February 9, 2007
Good-bye Anna
How is it possible that Anna Nicole Smith is dead? She seemed like such a nice and beautiful person, but in the end things did not turn out as one would have expected. A real bummer.
Gone for nothing and never to return...
Posted at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 19, 2007
Survived again
"Gale force winds and heavy downpours hammered northern Europe, killing 27 people and disrupting travel for tens of thousands..."
For awhile there it was pretty hairy driving home on my own feeling the wind trying to sweep my car off the road, the endless row of bending trees to my right threatening to snap off like toothpicks right at the moment I find myself underneath one.
Posted at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 9, 2006
Degrees C
Right now there is moderate rain in Rotterdam at 8 degrees C, few clouds in Los Angeles at 19 degrees C, and overcast in Annapolis at 1 degree C, believe it or not. What a difference depending on where you are and when.
Posted at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 11, 2006
Forget and forgive
Five years on and I would rather not remember this awful day.
Time goes on.
Posted at 8:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 3, 2006
When others die
No one likes it when others die. But that is pretty much what is happening all over the world right now. The worst possible situation is having to die a violent death because of some unnecessary war or because of some rash act of terrorism or whatever. For some reason, we are becoming numbed and seem to accept things for the way they are. Like this is what was always meant to happen which is alright as long as it doesn't affect me and I can continue my own life without dying all of a sudden.
Posted at 5:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 11, 2006
Escaping justice the hard way
CNN Breaking News ...
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has died in The Hague.
Too bad.
Posted at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 1, 2006
Happy new year
Hey, have a really great, fun and relaxing two thousand and six!
Rumor has it that this time around at least many interesting and challenging events are bound to come our way.
So go for it.
Posted at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 11, 2005
A serious life
Lately it seems that too many great people are dying at an early age.
In order to become great, one must push the unnatural borders way beyond the limits, and though much is accomplished and fame is attained, the average life expectancy is decreased somewhat.
Doesn't seem fair, only sixty-five years old.
Good-bye Richard Pryor, we are going to miss you.
Posted at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 29, 2005
A dog named Kyffin
There are very few achievements in life more honorable than having a dog named after you, well kind of that is.
Just the other day, I received an email from someone who had been researching Welsh words and names and came across one of my relevant web pages.
It turns out that this kind person is going to be getting a Welsh Pembroke Corgi puppy, and she has chosen to name it Kyffin.
Thanks alot Cecelia. I feel very honored that you have chosen this name for your puppy, and I feel confident that he will grow up to be a fine pet of whom you can be proud and also with whom you will have much fun.
Posted at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 16, 2005
Nothing to complain about
When I arrived home, that is when I discovered that my wallet had disappeared. Somewhere between getting on the tram in Amsterdam and getting off the train in Gouda, a clever pickpocket had robbed me without me even noticing it.
That evening the news showed scenes of devastation caused by the earthquake in Pakistan, the death toll having reached eighty-thousand.
My dismay is merely a small droplet in the massive ocean of human suffering. So what do I have to complain about?
Posted at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 11, 2005
Forty-eight
Few people can deny that forty-eight is a nice round number.
Multiply it by two and you get a good approximation of my life expectancy.
Divide it in half and you get the age I truly feel like still.
Posted at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 26, 2005
Welcome to Kiffin
This is kind of weird.
Posted at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 19, 2005
Nothing to eat
"Hello sir," or "madam" if it was a woman, "I am a homeless person, I am HIV-seropositive, I have nothing to eat, can you please part with some small change for a needy person?"
This poor soul was wandering down the platform, passing each and everyone one of the waiting train passengers, holding out his hand and repeating the phrase above, over and over again. The phrase was repeated identically and verbatim (except for a sir or a madam stuck in there), fired off rapidly from one potential giving face to the next hopeful source of all-forgiving money.
His face was emaciated and filled with protruding pimples, he was as skinny as a skeleton, he was wearing these pyjama party pants that drooped from his hips, and his deep-set eyes were like pinpoints staring into another mirror repeating the memorized phrase over and over again.
He zeroed in on me and stood right in front of me, although I kept gazing downwards, pretending I was absorbed in my novel. I just shook my head and lied to him that I was sorry but I did not have any change on me.
He gave up pretty quickly, and then he approached the next person and then the next. What surprised me was that the following five or more waiting passsengers all listened patiently until the very end of his speech, nodded their heads, reached into their purses and gave him some change.
