blue monday

What shall I talk about?

About the elections?

We have elections in Holland for the Senate on June 9th 2010. That is a difficult election because the world is changing, we are changing and we have to change the system with us. However the political parties stick with their traditional opinion.

- The ultra left wing says the cake will be divided equally.. the communist principle.
- The progressive left wing is leaning over to the ultra left wing.... mainstream, economically risky
- The liberal left wing is a little bit tricky, wants to reform to much to quick
- The green left wing is progressive and anxious to govern the country together with progressive right and liberal left.
- The progressive right wing wants to change the economy and make it lean again by restructuring the deficit over the heads of working class and middle class, Governmental spending, social benefits and education.
- The conservative right wing is loosing votes to progressive right wing.
- The ultra right wing is loosing votes to the progressive right wing.

So what to vote for? Liberal left? That party didn't keep it's promise not to govern with conservative right in 2003. There they lost my vote.

About the words -I love you-?

Since she stepped into my live 16 months ago at work she's the girl. The first words I said had something to do with her eyes. She impressed me. The first discussion was about politics. Progressive left is making a mess she said. Then she became furious about the mistakes they made in the Cabinet. I like that, a girl with an opinion, a real opinion based on values. and certainly she has values, style and class.
In the first months we hardly had anything to do with each other. But my co worker became ill and then we contacted each other more often. She complimented me that I had grown in my job and she was barely working 5 months in the office. Why? I don't know but it certainly felt good.
One moment I needed autographs for candidacy for the Works Council. Her expression when I asked her was fantastic.
And now I'm nicknamed Jan Crow by her because of the crow incident.

What a fantastic woman, lady.
Of course I compared her to another important woman. But that is not fair, she might equal and then jump over her.

Today I called her co worker because I wanted to know something. But she answered the phone and said my name. Before I knew it I asked her if she would gonna vote in the church on the other side of the street where I work. I asked her if we could go together.

She asked why. Before I knew it I said because I love you.
The instant reaction from her was that she did not expect that, than a fraction of a second later she said I don´t. She did not say the rest of the sentence. She said again that she did not expect that and that it was brave to say.
Don't make it your problem I said, it's mine. It takes her less than 5 minutes seconds she said. She's amazing.

What´s next?

Great song

Alicia Keys - lyricks "Empire State Of Mind"

Oooh oooh, New York (2x)

Grew up in a town,
That is famous as a place of movie scenes
Noise is always loud
There are sirenes all around
And the streets are mean
If I could make it here
I could make it anywhere
That’s what they say
Seeing my face in lights
Or my name in marquees found down Broadway

Even if it ain’t all it seems
I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I’m from

Chorus
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York

On the avenue, there ain’t never a curfew
Ladies work so hard
Such a melting pot on the corner selling rock
Preachers pray to God
Hail a gypsy cab
Takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn Bridge
Someone sleeps tonight with a hunger
For more than from an empty fridge

I’m going to make it by any means
I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I’m from

Chorus
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York

Chorus
One hand in the air for the big city
Street lights, big dreams, all looking pretty
No place in the world that can compared
Put your lighters in the air
Everybody say yeah, yeah yeah

Chorus
New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothing you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York

This song makes you feel good, gives you strenght, especially living in the big apple. It gives the strenght Frank Sinatra gave with his New York.

I first saw next video and thought whow, overwhelming.

Energy

When I look out of my kitchen window I can ships sail by with containers as a cargo. Often I see LNG-ships or ships with scrap-metal sailing by.
When I see the bulk ships with coals I must think of the coal driven energy plants and the pollution, the climate change goals, the disastrous Copenhagen 2009 Climate conference, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, and so on.

Countries can't reach agreements on climate change for various reasons but people can. A little less meat, air miles, less energy by using saving lights or Led lights, lower temperature in house, not spilling food and so on.
It saves not only money but also the environment for you and your children.

For example, when I was a kid in 1978 I always played in the field and on the canal.
We made a raft of wood and cans for herbicides farmers left behind. There was a lot of negligence in society, even 32 years ago. In the eighties of last century the awareness grew that the environment could be polluted.

