la republique, view from a terrace near the Eifel tower and gare du nord

Yes, I've reached Paris and stayed there for an ultra short time of 3.5 hours.

On my way to Paris I've seen a lot, met interesting, nice people and ate good meals and drank lot's of water And I liked it. But Paris, no it's not my city.

Public service: don't go to far

Our social securities are really good here in the Netherlands. Disabled people get their wheelchairs if they need one from the local Public Service (PS) and if applied for. When the chair is stolen they get a new one immediately. It's a need for living for some disabled people. Some disabled people don't depend on a wheelchair, but that's often forgotten.
PS also pays for housing adjustments, such as stairs-, toilet- and kitchen-adjustments. The ownership belongs to the owner/user of the house. When there is damage to the adjustment due to burglary it's an insurance problem. It can't be that the invoice for reparation is for the municipality.

Such an invoice was offered to me with the subject burglary damage. I immediately informed my co-worker of the reason. I think it belongs to the owner/user of the house who should have an insurance. Let him (it's a he) pay for it. It doesn't matter weather he is handicapped, he just an ordinary citizen who should insure himself the way or citizens do. The reaction of the colleague who wanted me to pay the bill was that the client would cause a lot of trouble. Communication seems to be very difficult. It would take him 3 hours to solve the matter. Probably he would go to the local Ombudsman. The simpliest thing to do is paying the bill.

I think it's showing weakness of the PS to walk away for these possible difficulties. Also PS doesn't take it's client serious and you can ask yourself if in similar cases the same procedure will be followed.

Well, this was the last thing at work which made me a little bit angry. 3 Weeks no work.
When I leave for Paris is the question, the weather you see and maybe not only that.

A week to go

One week work lies ahead for me. Than I go on holiday. I made the decision to go to Paris en vélo.

The last experience in France wasn't very good so I got wipe that out. I'll cycle from Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands to Paris. It´ll go through the Ardennes, Along the city of Laon in the north of France, through the forest of Compiègne to the Bastille in Paris.

Also I think to do more by train to go further south.
The weather is a big disappoinment the last weeks. In Great Britain it rained cats and dogs. Here in Holland we have rain every day and often thunder. Not very good for a cycle holiday. Belgium is the same and the north of France is the same.
Hopefully the forecast will show better weather from the 7th of July.

Wednesday 4th of July: happy holiday.

Why should I?

Now it's all clear.. A week ago my colleague was not amused that he spilled coffee because of me. I apologized for that. He didn't apologize for his reaction but only listened what I had to say about how his reaction came over to me. He asked me if I would complain about him. Why should I complain about him?

We made a deal and will get coffee for each other again...

cycle tour

On a cycle tour I shoot this crossing of the nearby river. These 3 minutes feel great. It brings you closer to the esence of life. crossing the river with no stress. On the other side there is life too and the ferryman doesn't ask much for his service.

temperature rise

The severe weather warning this afternoon could be seen on the temperature maps of the National Weatherservice.





































In the center of this picture temperature is rising after a short decline in temperature due to thunderclouds

A day at the office

What a day, for the 1st time this year 31C .... I took a day off on recommendation of my co worker. I had time for cycling and I did. After changing the old brakes for new ones on the bicycle I could fly again after 2 weeks having no racing bike.

Racing 40k/hr on a light bike with small wheels, the shoes are connected via a click-on system with the bike's pedals, wearing a helmet as protection in case of a fall, short and shirt made of ultra light fabric. These statistics make the rider one with the bike. If the bike flies, the rider flies too.
This is what I did at noon and after exactly 1 hour, no second more, I was back home. I did a short trip to try the new prepared bike. A trip of 31.2 kilometer.


I cycled fast, maybe because of yesterday when I had a short clash with a colleague S. I don´t know how I should interprete the (re)action of my colleague S.

It was about coffee. I asked if my co worker wanted coffee. S. answered that he should have one, but he's not my co worker. After numerous times that my co worker and I served coffee for our room (the 2 of us and for 3 other colleagues including S.) I decided to get coffee for my co worker and myself and walked out of the room. S. ran after me, took another route and stood at the coffee machine with a pokerface waiting for another colleague (who didn't know anything what has happened). I asked him if I could get my coffee right after him. He said yes of course. Leaving colleague S. behind me.
S. and I had a short coffee mug fight, clinging with the mugs. S. won, he got his expresso.
I porred him and some coffee was wasted on the floor. Maybe that made S. angry. In his eyes I saw anger and I was astonished as well as anxious. I was in a defense mode. Standing a few metres away from him, he kicked me with his feet. At least he tried and that doesn't feel okay.