So you had me the greedy and uncaring person and then you had the rest of the world so kind and forgiving to humanity.
Of course, that made me feel guilty. Who did I think I was casting this poor soul away and perhaps even letting him die in the end? I could be responsible for any other fellow human-being and not even realize it.
"Hello madam, I am a homeless person, I ..."
Posted at 9:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
July 7, 2005
Just like that
Those lousy terrorists set off a bunch of bombs again, this time in London.
In the middle of rush hour and alot of people killed and maimed. London is only a little over two hundred miles from here, so I guess you could consider it a near miss.
I sure hope that I don't get blown up while traveling by train or standing like a bunch of sardines in the over-crowded tram.
When you think about it, you are merely a sitting duck and anyone can just randomly take aim and then roll the dice to decide your fate.
One second you are there and then you are gone, just like that.
Posted at 8:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 8, 2005
Out of the blue
Why is it that when a total stranger starts talking to you out of the blue in a friendly manner, that your first thought is "who is this guy and what does he want?"
This innate feeling of insecurity more than likely comes from the old instincts where unfamiliar situations, especially those arising unexpectantly, meant an attack or some other kind of infringement threatening ones survival.
Watch out or else...
Now by nature we have been trained by society to be untrusting of strangers, especially those seemingly "unnaturally nice" ones.
The old instincts combined with the newer one's sure make life more complicated than it was meant to be.
Posted at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 6, 2005
Such generosity
This international effort is really great where people around the world unite and are donating so many millions of dollars for those poor victims of the awful tsunami.
It is only a bit of a shame that such a devastating disaster first has to take place before such generosity is triggered.
Maybe it will make us feel more thankful and forgiving and helpful to each other in the future.
I sure hope so.
Posted at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
August 13, 2004
Good-bye Julia
Julia Child has died at the ripe old age of ninety-one.
We will all miss you.
Posted at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
June 30, 2004
No time to write
Sorry but have no time to write this evening. Big game between Holland and Portugal. The semi-finals for the European Soccer Championship. At the break it's 0-1 darn it. Gotta go.
Posted at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
June 14, 2004
For witch it stands
I happened to read on the CNN.com web site that "the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that a California atheist could not challenge the words 'one nation under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance..."
The Dutch folks here look pretty amazed and puzzled when I tell them that when I grew up in America, every morning before classes started we all had to stand at attention, cross our hearts and recite the following now famous, patriotic pledge:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Every single morning, five days a week, the whole year round. A proud and patriotic voice would echo over the PR system, grabbing our attention by saying: "please stand now for the pledge of allegiance." Being chosen to make this announcement over the intercom was certainly an honor and a privilege, something to feel jealous about -- if only I had been chosen.
Like we are being brainwashed (which is kind of true when you think about it logically).
When I was little, somewhere around the first or second grade, I did not understand anything at all what it meant, this so-called pledge of allegiance. In fact, I remember being quite confused about the word "which" being in there for some strange reason. Didn't make sense at all. So afterwards, I quietly went to the front of the class and asked the teacher what that "witch" was doing in there. Why would a wicked witch with an ugly wart on her nose be in the pledge of allegiance?
I completely forget what her answer was.
Posted at 9:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
May 27, 2004
Nuclear crash
Just imagine what would happen if a jetliner crashed into a nuclear power plant because of some maniac terrorist who thought that he was dying for an honorable cause. Thousands if not millions of poor unexpecting souls would be gone just like that.
Posted at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 26, 2004
High risks
According to a recent ABC announcement:
Officials say there is disturbing yet unspecific intelligence that al Qaeda cells within the U.S. plan an attack this summer. The national alert level remains at "elevated."
These warnings pop up so frequently that we easily become numbed by the reality (or should I say unreality?) of the potential threats.
Posted at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
May 11, 2004
Dutch soldier killed
Today the first Dutch soldier was killed in Iraq.
Some terrorist threw a grenade at a convoy while it was crossing a bridge. This is a terrible shock for The Netherlands, but for some reason the majority of the people still support the military presence there.
When compared to the hundreds of American soldiers killed since the so-called end of hostilities ("Mission accomplished!" according to president Bush on that aircraft carrier), this may not seem like much, but for the family in friends in the small Friesen village of Franeker it will probably be the biggest sacrifice of their lives.
It is all relative when you think about it.
