netherlands « WordPress.com Tag Feed

Efteling - taram de basm

truckme — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:22:17 +0000

Cel mai minunat loc din Netherlands, loc ce din pacate nu este atat de mediatizat precum sexul, iarba, lalele sau branza, este imensul parc Efteling, un complex de agrement atat pentru cei maturi, dar in special pentru copii. Efteling nu este doar un parc precum multe altele celebre. Acesta este creat special pentru a lasa impresia realitatii mirajului de poveste, cu zane, flori magice sau lucruri vorbitoare care prind viata si chiar exista.

Parcul Efteling este impartit in mai multe zone, spatiu de poveste cu lacuri, paduri fermecate, castele si gradini, rauri si podulete ascunse sub o vegetatie bogata in flori parfumate, unde te intalnesti cu broscute vorbitoare, zane, pitici, animalute personalizate si vorbitoare; o alta zona a parcului este destinata distractiei dure. Aici, copiii nu au voie nici in vaporul de dimensiuni reale care se da peste cap nici in montagne roussul care se inalta la zeci de metri de pamant cu o viteza uimitoare.Peste tot rasuna cantece romantice si nostalgige.
In Mijlocul parcului se afla un splendid castel/hotel unde poti sa iti gasesti odihna. O noapte in hotel e ca si cum ai avea invitatie la o receptie intr-un castel. camerele sunt mobilate si decorate in tematici de poveste, ex: camera cenusaresei, camera frumoasei adormite, a scufitei rosii sau chiar camera marea scriitor Hans Christian Andersen. Pranzul sau cina se servesc in acelasi fascinant decor de basm, iar personalul hotelului parca ar fi actori angajati ai unui teatru pentru copiii.
Drum bun si distractie placuta ..:)..

!!!

Bicycle Rollercoaster

ddotcom12 — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:56:52 +0000

A rollercoaster for bikes has been erected outside an art centre in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, for the design space Designhuis’ Bicycle exhibition.

The rollercoaster was made using a chain saw and scaffolding by Stockholm-based artist Anders Jakobsen (also known as Lagombra).

More info here.

[Seleções] Holanda 1988

Futebol de Camisa — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:29:24 +0000

Camisa usada pela seleção holandesa na conquista da Euro Copa de 1988. A final foi contra a antiga União Soviética. A laranja mecânica venceu por 2x0 com gols de Rudd Gullit e Marco van Basten. Aliás, este é o único título holandês da Euro.

Ano: 1988
Fornecedor: Adidas
Patrocinios: Não Existente
Comentários: Soube que essa nunca foi colocada à venda, tornando-se jóia rara para colecionadores. O estilo é bem começo dos anos 90 - desenhos geométricos e exóticos. Gosto dessa camisa, assim como gosto da do Bragantino de 1990.

Holanda - Campeã da Euro Copa 88

Netherlands - fata nevazuta...(2)

truckme — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:09:18 +0000

-vezi articolul -(1)
--vremea in Olanda este extrem de capricioasa. Aerul este umed, deci verile sunt mai racoroase decat in Romania, iar iernile cu mult mai blande; vantul sufla cu o intensitate mare fie vara fie iarna. Pe motiv de schimbare usoara a vremii, pelerinele de ploaie sunt nelipsite din gentile noastre.

- in Netherdands, majoritatea magazinelor si a centrelor comerciale sunt deschise zilnic intre 9.00 si 18.00. Luni insa, toate centrele deschid in jurul orei 12.00 (lumea se distreaza in weekend, este obosit personalul), din acest motiv, de regula joi, in marile orase, sau vineri, orasele mai micute, toate centrele comerciale sunt deschise pana la ora 21.00

- pentru a se bucura de bronz, Olandezii se rasfata pe coasta Marii Nordului, Zandvoort si Scheveningen sunt cele mai renumite si scumpe statiuni, dar feeric este petrecerea unui weekend in Insula Watten din nordul Olandei.

- fructele si legumele proaspete fac parte din meniul zilnic; piata este bogata in sortimente de fructe exotice ; salatele de peste cu legume, sau paste cu legume se servesc in fiecare seara. La pranz se consuma racituri, MacDonald-uri, peste afumat cu ceapa, nu mancare gatita. Daca in Romania principalul fel de mancare se serveste la pranz, ( doua feluri de mancare)....aici, principalul fel de mancare este cina, care se serveste intre orele 18.00-19.00

- accentele limbii dutch sunt diferite de la o zona la alta, iar populatia de culoare au un fel nostim de a se adresa, motiv pentru care, cele mai multe bancuri, glume, sarcasme, sunt redate intr-un accent surinamez; Surinam, invecinata cu Brazilia, avand populatie de culoare, este fosta colonie dutch, in prezent provincie independenta, supusa normelor si constitutiei olandeze si au ca limba oficiala limba dutch.