But still if companies can do something in favour of the environment it still isn't done automatically.
What about energy used by ordinary people like you and me? Companies deliver the energy no matter where it comes from (coal or nuclear plants, wind or water energy, it's all the same power) This energy is grey.

But if you really want you can make your part green.
So I changed my contract with my energy supplier. The energy I use from now on is guaranteed green. So I'm a little bit greener from this day.

oil leak may 2010

1500 meter under the surface of the sea. Does humanity learn from it? Did humanity learn from Exxon Valdez?

crow

Last year I spoke to someone about everyday problems.
Last week I had a test about my problems with irritations, stimulants. Today I had another test which took 6 hours. So I had to be a bit relaxed.

I took some time to get on the location. When I (bi)cycled to the appointment I suddenly felt a strike against my head. First I looked beside me, nobody to see. Then I heard a bird. I saw a crow flying behind me, attacking me. I tried to hit. it. The animal avoided me. It flew away while I covered my aching head.
The incident kept me busy for another hour.

On my way back home the same bird on the same spot tried to attack me again. I saw him and could scare him off.

Alfred Hitchcock used more birds to scare a villagepopulation... but this bird scared me more than any bird I ever met. It was only a crow.

Update

An update of what's happening. It's going fast right now.
Last week I was working in one building on a good spot between people I know a few years. (some 8 years!) Now I am on another department doing my job between other people. I don't really have to work with them to do my work, but as it is like it is you might be opportunistic and use the situation to improve the organization.

My co-worker who'll be transferred with me is ill momentarily which gives a little bit pressure on me because some work has to be postponed.

The other thing is the Works Council. It's going great. My colleagues and I wrote a advice in concept for the Council members to criticise. This week it will be offered as a advice to the Management Team. (they don't know but I wrote it in one evening watching a football game)

The new workplace is in another building and breaths a different more business like atmosphere.
Still I/we have a lot to do to work as effective as we could work in the past. But the way to my previous department is longer and there are some obstacles which make it not easy to work.

transition

The work council, in which I am part too, has finally decided to transfer 2 financial employees to another department (I'm one of the employees) as part of a larger organisation-plan concerning my department. So I decided about my own faith (I say smiling).
The other members of the council wanted the financial part of the plan to be an integrated part of the council advice on the organisation-plan.

But in the last meeting we (management and council) had in which I could bring up my point of view the head of the HRM supported my point. It felt good when on the next day I was informed by the manager of my team leader that the decision was carried out immediately.

At the end of this month, early May, my colleague and I will be working on a different department. I will keep the council work. In June we have to visit several places were the municipality is active to inform the employees working there. I have to do 3 sports centres/swimming pools.

Dallas

Paris, Texas. It's a movie. Do you know that Paris is situated in Texas?
I saw the movie of Wim Wenders and was touched by the emptyness of the landscape, the emptyness of people and as a paradox the elasticy of people's minds.

Today, last night, Dallas, Texas, John Forsythe died. Okay, he was 92.

Demagogue

June 9 we gonna vote for a new Parliament. Indirectly we vote for a new cabinet.
It's not sure that the biggest party will play the main role in politics.
Maybe 3 or 4 parties can form a coalition which the biggest party can't.

This happened in Almere a city close to Amsterdam on the on the other side of the lake. 20% Of the people there chose for the Party of Wilders (PVV). But the parties didn't agree with the demands of the PVV. Demands like a headscarf ban, a ban on Islamic mosques, thugs in the streets to make it safer in Almere, and so forth.
The extreme ideas makes the other parties to find other coalition forms.


I agree with the chairman of Dutch entrepreneurs that the party of Wilders (possibly) damages the name Holland has abroad.
I don't know what foreigners think of Holland, as a trade nation we are wanted. We are a large exporter in Europe, $ 45.5 billion is our net income (export-import). Germany earns more but has a bigger economy.
So we are an export driven country. We need good relations abroad. This is not the way to keep it that way.
Wilders likes Israel. But I think he didn't watch Paradise now of Hany abu-Assad a movie about the bad situation of the Palestinians in Nablus.