Posted at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 3, 2004
Nothing is happening
Now that I am commuting five days a week by train to my work in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost, you can imagine that I feel slightly uncomfortable with the idea that there are terrorists out there looking for so-called soft targets to bomb.
Look at the two hundred or so innocent train commuters in Madrid who got killed by a number of synchronized explosions planned for maximum damage.
My nervousness is increased by the fact that the terrorists have made known that they will be seeking revenge for those countries who publicly supported the invasion of Iraq, namely England and the Netherlands, in addition to Spain.
This is a crazy world we live in, and the best I can do is to continue like nothing is happening, living and enjoying each day as it arrives.
Just in case.
Posted at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
February 11, 2004
What it's like
A split second after the thorn-shaped metal object embedded itself into his side, a larger mass of twisted something took off his left leg just below his knee-cap.
Before he had time to realize what was happening, a slab of jagged concrete smashed into his forehead and killed him instantly.
So that was what it was like to get killed in a bomb blast. Too bad he wasn't paying enough attention to the suspicious-looking vehicle which had parked right in front of him, loaded with five hundred pounds of explosives.
Reading newspaper articles about such tragic events, he had always wondered what it would be like to die such a violent death. Just before he took his next sip of early morning coffee.
Now he knew.
Posted at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
February 7, 2004
Next please
Some people walk all around the place like this while others choose to take a slightly different route. Whatever the direction or whoever it may be it is often pretty much the very same way and methods and songs they sing. Next please.
Posted at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 26, 2004
Six point four billion folks
This population clock projects that the world human population is just about to reach the 6.4 billion mark.
One wonders where on earth (excuse the pun) all these people are going to fit. It sure is getting kind of crowded around here, don't you think?
Posted at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
October 2, 2003
Maslov's pyramid
You see that pyramid over there? Well, it's called a Maslov's pyramid. One of the many such geometrical, intellectual, three-dimensional forms which help us define our lives. What it means is this. One can only start addressing the more esoteric and spiritual aspects of existence after the bare basics of food and shelter have been taken care of. Get it?
Kind of like what is happening in Iraq right now. The good old Americans are doing their very best to force a form of democracy on the people there, but unless they first take care of the basics like water and electricity, there is no hope in hell of even getting near to any form of success. No one cares about the merits of democracy, no matter how noble and sincere, if they are cold and wet and hungry all the time.
Of course, Americans like to force things by using military might, but that is a poor excuse on which to base a form of repressed reconstruction.
This is a fundamental aspect of human suffering which has been going on for thousands of years. History just repeating itself. I thought the Americans thought they were so smart.
When will they every figure things out?
(P.S. Thanks a lot Dave for suggesting I write something about Maslov's pyramid in my blog. Good idea.)
Posted at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
May 17, 2003
Talk about ghosts
Putting off the inevitable is the usual way to make things look better than they really are. This is done as long as it is possible without making people feel suspicious, though in their hearts they really know and fear that what seems to be happening is really happening. At this very minute.
Take the recession, for example.
Everyone here in Europe knows that the economy has been slowly but surely failing for the last couple of years. But no one wants to admit it. It's like if you give in and end up talking about ghosts and goblins they will certainly come out at night to haunt you. Haunt you for good or for worse.
So you better be careful, or else.
What I am getting at is the following. This morning I woke up and took a long and relaxing shower, nice and hot. Then, after surreptitiously drying myself off in routine fashion, I meandered downstairs for a quick breakfast bite. As the usual traditional approach demands, I then threw open the newspaper, the Dutch one called "de Volkskrant." Even though in my heart I would have preferred not to do that.
Over there, in the bottom right corner, in the form of a small nonchalant article trying not to overexpose itself (in fear of economic ghosts and goblins coming out at night, of course), the recession was made official.
In fact, the article even started that way. Something to the effect that "the government has announced that it is now official that there is a recession" and so forth and so forth until the article ended abruptly before it was actually meant to end. Alert minds like myself notice things like that.
I finished chewing off my bite of breakfast, swallowed real hard, and meandered my way back up the stairs. Time to return to my lush and expansive office suite in our attic which is really just our bedroom and my laptop in disguise.
This afternoon I will go to the Banen- en Opleidingsmanifestatie Gouda to see if there is anything to be had for the future. Don't get my hopes up, but that is no reason to stop being optimistic about things. Although I am a still a so-called startup entrepreneur in the lucrative world of e-business, officially I am what they call a "baanzoekende zonder werk."