-zilele de nastere sunt motiv de mare sarbatoare in Olanda. Casele ( sau balcoanele si geamurile apartamentelor) se impodobesc cu ghirlande din foaie creponata in culori vii, se prepara prajiturele, si se invita rude, vecini, colegi de servici, chiar daca acesta zi pica marti de exemplu. Este foarte nepoliticos a refuza invitatia la o zi onomastica.

- in toate casele, obligatoriu, la toaleta, intr-un loc vizibil, se afla calendarul cu insemnarile datelor de nastere ale familiei, prietenilor in felul acesta nu exista scuze de ''am uitat'' ..:)...fi convins ca un var, nu-ti mai raspunde un an de zile la telefon daca uiti sa-l feliciti de ziua sa
- pe apele canalelor sunt foarte intalnite ratele salbatice, pe care inca nimeni nu s-a gandit sa le prinda pentru a le consuma, mai exista si din loc in loc cate o familie de lebede. Nici pescari amatori nu mi-a fost dat sa vad chiar daca zaresti in ape niste exemplare de marimi impresionanate . Se spune ca datorita tratarii apelor, acestia nu ar fi comestibili. ( ma indoiesc ca ceva tiganusi ar baga in seama ce vorbeste lumea)
-va urma-

Day 30

Melissa — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:20:13 +0000

Melissa's log: The rain hasn't stopped; it has been raining now for 2 weeks. The sun no longer shines. The grass maybe green, the plants growing, the streets washed clean but the dog now stinks, the cat won't go outside.

The rain comes in sheets, in drizzle, in spurts.

Everything is wet. Cold. Grey.

I can't dry the clothes outside, I can't get to the vegetables in the garden, I can't cut the grass.

Mind going....dog whining....must get sunshine.

Yesterday I've been mostly driving

jartza42 — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:43:47 +0000

Brighton, United Kingdoms

The clouds were gathering up the sky again so it was time to move on. I enjoyed my time in Borlinghausen, but the trip has to continue!

Yesterday morning I had a breakfast in Germany. It started to rain. I moved on.

At the day I had a cup of coffee with a croissant in Netherlands. It was raining. I moved on.

In the late afternoon I had a dinner in Belgium. Nothing fancy, but OK. It was raining heavily. I moved on.

In the evening I had a cappucino with baguette and cheese in France - quite nice. But it was raining. I moved on.

Late evening I arrived to United Kingdom. It didn't rain. Yes, you read right. It didn't rain in UK.
Driving on the wrong side of the road during the night was quite fascinating. It was much warmer than in Netherlands, less windy than in Belgium and did I already mention that it didn't rain?

I arrived to Brighton around 1am in the night, searched for a vacant hotel for around 2 hours and found one with a free room - nasty price though. Well, it was only one night. I still could get my evening-beer in UK like I decided.

Five countries in one day, with a Vespa. Whoah.

Mobile Internet use: on the rise but mostly men

Bart Vanmaele — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:22:10 +0000

Let it be clear: Mobile Internet is hot! With the iPhone and other smartphones gaining popularity, more and more advertisers are realizing the opportunities given by the Mobile Internet. As major players are jumping the band wagon (such as De Standaard recently), this platform will become more interesting for the end user and visitor rates will go up. Already, there are many studies on the use of Mobile Internet in the present and the future.

Juniper Research is predicting that the amount of Mobile Internet users will grow from the current 577 million to 1,7 billion by 2013. The growth will be stimulated by the proliferation of web 2.0 applications, such as social networking, user-generated content, location based services and instant messaging. The Far East & China will represent the largest market for mobile web use, while South America has the greatest potential for mobile web adoption. A number of mobile Web 2.0 applications will use flat-data or even free pricing, meaning industry players must seek new revenue streams.

A Dutch research by OMI² says the slow 'early-adopters phase' is now over and that Mobile Internet use is now growing rapidly. They estimate that The Netherlands counts about 1,6 million active users (= surfing at least once a month). As a cause for the rise, OMI² points at the availability of better and faster mobile devices, more flat-free mobile subscriptions, and the upcoming of mobile search engines. As for the offer in Mobile Internet sites, they see that websites in the categories news (60% has a mobile site), portals (50%) and audiovisual (35%) are well represented. On the other hand, entertainment, non-profit and governmental are remarkably absent from the mobile platform.

Lastly, there's a study by Opera Software, pointing out that the Mobile Internet is dominated by men: nearly 9 out of 10 users are male. A majority of Opera Mini users are between 18 and 27 years old.

Thanks!

Melissa — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:24:58 +0000

I had a record day yesterday for visitors on my blog, I noticed that most of the readers coming through were from Tammy, who linked me from her site the other day on one of her blogs. It was great to see my little stat bar rise through out the day. So thanks again Tammy for the link! And we still need to plan a day.