BNN's great Donorshow

In Holland people are some what strange sometimes... A lot of commotion is going on concerning a televisionshow. In this show a person who has a short time to live wants to donate a kidney to a person who is on the list to get a donor kidney. The giver can choose out of 3 possible receivers and public can vote for who'll be transplanted.

The public broadcastcorporation who will transmit the show (BNN) also says it is untasteful and disgusting but it's better than the truth.
Too many people don't have a donorcertificate (or donorcodicil as we call it) and say no against giving away vital organs after death.
Also the system of being donor is questionable. If it were an opt-out system more transplants might be possible. Now we have an opt-in system and if people don't have a codicil family will have the final word and that is losing essential time for donation I think.

In the Netherlands we have a shortage of organs to be transplanted. It could be more if the community was informed better and the system worked better.

Maybe the great Donorshow will raise enough publicity to change the system and the attitude of the people....

Overestimation

Sometimes people overestimate themselves. I overestimated myself 2 days ago riding on my bicycle north to visit my mother. I thought it would be an easy trip but the rain in the morning when I left, the wind and lower temperatures than I expected, made my calculation of what I could ride a little bit opportunistic so to say.

I calculated before I left home I would cycle at least 200 kilometer. After 50k I had a stop to have a cup of cappuccino. That was refreshing. After another 50k I crossed the IJssel bridge at Zwolle. That means 80k to go on the shortest route.

As I wanted to go along the house where I was born


I decided the night before to cycle another 20k plus.
I made it to the house, even photographed it and some kilometers further.
Then I had 2 possibilities. Option 1 go to the nearest train station and go by train, or option 2 cycle for at least 30k. I choose the first because I was feeling a little bit cold, I wouldn't make it before 19.00 pm and the tour had to be fun
I made some miscalculations and overestimated myself I think.

Weekend

Between the rain and hail showers I'm looking for the sun.
Likely I go with some of these riders next Sunday for the 80 k.

Sad

I was watching some shark attack video's on Youtube, when my eye caught this..


How sad, and why can this still happen in the civilized world. Animal wellfare: America should have politics on animalrights.

I'm feeling sad about it.

Congrats Ocean

The sun is shining for over a month now. We didn't have any rain for over 1.5 months and temperature is far above long year average this year. It's like Holland moved to the Mediterranean. But after this weekend temperature will drop significantly and it will rain in the homeland of Hans Brinker.



But Bangkok (scientist conference about climate) or not climate change will urge us for some action. To keep the world temperature rise limited to 2 degrees it will cost each person in the world 300 Euro a year. Make that 10 times more for people in Europe, America and Australia. Brazilia, India and China should start with environment "friendly" production of the same responsible product.

Better it is to stop consuming goods endangering the environment; I mean consuming, such as using old Philips-lights instead of energy-saving lights, eating meat from the other side of the world instead of meat of cattle from regional farmers (no meat is even better), driving a car or taking a plane instead of using other much more environment-friendly means of transport.

I know hypocracy rules the world (Bob Dylan). I haven't driven a car for 12 years now and it's comfortable to have the opportunity to drive a car when you need one. That's why I had a medical test last month to exclude the risk of epilepsy while driving a car. I have a driving permission of 5 years now and it feels good.
But mainly I still use my bicycles for everything. 3 Weeks ago my cycle-club an I went to the coast and back: 200 kilometers, 2 weeks ago I went to my mother and cycled back home: 200 kilometers and this week for training 280 kilometers (including riding with the club on Sunday, May 6).

Today, May 5, is the day of celebrating our liberty. It started in 1945 and now this day is really changing to a day of looking to the future. In Utrecht at noon the national liberty day began with a liberty-concert. A well known, everybody-likes- them, middle of the road band had a short concert close to my home.

At 11.30 am I heard and saw an Apache coming from the northwest with bands to act and at 1 pm I saw the same helicopter flying to Amsterdam. It was like Apocalypse now. Flying low I saw the guns pointing at the ground. Men with drums and guitars were shooting music to the ground. I heard a rising sound of the motors which overwhelmed the music and then they disappeared as quickly as they came.
In the local paper I read that the heli pilots served in Afghanistan. Those pilots might have fired some Hellfire missiles to a Taliban depot. It´s just that this contrasts with our liberty day.

I took some freedom not to write for a while. Or may be this isn´t freedom at all. In fact the virusprotection licence has ended and I bought an update which could be installed from CD-ROM. When I tried to install the update it seemed that my CD-ROM and DVD didn´t work.

At work everything is fine. Yesterday a girl who worked temporarily at our office resigned. She and her friend will go to Asia for 5 months for a kind of development-aidproject.
She will visit at the end of May first Iran and will go to Isfahan as a stopover for a week. Thanks to readers of Ocean I know it must be a beautiful place to be....


On a training session after work I had my camera with me. I decided to film this ship on the Lek.