Posted at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
April 15, 2003
Baghdad has fallen
Baghdad has fallen which means that one more insignificant thug has been beaten by a much larger and more powerful thug. Winner takes all. But where did the smaller thug and all his cronies escape to? And more importantly, where will the bigger and more powerful thug now turn to now that he needs yet another insignificant thug to beat up on in order to build up his confidence even more? The trick is to try and stay out of the way as best as you can without appearing to be on the wrong side. Either you are in on this with us or you are our mortal enemy. Sorry, there is no inbetween.
Posted at 9:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
March 22, 2003
Orchestrated misinformation
Right now on the television there is a plethora of an ever-repeating cycle of information flooding the media. One seriously wonders what is true and what is merely dramatized propaganda. Events so far covering the attack on Iraq seem to be running amazingly smoothly, in fact the incursions on various fronts are going way ahead of schedule. There is very little if any resistance, droves of enemy soldiers are turning themselves over, and one town after the other is falling in American and British hands. Watching the so-called spokesmen and women on CNN makes one shudder with disbelief. With overly smiling and confident faces all events are proclaimed as expected and tremendous successes. Once in awhile, there are slight letdowns (a couple of soldiers killed, helicopters crashing, sporadic resistance in the desert) but these are brushed aside as negligible. One seriously wonders what is really happening out there, what the military is purposely withholding from the public. To make reports look even more convincing, there are a couple of journalists out there riding tanks cowboy style like in some action movie. I am really letdown by the way that the station CNN is allowing itself to be brainwashed and led on with this kind of misinformation. I have all but forsaken this laughable station for the BBC which at least tells some of the truth once in awhile (be it by accident at times). One glaring example is this. Do they actually believe that few if any innocent civilians will be killed? What with this pinpoint accuracy of the surgical strikes, surely modern technology would not dare to disappoint us? This is scary politics, and I wonder how many Americans are being mislead, as if this is one big game filled with fun and adventure.
Posted at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
March 20, 2003
Increasingly paranoid
Here are a few examples of how much more paranoid I have been getting because of the recent developments with the Gulf War:
- After my workout yesterday evening at the fitness club, I always reward myself with a nice hot sauna. While I was sitting there, this strange odor was coming from somewhere and it stunk pretty bad. The first thing that came to my mind was a possible gas attack. So I left in a hurry and went back to the safety of my own home.
- After attending the Amsterdam American Business Club luncheon, I realized how lucky I had been to escape a possible terrorist attack. This feeling was only made worse when someone happened to tell me that I had been sitting at the same table as the American ambassador. I had been a prime target without realizing it.
- Having my oldest son Lennart so far away in Hungary does not make me feel very good, and I am becoming more concerned about him. He is proud to be an American and does not hesitate to impress his surroundings with this knowledge. I cannot wait for him to get back safely this weekend, not that Hungary is such a risky country to be in, but it is the idea that he is not at home that makes me feel edgy.
- This evening I was scheduled to attend an evening dinner seminar at the Rotterdam American Business Club. But because I am concerned about my safety and the well-being of my family, I have decided to cancel it. Ironically enough the topic of the presentation was "U.S. Port Security". I hope they do not think I am some kind of coward.
- I am increasingly leary about raising my voice too much in public especially when speaking English with a thick American accent or even Dutch where my accent comes through clearly for those in search for the enemy.
- Alright, perhaps I should stop writing in this blog for awhile. Just in case, you never know what could happen.
Posted at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 19, 2003
Against war
I am totally against the upcoming war with Iraq because of the following reasons:
- So far the United States has not come up with an iota of evidence proving beyond a doubt that Saddam has any so-called weapons of mass destruction. This despite the fact that they have loudly proclaimed for months on end that they will show the world what this evidence is some day. Diplomacy must first be given the chance to resolve international conflicts via all possible avenues of dialog. The United Nations was well along the way and was not given a chance to complete its task. Many believe that this conflict could have been resolved peacefully within a few months as the international pressure on Saddam increased.
- War might topple the Iraqi government but who says that a puppet supported by the United States to replace Saddam will do any better? The political vacuum could be devastating for world peace.
- There are enough terrible dictators around the world who violently oppress their own people, so why pick on Iraq? The main reason must be the oil, in order further to satiate the greedy thirst of a wasteful American lifestyle (10% of the world population using 90% of the world's resources).
- Isn't it obvious that everyone else in the world is against war, so why breach this confidence and risk being isolated from international affairs for years to come?