River Cruising: The Netherlands and Belgium

cruisexpert — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:26:55 +0000

1)On embarkation day, I arrived in Amsterdam at 7:30am and took a cab to the pier where I met some of the debarking passengers from the previous voyage. They showed me where to leave my bags to be delivered to my cabin later and I waited in the lounge. Around 10:30, a buffet lunch was served of soup and sandwiches. Additional passengers from my voyage had begun to arrive and after lunch, some of us shared cabs to the Ann Frank House and museum. The museum was wonderful and afterwards we walked through the famous "red light district" before finding cabs back to the pier.

2)In the morning we took a motorcoach to the Rijksmuseum where we saw Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" among many other wonderful paintings by Dutch and Flemish artists. After the museum, we took a canal cruise through Amsterdam where we saw many of the wonderful gabled facades of homes built over the past 700 years. We then had leisure time in Amsterdam which I spent at the Van Gogh museum (you can't pronounce his name"Van Go" in Holland, it is pronounced "Van Hock") . Lucky me, I came to the Netherlands during the celebration of his 150th birthday and there were many special exhibits. That evening at dinner, the captain came to the dining room and announced that he was sure we were wondering why we weren't sailing yet. It seems that the harbormaster in Volendam went home that day before signing the overnight berthing permit for our ship. We stayed docked in Amsterdam an additional night and the tour director was able to arrange for the buses to pick us up there to begin our tour the following morning.

3)Our buses took us to a heritage village called Zaanse Schans where 70 homes from that area have been reassembled and are lived in today. All the houses are 300 to 400 years old. Many now house artisan shops including a wooden shoe factory. It reminded me of Colonial Williamsburg with windmills. After we left Zaanse Schans, we visited a cheese farm near Edam where we got delicious samples and got to see the baby goats and sheep. We returned to the ship which was now waiting for us in Volendam for lunch. Volendam is a charming fishing village, we only had about 45 minutes to look around it after lunch before we reboarded our motorcoaches to Edam where we took a walking tour. Edam was where most of the cheeses were sold, hence the name for a famous cheese. We then continued by motorcoach to Hoorn where we had another walking tour on the way to the pier. Hoorn was a site for the main offices of the Dutch East India Company(the first multinational corporation to exist). We then sailed overnight to Arnhem.

4)Our motorcoaches took us to the "Het Loo Palace" once owned by Prince Charles of the Netherlands and his wife Mary Stuart of Scotland. The gardens at this palace rival those at Versailles and have a taller fountain at one end. The most interesting fact about these gardens was that they were the first to include floral borders instead of topiary hedges. We then returned for lunch on the ship. In the afternoon 2 optional tours were available, one to an open-air museum similar to Zaanse Schans and the other to the Kroeller-Mueller Museum which had another special Van Gogh exhibit. I went to the Kroeller-Mueller and saw 40 Van Gogh paintings and 187 of his sketches. My daughter is very jealous. We sailed this evening for a few hours to the college town of Nijmegen where we docked from 8:30pm to 3:30am. Some of my fellow passengers spent the evening in the Holland Casino there, I walked a little after dinner, but was too tired to jon them.

5)We arrived in Dordrecht at 8am and began the day with a walking tour. This city is an important commercial center at the junctions of 3 rivers. Even now approximately 1,500 vessels pass through it daily. In the 14th century it was the wealthiest commercial town in the Netherlands due to the stop-over tolls they charges on goods coming from the Rhine. After lunch aboard the ship we visited Kinderdijk, a UNESCO heritage site with 19 windmills eretcted to drain the excess water from the reclaimed land called polders. During dinner, we sailed on to Antwerp where we docked at around 11pm

6) We boarded our buses at 8am for Brussels where we had a walking tour followed by an hour and a half at leisure to wander and shop. As it happened, the youngest Prince of Belgium was to be married in Brussels the following day so we couldn't go inside the Cathedral which was already decked out with the flowers for the wedding. We did see many other weeding decorations throughout. Belgian waffles really are the best!!! I opted to return to Antwerp at noon and have a tour of Antwerp in the afternoon. One tour bus remained in Brussels until 3:30pm for those who wanted a full day there. I had lunch on the ship, then a walking tour of Antwerp. Belgian lace is beautiful and the chocolates...(yes I did get sugar free).

We stayed docked in Antwerp overnight again.

7)Today was an all-day visit to Bruges, the "Venice of the North". We began with a walking tour from the outskirts where our tour buses had to stay. We saw bobbin lace being made and many wonderful buildings. We then had 4 hours of leisure time in Bruges to shop and dine on the famous mussels and waffles and chocolate. I also took a canal cruise tour. We were met in the central plaza for a shuttle bus out to our tour buses back to the ship in Vlissingen.