It's a shame that so many people will vote Wilders because it shows that the other parties don't offer solutions to the problems.
The funny thing is that people vote for Wilders because of the demands he has about safety, foreigners, unemployment, taxes, Governmental spending, and so forth but they don't have any problems with those arguments.

The rhetoric ability of Wilders make us afraid for the future, makes people afraid for people who believe in a God called Allah. Wilders has the ability to pinpoint the political debate on a single item, Islam fascism. All this makes Wilders a demagogue.

Hopefully on June 9 2010 we are keen enough to stop the false prophet polluting our minds. Of course it can be stopped by make our mind work and critize W, the demagogue.

transition

On Friday February 19 the Dutch cabinet fell about an argument over the Dutch presence in Afghanistan. The Dutch approach will be no longer effective from August 2010. The 3 parties in the cabinet agreed upon it. Maybe other countries will have the knowledge to do our task.

The cabinet of ministers was formed in 2006 and it decided that troops in Afghanistan would pulled out of A. at December 2010 at the latest. In those days the parties had a majority in the House of Parliament. But now their support is less.

Half February the question rose what to do with the Dutch presence in A. There was an agreement between the parties, but their attitudes changed over the years in between. Labour wanted to go, the Christians wanted to stay and the confessional party didn't have an opinion.
Party leader and vice Minister-President of the Labour party Wouter Bos kept his back straight to keep the other parties to their agreement. In a previous election he was blamed he was a leader with ants in his pants, someone who can't be trusted, a liar.

At the regional election on March 3 the governing parties lost a lot of support.

Maybe that is the reason why Bos stand by the agreement between the parties.

Bos could go so far maybe because he knew that he had a successor namely the major of Amsterdam. Job Cohen could do a fine job for this country. He has the ability to keep people together.

The National elections on June 9 will give an answer on the difficulties politics finds itself.

workload

The works council is doing it's work and I'm doing my work in it. Can't say is a piece of cake. It's a kind of counseling employees what they think of the management plans. It differs. The workload is mostly too high. The consequence is that the illness rate increased and possibly that made some people decide to go for another job.
In the councils advice to the director shouldn't that be neglected. That's our point we should make. Make less stress with more people. Kill the workload by making more fun.

I think the plan can continue keeping an eye on workload, stress, illnesses, and so forth.

calm down

It's a snow ball fight....detective Bailer... one arrest? that's personal revenge. You shouldn't have done that detective Bailer, you're a bad, really bad cop.

Ice speedskating

The first goldmedal in Vancouver.

DVD

Well weekend is almost over. Saturday I saw Kill Bill volume 1 on DVD and vol. 2 at BBC. It was broadcast on the same day I bought volume 1. The man in the store said to me "you better buy volume 2 too. Don't you wanna know the end?"
"Yes, of course" I said "but 110 minutes is quite a long sit. Next week the other part."
At midnight it happened when I quickly watched BBC (the English BBC), Kill Bill vol 2 was on. These kind of coincidences happen often in my life.

I could have stick to my plan and watch part 2 next week.
The reason that I watch part 2 is also the fact that I neighbor's downstairs were loudly partying and celebrating. I could have gone for a walk. It would be a very late and long walk because between 8 pm and 1 am the noise came through the floor.

13 Years ago I wrote a story. I found it back on a 3.5 disc and made a nice Word-document of it. Today I opened a blog to publish it on the Internet. It's about a young man who had an accident. In hospital it appears that his parents were taken hostage by people from another province in my country. It's a kind of uprise among the farmers and civil population againt Government because of public expense cuts.
After fifty pages it's all a dream, a nightmare, when he wakes up. Time stood still.

What's happening in the EU is reality and those countries have to cut public spending drastically. Maybe IMF has to help the countries affected out of their problems. It makes clear that the European Central Bank is powerless. The reason why the new memberstates could enter the EU were political that´s why IMF has to monitor those countries till they´re sound and save again.

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.