- President Bush is a complete idiot out of control, nothing less than a raging maniac out to prove something most of us do not come close to understanding.
- War of any kind is senseless and in the end causes more harm than good. Thousands of innocent lives will be snuffed out by the senselessness of war.
- There is a risk that extremist Muslim factions will use the war as an excuse to use terrorism to kill yet even more innocent victims.
- Years and years of time and energy building up the United Nations as a feasible and respected organization threaten to go up in smoke because of the uncontrolled antics of Bush.
Posted at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
February 24, 2003
Bush and Saddam
You would expect that after all of these thousands and thousands of years of war and misery that mankind would know better by now. The ironic thing is that while the majority of us have figured it out long ago any way, there are still a couple of awful people in power who think they know things better than the rest. The trick is not to stand in the way when the next war starts. This time around we hope that it will not take place in our neighborhood, but somewhere sometime it will. No matter how hard we try to prevent it.
Posted at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
December 1, 2002
Man on the moon
I was only twelve years old when the first man placed his foot on the surface of the moon. Like most people at the time, I also remember exactly where I was and what I was doing at the time. I was sitting in the middle of the back seat of the car my mother was driving with each of my two sister on one side of me. We were headed south of San Jose, California on our way back home from a visit to my aunt and uncle's house (Jeanine and Dick). If I remember it correctly, we were just about to drive through and underneath the huge clover-leaf overpass where the highways 880 and 280 meet. At the time, this was an impressive unfinished monument to mankind, an impressive structure with highways bending every which way across the sky. At that point in time, my mother turned on the radio. The news reporter announced that Niel Armstrong had become the first man to set foot on the moon. My memories of this important event are also in black-and-white for some reason, and that moment in time remains clear and focused in the back of my mind. Just another of a million events which have intersected in time with my movements.
Posted at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
November 30, 2002
Hard facts of reality
I was only six years old on the infamous day when our dear and beloved President Kennedy was assassinated, but I can remember it very well to this very day. At the time I was in first grade sitting behind my desk at Montezuma Elementary School in Redding, California. All of a sudden, the school principal came on the PR-system to make an important announcement. In a somber tone of voice which was monotone and sounded very distant with lots of static, he simply said "the president has been shot." Short and to the point and nothing more. We were all stunned to the hilt and if my memory serves me correctly, my teacher started to cry. Afterwards we were all sent home, and I remember watching the news the rest of the day on our black-and-white television set downstairs. In fact alot of the memories of that week are monochrome and with color. Up to and including the funeral with the horse-drawn carriage with the flag-draped casket on it. This was my first recollection of being confronted with the hard facts of reality.
Posted at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
October 1, 2002
Outward forms of change
Trying to take an objective view on current affairs concerning the impending war with Iraq and the irrational way people often react, I found the following quote very appropriate.
"All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society. As human beings living in this monstrously ugly world, let us ask ourselves, can this society, based on competition, brutality and fear, come to an end? Not as an intellectual conception, not as a hope, but as an actual fact, so that the mind is made fresh, new and innocent and can bring about a different world altogether? It can only happen, I think, if each one of us recognizes the central fact that we, as individuals, as human beings, in whatever part of the world we happen to live or whatever culture we happen to belong to, are totally responsible for the whole state of the world.We are each one of us responsible for every war because of the aggressiveness of our own lives, because of our nationalism, our selfishness, our gods, our prejudices, our ideals, all of which divide us. And only when we realize, not intellectually but actually, as actually as we would recognize that we are hungry or in pain, that you and I arc responsible for all this existing chaos, for all the misery throughout the entire world because we have contributed to it in our daily lives and are part of this monstrous society with its wars, divisions, its ugliness, brutality and greed - only then will we act."
- Krishnamurti, Freedom From The Known
This is certainly something to ruminate when trying to understand why things have to happen the way they do and what we as simple individuals can do to change the things we would prefer were otherwise.