8)At 6:30am the ship moved from Vlissingen to Middleberg where we disembarked for a walking tour and the ship continued to Bruinisse. Middleberg was a town with the major shipbuilding industry of the Netherlands during the heyday of the Hanseatic League and the Dutch East and West India companies. The town hall was spectacular. We then took motorcoaches to the Delta Works Expo, a museum adjacent to the dam project that protects the Netherlands from flooding. The construction took 30 years and was completed in 1989. We then returned to the ship and sailed all afternoon to Rotterdam where we docked at 6pm.

9)Today was our longest touring day. We left the ship at 8am and drove through Rotterdam on our way to Delft. Rotterdam was compeltely destroyed during WWII and has been rebuilt in the style of an American city with many skyscrapers. It is still a thriving cargo port considered by many to be the busiest in the world. In Delft, we visited the cathedral where the royal family is interred in vaults below the floor. The monuments inside were spectacular. We then had time to shop for Royal Delftware before the buses took us for lunch at the Kurhaus in Scheveningen , a beach resort on the North Sea. The Kurhaus is a 5 star hotel and the decor was beautiful. We then continued to the culmination of our voyage, the Keukenhof Gardens. We had 3 and a half hours to wander through the gardens and greenhouses where the tulips were blooming. The gardens are as extensive as the Butchart gardens in Victoria, BC. I learned a lot about the bulb industry in the Netherlands and have ordered bulbs to be delivered in October in order to make my first attempt at a flower garden. We returned to the ship where it docked in Utrecht at 6:30pm and the ship sailed for Amsterdam while we had our farewell dinner.

The following morning, we debarked and flew home.

Food and service aboard the ship was excellent. The tour director had 2 assistants and there was a member of the tour staff on your bus with you at all times with cellphone in hand. The local guides in each city were excellent. I was suprised at the pace of this river cruise, we only had one afternoon where we were not out in a town sightseeing. Because most of the towns we visited had cobblestone streets and sidewalks, and most of our tours were walking tours of 1 to 3 miles in duration, I think you need to be prepared for the exercise.

Kathy Biancalana

Cruise Expert, Vacation Planner

Cruises International

1-800-255-7447 ext. 122

www.cruisesinternational.com

Dutch EU project fund remains controversial

Raymond Frenken — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:44:53 +0000

Dutch European Affairs Minister Frans Timmermans this week formally turned down a request to financially support an innovative webTV news project called BrusselVandaag.nl, saying he does not believe such a project can contribute properly to the debate about the European Union in the Netherlands.

The 100,000-euro project aimed to produce four brief video reports per week for a period of 40 weeks in the Dutch language, using a team of two reporters that would work from Maastricht and be on the ground in Brussels and Strasbourg when necessary. It was supposed to start in June.

It's the third time in two years that my company's request for financial support from the Foreign Ministry's Europafonds has been turned down. In its explanation of the rejection, Timmermans' staff argues that a budget based on concept of videojournalism, with less expensive production systems, is not realistic. It also is not willing to support projects of start-up companies. (My company was created in 2004 and is still growing! The EUX.TV YouTube channels draw between 5000 and 8000 videoviews per day.)

For me, this seems to prove again that the Dutch Foreign Ministry is incapable of judging the merits of innovative media projects working with a European agenda. It also suggests once again that Dutch politicians still fear independent and open and honest reporting about the European Union. Previously, the ministry turned down requests for support for some of our other projects: The European Affairs Channel and EUX.TV. EUX.TV also has a Dutch-language version that has yet to be launched formally.

What's more, the rejection also suggests that the Europafonds money is used to push forward the political agenda of the parties in the Dutch government: the social-democrats and the christian-democrats. Projects initiated by people close to the government and by pro-EU political parties have repeatedly received funding in recent years. The fund has about 2.5 million euro per year available.

To read my response to the letter of rejection (in Dutch), continue below.

CC: All Dutch members of the European Parliament.

Geachte Staatssecretaris voor Europese Zaken Timmermans, geachte heer Van Poeteren, geachte heer Gerlag,

Tot onze grote teleurstelling ontvangen wij vandaag, drie maanden later dan de bedoeling was, uw brief waarin u meedeelt dat het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken geen geld uit het Europafonds beschikbaar kan stellen voor het project BrusselVandaag.nl, vanwege het besluit van de Ministerraad d.d. 27 juni 2008 om overheidsfinanciering van mediaproducties te beeindigen. Bovendien deelt u ons mee dat evenmin zou kunnen worden overgegaan tot het verlenen van subsidie vanwege inhoudelijke overwegingen.

Het is de derde keer in twee jaar tijd dat een aanvraag onzerzijds wordt afgewezen. Opnieuw gebruikt u hier argumenten die - om het diplomatiek te zeggen - volstrekt van de pot gerukt zijn, zeker als deze gehanteerd worden door een afdeling die wel enkele honderdduizenden euros beschikbaar stelt voor twee reportages van minder dan 10 minuten voor uitzending op een publieke omroep die toch al overheidsgeld krijgt, bemiddeld door World Report Media, een organisatie van twijfelachtige alure. U weet waar ik het over heb: het schandaal rondom de Europareportages op EenVandaag waarover NRC Handelsblad uitvoerig heeft bericht.

Drie jaar geleden ben ik met eigen middelen, zonder subsidie (nog altijd), begonnen met het project EUX.TV. EUX.TV groeit ook nu nog en trekt dagelijks tussen de 5000 en 8000 kijkers via een YouTube kanaal en een website. Dat zijn betere kijkcijfers dan enkele van de publieke themakanalen uit Hilversum die nu geschrapt worden. Zonder subsidie is dit bereikt, en ook ondanks uw ongefundeerde en demotiverende afwijzingen. Duizenden commentaren staan op YouTube bij de 500+ EUX.TV videos die stuk voor stuk met de EU te maken hebben. En u zegt dan dat een initiatief als dit niet voldoet aan de doelstelling van het Europafonds, een fonds dat project beoogt te ondersteunen "die een bijdrage leveren aan de voorlichting en meningsvorming over de Europese Unie." Deze redenering is volstrekt onlogisch.

Wat ik concludeer is dat u niet gecharmeerd bent van het feit dat er regelmatig een kritisch geluid richting EU komt via EUX.TV. Ook de Europese Commissie is niet blij met onze videostatements van Commissievoorzitter Barroso waarin hij Europa met een keizerrijk vergelijkt. Uw afwijzing bevestigt deze indruk, en geeft daarmee aan dat het Europafonds een voorkeur heeft voor projecten die op een positieve manier over Europa praten en daarmee passen in het 'propagandaplaatje' van het huidige regeringsbeleid ten opzichte van de EU.

Het projectplan was realistisch en haalbaar, met een budget waar 'Hilversumse' omroepen niet bereid zijn voor te werken. Voor 100.000 euro maken zij slechts een reportage, terwijl een project als het onze er een jaar van kan draaien. Wij maken gebruik van videojournalistiek ( - Ondergetekende traint ondermeer videojournalisten voor Europese kranten via het European Journalism Centre te Maastricht - ), en kunnen daardoor werken tegen een kostprijs die vele maken lager ligt dan wat in 'Hilversum' gebruikelijk is, en met een kwaliteit die zelfs nog beter is doordat we met Full HD materiaal werken, en natuurlijk veel harder werken. Voor de economie van het Internet is videojournalistiek zeer gepast.

Uw afwijzing toont aan dat u niet op de hoogte bent van deze snel evoluerende ontwikkelingen in de mediawereld. Daarom bent u niet geschikt om innovatieve aanvragen als de onze op een juiste manier te beoordelen.

Over de financiele omstandigheden van White Bull Communcations BV ben ik open en eerlijk geweest. Veel van uw andere projecten zijn dat niet. Het is weliswaar een jonge startende onderneming maar met een groeiend aantal opdrachten. Het is duidelijk dat onze bedrijfsactiviteiten ook doorgaan zonder subsidie. Dat bewijzen we nu al bijna drie jaar. Van een onaanvaardbaar financieel risico is dus geen sprake. EUX.TV is inmiddels partner van diverse Europese mediaorganisaties zoals EUobserver.com en SeeTV, en White Bull is betrokken bij een breed scale aan mediaproducties, onder meer voor de Europese Raad, het Europees Parlement (onder meer CNN World Report), Krenotec, WatchTV, EIPA en de ESA.

Als journalist met ruim 25 jaar ervaring trek ik uit uw afwijzing maar een enkele conclusie: De beoordelingen van het Europafonds zijn politiek gemotiveerd en worden uitgevoerd door een incapabel team. Dit verdient de aandacht van de Tweede Kamer. Zonder 'politieke kruiwagen' is het als nieuweling blijkbaar niet mogelijk om subsidie te krijgen uit het Europafonds.

De demotiverende werking van uw afwijzingen moedigt ons alleen maar aan om nog kritischer te kijken naar de ontwikkelingen die de Europese regeringen erdoor proberen te drukken. Wellicht dat het project 'BrusselVandaag.nl' op deze manier toch nog van start kan gaan.

Voor de goede orde stuur ik een kopie van deze mail naar andere betrokkenen bij dit project en naar alle Nederlandse leden van het Europees parlement. Als er meer klachten bij hen binnen komen over willekeur, politiek voorkeuren en onkunde bij het Europafonds kan ons voorbeeld wellicht een onderdeel zijn van een nog uit te voeren verder onderzoek. Ik verklaar me in ieder geval bereid om daaraan mee te werken. Zolang er geen opheldering bestaat over de wantoestanden bij het Europafonds zie ik af van verdere aanvragen.