Posted at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 11, 2002
One year later
When it first happened I could not believe it was really happening. Afterwords, I was in such deep shock that for weeks I could not believe that it had really taken place, such an awful tragedy. And then time passed, but my disbelief became greater. Rather than the usual acceptance of the ways things were always "meant to be" since the beginning of time. One year later, it seems just as unreal as the moments of the dreamlike aftermath. Should we accept it with surrender or should we seek revenge? Perhaps a tempered combination of the two? Even if it is an impossible task and might take forever? If we surrender then that is a signal that evil can get away with anything. If we pursue justice then evil is per definition acknowledged for what it is, therefore continuing to destroy our lives. Let's not get overly fixated in the extermination of all evil everywhere. And on the television and the radio and the whole day long all that pseudo-patriotic mumbo-jumbo which is very worrisome. Sure we must remember the victims and their families, but it is incorrect using the emotions of those concerned to instigate a policy of revenge. Violence is not best fought with equal and opposite violence but rather by pure and complete surrender. This is strange but true, but I am afraid that civilization is still too immature to believe in this logical law of the universe.
Posted at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
May 21, 2002
Broken fence
When it comes to repairing broken items and keeping things organized and straight I can be very meticulous at times, sometimes a little too exaggerated they say. Take for instance that fence of ours. It starts at the side of our house, goes back eleven meters or so before turning left to cover the back side of our garden and then after thirteen meters or so turns left again to divide the neighbor's backyard from ours. This has to do with the other side which is adjacent to the street (you see our house is on the corner). Alot of kids run around in the street and play soccer (they call it football here, "voetbal" actually). The problem is that the kids get carried away and kick the hard ball all over the place, often against the fence. They even use the fence as a backdrop for the goal which really gets me mad. Slam, slam and bounce away, sometimes over the top and into the garden where we are sitting. A couple of times the ball actually barely missed my left ear, struck the top of the picnic table between the plates and drinking glasses and bounced over to the neighbors backyard. I thought that I was on TV. Not that the noise or this risky business of balls bouncing everywhere gets me and rattles my nerves. Wherever would you get that impression? The problem is that the wooden planks of the fence get battered so badly that they fall off because of the constant wear and tear. The soccer ball as a pumped-up battering ram. Big open splits form in the fence so that the passersby can look into our garden and see us sitting there. Watch live and in person as the next soccer ball flies over, nearly slicing off my left ear lobe before bouncing off of the table. I yell at the kids again, and I act like the grumpy neighbor. This only helps for a day or two, sometimes longer but more often shorter. The kids always come back and use the fence again for the goal. Slam, slam and bounce away. Preferably when I am not around, but if they are numbed enough by my persistent grumpiness I could be standing in front of the goalkeeper and it would not matter. This weekend I put the fallen wooden plank back in place. With loving hands, caring so deeply for this cherished flatness of wood. The screws which are supposed to prevent gravity from acting and pulling them off get rusted, and the brittle screws tend to break and snap off. One fragment remaining deeply embedded in the wooden beam, never again to see the light of day. Not only do I have to pull out the four screws with a wrench and forceful twist, but I also have to re-drill four holes just above and as close as possible to the original entry points. This is necessary so that the plank remains flush to the others on the left and right, without anyone noticing that the poor wooden plank has been bashed to the ground by the thoughtless youth and their puerile kicking motions. This is an endless cycle of replacing, warning, yelling, and in the end replacing again. We have lived here in this house for four years and I think I have replaced just about all of the wooden planks on the right side at least once. Repetition makes us crazy but keeps us going at the same time.
Posted at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 17, 2002
So many killed for no reason
"The mass slaughter of thousands of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica is a horrifying and probably the most violent excess to take place in the process of disintegration of Yugoslavia in the first half of the 1990. Great-Serbian ambition played a major role in this process. This places a relatively large share of the responsibility with the Serb political leaders, especially former president Milosevic. The very large degree of responsibility for the violent nature of the process of disintegration borne by the Serb leaders should not encourage turning a blind eye to the responsibility of other leaders for the resort to violence. All of the warring factions were guilty of gross violence. The reports and images of this violence met with repugnance throughout Europe and provoked a strong call for intervention by the international community, in which the Netherlands figured prominently..."
In the NIOD report it is clearly stated that the Dutch government failed miserably when on 11 July 1995 it allowed Bosnian-Serb troops under the leadership of General Mladic to enter the Srebrenica safe-area conclave, resulting in the deportation and massacre of more than eight thousand innocent Muslim citizens, mostly men and boys. The 3500 page report details the reconstruction, background, consequences and analysis of the so-called safe area, and it attempts to discover the reason one of the worst war tragedies in Europe since the end of World War Two could have ever taken place. No one could have ever imagined such an awful event ever happening, but it did. In the press summary, a number of devastating conclusions have been made, namely:
- The Dutchbat force was sent into a dangerous area completely unprepared and untrained.