Met vriendelijke groet,

Raymond Frenken

Η ΕΥΡΩΠΑΙΚΗ ΕΝΩΣΗ ΤΟΥ "ΜΑΥΡΟΥ ΧΡΗΜΑΤΟΣ"

satyrikon — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:13:39 +0000

Η ΕΥΡΩΠΑΙΚΗ ΕΠΙΤΡΟΠΗ ΑΠΕΙΛΕΙ ΜΕ ΜΕΤΡΑ

15 ΧΩΡΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΡΩΠΑΙΚΗΣ ΕΝΩΣΗΣ-ΟΧΙ ΟΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΟΙ ΑΛΛΕΣ ΕΙΝΑΙ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΕΣ- ΓΙΑ ΤΟ ΜΑΥΡΟ ΧΡΗΜΑ.

European Commission Warns 15 Members

On Money-Launder Rules

BRUSSELS (AFP)--The European Commission is warning 15 member states that they face legal action for failing to adopt E.U. anti-money laundering rules into national law as part of the fight against terrorism.

Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy raised the warning in a letter to Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and Spain, a spokesman said.

Η ΣΥΝΕΧΕΙΑ ΕΔΩ

First Friday is Aug. 1

ffaw — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:28:37 +0000

First Friday Art Walk is breaking new ground in August. The Art Walk welcomes a new venue with Live at the Met – Metro Credit Union, that is – a celebration of art and music in Metro’s newly renovated downtown building. Meanwhile award-winning Fashion Designer Cherrelle Hitchcock takes center stage at Global Fayre, Artist Jesse Cox explores the parameters of faith and culture in The Covering at Good Girl Art Gallery, and Sandra Strother brings her Wild West Paintings to Bellwether Gallery of the Arts.

First Friday Art Walk, a free, self-guided walking tour of downtown art galleries, will be held 6-10 p.m. Aug. 1. The August event features live art demonstrations, live music, food and fun in 19 participating galleries. Among the August highlights:

Mixed-media artist Santiago Jim Delgadillo and OUTREACH: An Exhibition of Ceramic Work Created by the Claymobile Teachers at the Creamery Arts Center
The Art of Stevia Bonebrake at DB Design Salon & Art Gallery
Brian King, featured artist at Figment Art Gallery & Culture House
Landscapes of the Netherlands by Anne Cox at Fitzwilly’s Gifts & Antiques
10 Million Colors, new paintings by popular up-and-coming Springfield artist Gavyn Sky, at the Keyes Gallery
The Water Project: Part 2, images of Africa by Springfield Photographer Doug Pitt, at Randy Bacon Studio & Gallery
Torchwork Treasures, torchwork jewelry-making with hard and soft glass, at Springfield Hot Glass Studio
New Work by Potter Nathan Falter at Springfield Pottery
Mutation Sensation by Barcelona-based artist Charity Blansit at Studio 405
Celebrating the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at Susan Sommer-Luarca Fine Art Gallery and Frame Shoppe
See the full August Gallery Listing below for more details

AND DON’T FORGET … Family Art Night at the Downtown YMCA provides a fun, affordable child-care option for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years on First Friday. The cost is $10 per child and hours are 6:30-9 p.m. This month kids will design tissue fish, work with an experienced artist on drawing and enjoy inflatables and a healthy snack while their parents experience Art Walk. Call Kyla Bentley at (417) 862-8962, ext. 149, to preregister or for more information.

August Gallery Listing

Bellwether Gallery of the Arts, 600 W. College St., welcomes Sandra Strother and her Wild West Paintings along with the Original Oil Paintings of Dee Giles. The artwork will be on exhibit through August. (417) 831-1778 www.bellwetherarts.com

Big Smile Photography, 207 Park Central East, continues to showcase its Staff Photography. (417) 527-2885 www.bigsmilestudios.com

The Creamery Arts Center, 411 Sherman Parkway, presents mixed-media artist Santiago Jim Delgadillo as well as OUTREACH: An Exhibition of Ceramic Work Created by the Claymobile Teachers, in association with Springfield Pottery. Don’t miss the ARTalk by the artists from 7 to 8 p.m. Delgadillo, a native of Tucson, incorporates religious images and motifs into his work from the strong spiritual environment in which he was raised. Claymobile OUTREACH artists include Sherri Alexander, Michael Bishop, Ashley Byers, Andrew Eggers, Josh Heaton, Joel Harrison, Brian Lynch, Nathan Falter and Jennifer Falter. The Claymobile is a mobile ceramic education outreach offering fun and rewarding programs for schools and community-based organizations throughout the region. (417) 862-2787 www.springfieldarts.org

DB Design Salon & Art Gallery, 326 S. Campbell, presents The Art of Stevia Bonebrake, featuring the brightly colored and dynamic acrylic paintings of Bonebrake, a Springfield native. (417) 864-4343

Fashioned By Jaye, 212 S. Campbell, presents Photographs by Laina Jean Ridenhour. Fashioned By Jaye is a gallery and boutique featuring work by local artists and locally handmade jewelry, handbags, home decor, and gift items. (417) 862-4100 www.fashionedbyjaye.com