- The UN failed to offer sufficient air support when the Serbs started entering the compounds (one Dutch soldier was even killed by a grenade).
- The Dutch battalion was undermanned with supplies and were actually ordered to protect there own lives first and those of the citizens second (can you believe that?!).
- There was no predefined exit strategy in place for a proper retreat of the citizens in case of attack (no one really expected the Serbs to breach the international laws of safe-area protection).
- When sensitive details about the atrocities were finally being made public by the press, the Dutch government purposely covered it all up to avoid embarrassment.
"The members of Dutchbat have also been deeply affected by their time in the enclave. Many of them have long-term psychological problems arising from their experiences in Srebrenica, and in some cases they are still serious. Many of them were not impressed by the counselling and aftercare they received. Their reception in the Netherlands, in an atmosphere of public debate in which Dutchbat was often presented in a very negative light, certainly did not help them to cope with their problems in a healthy and balanced way on the home front. That atmosphere left little room for understanding what it had 'really' been like according to the Dutchbat members. They did not recognise themselves in the image that dominated in the media, of deep black (mainly Bosnian) Serbs and lily-white Muslims. Most of the members of Dutchbat had difficulty in accepting that picture. The world that they had known during their stay in the enclave had been different..."
This is all very sad, and deserves a moment of silence please.
Posted at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
March 14, 2002
Further adventure
The past is what made us what we are today, and the experiences and knowledge so acquired is required baggage for our further adventure into the future. For those of you out there who would rather just forget the past and get on with your lives, first check out Attack on America. Lots and lots of pictures, videos and stuff covering that terrible moment in the past, more than half a year ago. Yesterday, really. Pause for a moment of silence and then continue with your life. Never forget what made you what you are today.
Posted at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
March 1, 2002
Father like that
Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Josef Stalin, is 76 years old today. How would you like to be in her shoes with a father like that? I wonder how she has dealt with the sins of a so-called dad who is directly responsible for millions of unnecessary deaths as a terrible dictator. Maybe she doesn't know, or doesn't realize, or has no ill-feelings, or is just plainly and completely senile now. Maybe her time spent on this planet was consumed with feelings of guilt and depression. The world continues to turn and history recedes faster and faster into the darkened past.
Posted at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
February 6, 2002
Rat race irony
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs...I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?"
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
Note: I received this from my mother as an attachment and took the liberty to include it in my blog without knowing the source. With this I give the unknown author full credit, whoever he or she might be.
Posted at 8:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
February 3, 2002
Don't sneeze
I happened to come across this quote the other day, and it really started to make me think: "If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die."
So the next time you get the urge to sneeze, try to hold it in. Or else.
But then again, I always learned when I was little that you could very well blow a blood vessel by actually "holding back" the urge to sneeze. Let the sneeze come naturally, otherwise it explodes outwards and causes more collateral damage than is necessary. You can only suppress a sneeze for so long, and the act of resisting does not help.
Can you imagine dying from something so seemingly innocuous as a sneeze, no matter how mighty a sneeze it could be? Sudden, involuntary, explosive death, instantly and without remorse.
How embarrassing. "He succumbed unexpectedly from a hefty sneeze" would appear in your obituary. Or better yet, the following last words would be etched on your tombstone: "Achooo..."
So please tell me then, why do we sneeze in the first place?
Suddenly it comes, natural forces pushing through the artificial man-made obstacle of clenched fist pressing hard, germ particles, mucous and other unpleasant speckled wetness covering a radius of at least ten feet around you.
So who is right now, anyway? Don't fight it.
Posted at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
January 29, 2002
Spindliest legs around
Right around the age of about twelve to thirteen or thereabouts is the time in life when girls jump-start into puberty.
In a split-second flash and spurt of hormones, accelerated growth makes them tall and creates the spindliest legs around. Long, slender, very very skinny sticks upon which they walk and run, taking up about three-fourths the total length of their bodies. Or maybe even four-fifths so it seems. They can skip, jump and run very fast, that's for sure. Sometimes they skitter so fast in fact that the observer worries that these thinnest of spindles may bend and snap accidentally.
To imagine that in three or four or more years these bright little feminine spirits will have become blooming full-fledged sirens of the sea, making the naive and inexperienced boys of their age victims of random love and other chasing scenes. Survival of the fittest and the girls-become-women will win out, even if we men tend to fool ourselves into believing otherwise. Males meet their Anima, and females their Animus. Come together now and mix each other up.
As always, nothing less and nothing more. For the next adventure.
Posted at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 2, 2002
My very first euro
Picked up my first euros this morning at the atm in front of the post office on my way to work. "This is a historical moment," I was thinking. I will never ever forget this important moment as long as I live. Decided to take out seventy euros, one bill of fifty and one bill of twenty. Suspense as the money flapper rumbled round and round, and then it spit out the two crackly-new monetary surprises into my greedy palm. Wow, I did it. Nothing really fancy-looking, just two plain bills. Smaller than I expected, and not that colorful. Thin to the feel. One of fifty and one of twenty. Paper money. Folded the two together and put them in my wallet. The Dutch gulder has been around since 1335 and has survived many generations. And now it is gone. That was the end of yet another historical moment in my life.
Posted at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
November 2, 2001
These are trying times
It is hard to keep one's head raised during this period of violence, terror and war. Everything seems to be going wrong at the moment. What is a person supposed to do? Each day something comes up and reminds us that this is far from a perfect world. Nonetheless, it is vital to keep a positive frame of mind, to accept what has happened and do what we can despite the inherent limitations. "This is the best of all possible worlds", at least according to the famous philosopher Leibnitz. The universe is the direct result of a divine plan, well thought out well ahead of time. Leibniz's assertion, however, does not imply an unqualified optimism, since evil is a necessary ingredient in even the best of all possible worlds. Okay, black and white, good and evil, some kind of balance between the extremes. The pendulum does not hang still, but swings back and forth. And ironically enough, this is my horoscope for today: "Before complaining, think about how your life must look to someone with fewer privileges. Aspects of your reality are merely cultural illusions. Pay less attention to the ads and more to the editorials." Next, please...
Posted at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 15, 2001
Whatever happens good will persevere
 |
Whatever happens I am sure that good will persevere. At least that is what I am praying every moment of the day. The road will be very bumpy and at times trecherous. But at the end of the path it will be God's light that will lead us through the dark. To attain truth and salvation, finally. God bless America, the rest of the world and all objects in the universe.
Posted at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
September 11, 2001
A very sad day
Today is a very very sad day in American history, as a cowardly terrorist attack has completely destroyed both of the World Trade Center buildings as well as a large section of the Pentagon. This horrific deed sickens me to my stomach, and my heart goes out to all those innocent victims, their families and anyone involved in any way. I was so shocked upon hearing the news that I felt nauseous, almost on the verge of hatred for such insane, crazy fools that could perpetuate such an inhuman and cowardly act. How is this possible? What kind of world is this becoming? And how can I ever explain this to my children? Life must go on, and hopefully in the end we will survive as stronger individuals more intent on pursuing love and peace everywhere. May God protect us all and lead us to truth.
Posted at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
September 6, 2001
Breaking news from Monterey, California
Breaking news from Monterey, California - Hollister homicide suspect in stand-off with police on I-5. Merced (12:45 p.m.) - Hollister police say a suicidal man who led authorities on a lengthy, high-speed chase this morning is in a stand-off with them on I-5 near Merced. The man is wanted for the murder of two of his family members in June. ''He's wanted for shooting his wife and 15-year-old son,'' Hollister police spokesman Joanna Martin Delcampo said. ''The other children witnessed the shooting.'' Joaquin Gutierrez was first spotted by Milpitas police heading north on Interstate Highway 680 at about 6 this morning. He then led two police units on a chase that stretched over several counties and reached speeds of 110 miles an hour, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP says officers entered the pursuit when Gutierrez approached the northbound Interstate 680 to eastbound Interstate 580 interchange. The chase ended about at about 7 a.m. in Merced, according to the CHP, and as of 8 a.m. the man was still not in police custody. He is reportedly threatening suicide. ''The vehicle is disabled and (the suspect) is refusing to surrender,'' CHP Officer Rich Parman said. ''He has a gun in his possession and occasionally points it at his chest. We have negotiators on scene trying to get him to surrender.'' Parman says officers are hoping for a positive outcome to the scary situation. ''Hopefully he will surrender and go to jail and no one will get hurt,'' he said. Traffic is backed up in both directions from the spot where the car is sitting parked sideways across the north-south two-lane freeway. CHP officer Ralph Caggiano says police from nearby Newman and Gustine are also on the scene...
To think that I grew up in this area long long ago. Things have changed since those good old days of youthful naivety I am afraid.
Posted at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