Figment Art Gallery and Culture House, 600 W. College Street in the Monarch Art Factory, is focusing potter Brian King as this month’s featured artist-in-residence. “The ritualistic, rhythmic process of plopping a lump of clay on to the wheel and coating each piece into shape is something that has intrigued and challenged me from day one,” King says. “In learning to center the clay, I have found a way to center myself and to have focus and patience. As I continue to create with clay I continue to create myself.” New works by King will be joined by those of Figment painters Kathlene Allie, Kelly Taylor, Abby Waters and Emily Elmore; painter/portraitist Annette Broy; mixed-media artist Nikki Howell; and photographer Cory Bates. (417) 868-8179

Fitzwilly's Gifts & Antiques, 308 South Ave., is pleased to present Anne Cox's newest works. A group of Landscapes of the Netherlands, done in acrylic, is one of Anne's newest projects, and she has shown her works at Nelson Art Gallery in Kansas City, Lincoln University in Jefferson City, and has a permanent display of the five-piece Metamorphosis on the second floor of the Cox Health Hulston Cancer Center in memory of her first husband, the late Thomas Spencer Cox. (417) 866-3696

Gillioz Theatre, 325 Park Central East, presents Featured Artist Charli Stout. Stout's primary medium is watercolor but she also enjoys acrylics. Many of her works are of local scenes, but a painting trip to Italy has inspired many of her more recent works. (417) 863-7843 www.gillioz.org

Global Fayre, 324 S. Campbell, features Cherrelle Hitchcock – Fashion Designer. Hitchcock holds top placements in competitions by Fashion Group International and MSU’s Project Runway. Her designs are primarily focused on custom work and one-of-a-kind clothing, allowing her to create truly unique pieces. A fall 2007 graduate of MSU with degrees in fashion design and fashion merchandising, Hitchcock’s future plans are targeted to special occasion wear and utilizing vintage fabrics and findings to create her one-of-a-kind pieces. (417) 873-7843 www.globalfayre.com

Good Girl Art Gallery, 215 W. Olive St., presents The Covering, an exhibit by artist Jesse Cox, for the month of August. The Covering is a collection of portraits in oil on wood, exploring the complex and often hidden world of women who choose to cover their heads – a reminder to the wearer and a statement to the observer of the adherent's culture, background and faith. (417) 865-7055 www.goodgirlartgallery.com

Hawthorn Galleries Inc., 214 E. Walnut St., presents An Eclectic Collection of Fine Art accompanied by the live music of guitarist Dale Auguston. Choose from original paintings, prints, sculpture, glass work, and a unique selection of jewelry. (417) 866-6688 www.myspace.com/hawthorngallery

Keyes Gallery, 229 S. Market Ave., presents a new exhibition, 10 Million Colors, in the front showroom. 10 Million Colors features fresh new paintings by popular up-and-coming Springfield artist Gavyn Sky. "They say the human eye can see up to 10 million colors,” Sky says. “I want people to see them all in one of my paintings." Also, in the secondary gallery showroom, visitors will find an Exciting Mix of Original Art by regular Keyes Gallery artists such as Daniel Flodin, Juan Pena, Billy Spicer, Debra Sutherland, and Hugh Yorty. And remember, Keyes Gallery not only sells high-quality artwork and rents showroom space for weddings and other events, but also offers an in-house frame shop, The Keyes Framery, which is now under new management. (417) 866-2722 www.keyesgallery.com

Metro Credit Union, 447 S. Campbell, joins the Art Walk in August with Live at the Met, celebrating the grand opening of its newly renovated building with live art and music. Sculptor and artist Richard Dudden will be working on a 50-foot jungle-themed mural in oil pastels in the credit union parking lot, and a diverse assortment of his sculptures and illustrations will be on display inside. Crafting in wood and metal since age 6 and drawing from the time he could hold a crayon, “What I love most about art is that it’s a naked expression of who I am and how I see myself in the world,” Dudden says. Accompanying the artist will be Lance Sitton & The Seed, a band whose musicians combine elements of roots surf rock, reggae, blues, jazz, folk and hip-hop to create a laid-back groove with an underlying vitality. (417) 869-9654 www.iownmybank.com

Nonna’s Italian American Cafe, 306 South Ave., continues its show Big Easy Jazz & Blues, paintings by Springfield native and New Orleans transplant Richard Lewis. (417) 831-1222 www.nonnascafe.com

Randy Bacon Studio & Gallery, 600 W. College in the Monarch Art Factory, features The Water Project: Part 2 by Springfield Photographer Doug Pitt. Although Pitt has had camera in hand for more than a decade, he has selectively exhibited his work only a few times locally and nationally, which makes this event truly special. His exhibit of photography in 2007 at the Bacon Gallery was a major success, with proceeds from the show helping to fund a well in the driest part of Africa. The Water Project: Part 2 features Pitt’s new photographs, taken during a 2008 trip to Mali, Africa, where he focused on the cities of Timbuktu and Koro. The trip was taken on behalf of Worldserve, a worldwide organization that works to help people in more than 30 countries. Pitt was asked to document the work in the villages, and the results are an amazing series of photographs depicting the people and land of Africa. Pitt and the Bacons are donating the proceeds from the sales of the exhibit to help Worldserve finance water projects in Ethiopia. (417) 868-8179 www.randybacon.com

Springfield Hot Glass Studio, 314 S. Campbell Ave., presents Torchwork Treasures, emphasizing torchwork jewelry making using hard and soft glass. A working hot glass studio/gallery with facilities for furnace, torch and kiln work, Springfield Hot Glass Studio continually displays its current blown glass, beads and fused work, and offers live demonstrations on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and First Fridays. (417) 868-8181 www.springfieldhotglass.com

Springfield Pottery, a fine craft gallery and community clay center, is featuring New Work by Potter Nathan Falter, co-owner of Springfield Pottery. Springfield Pottery also represents the work of more than 40 local, regional, and national artists in clay, wood, metal, glass, fibers, photography, printmaking and more. (417) 864-4677 www.springfieldpottery.com

Studio 405, 405 W. Walnut St., features Barcelona-based artist Charity Blansit, in a show titled Mutation Sensation. (417) 865-0450.

Susan Sommer-Luarca Fine Art Gallery and Frame Shoppe, 221 Park Central South, is Celebrating the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics with Susan’s Official 2008 U.S. Olympic Team art. Susan will be autographing a limited number of her official Summer Olympics posters for the public, and she will offer a special First Friday-only price of $20 per signed poster, 6-8 p.m. during the Aug. 1 Art Walk. A portion of all proceeds goes to support the U.S. Olympic Team in its efforts at the summer games in Beijing this month. Susan's Official Olympic art was unveiled at the International Swimmers Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, by Gold Medalists Amy Van Dyken and Greg Louganis. The Publisher of the Official Olympic Art for the U.S. Olympic Committee has stated, "Susan Sommer-Luarca is one of the greatest living sports artists of our time."

Please note: Drury Pool Art Center, MSU Student Exhibition Center and OTC Fine Arts Gallery & Studio are closed for the months of June July and August in accordance with the academic calendar. All three galleries will reopen in September. MSU Art & Design Gallery is open for regular summer hours and will rejoin the Art Walk in September.

Summer Reading

alyssa — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:00:06 +0000

I started the summer with an outstanding read. My co-worker/great friend, Linda, lent me a novel she claimed to have just devoured earlier this spring: Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian." I followed suit and enjoyed the thoroughly suspenseful tale of a girl following her family's tracks back in time. Her journey to better understand their history leads her through European countrysides, coasts, mountains and valleys. From monasteries to libraries, and the depths of ancient crypts, as she comes across possible past blood connections to a well-known 15th century historical figure- Vlad the Impaler (better known as Dracula). Truly, a page-turner.

[caption id="attachment_117" align="alignright" width="134" caption="Anne Frank House, Amsterdam"][/caption]

In preparation for the Netherlands leg of our own Europe trek, I'm revisiting (though practically reading for the first time, as it's been many years and was previously mandatory for grading purposes in middle-school,) "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl." What a brilliant, most sharp young mind, she had, even through all of that. Of course, we plan to stop by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Also picked up a couple of classics to possibly get to before or during the trip: Tolkien's "The Hobbit" (a children's novel, technically sure, but still a classic!), and Jane Austen's "Emma". Here's hoping I find the time to get to an optomitrist this summer- the eyes, they're strained... I wish Wii Fit could help with those types of exercises.

Dutch Court: Olly Olly Oxen Free

downwitheverybody — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:37:18 +0000

[Radio Netherlands] The highest hurdle has gone: would-be immigrants who want to live with their partners or families in the Netherlands do not need to pass citizenship tests in their own country first. They no longer face a Dutch language test and difficult questions about society in the Netherlands. The change came about because of a ruling delivered by an Amsterdam court hearing a case brought by a Moroccan woman against the Dutch state.

The rest.

Good Night, Liberal Holland

RvK/LC — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:54:19 +0000

The US Presidential campaign is rocked by a cartoon on the cover of The New Yorker, but nobody is suggesting that the magazine should be pulled from the stands, or that Internet copies of it's cover should be pulled from the Web. Pulling magazines from the stands, taking down websites or parts of websites, or arresting a cartoonist at his house with a small army of police officers - these are things we associate with such liberal democracies as Iran, Zimbabwe, or North Korea.

And with the Netherlands. The country of legalized prostitution, marijuana, gay marriages, and abortion, and generally relaxed morals has been cracking down on free speech recently, thanks to it's governing coalition of Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and the small, strictly Protestant Christian Union party. The result of that coalition is a rather devilish concoction of Christian morals and Socialdemocratic belief in the 'makeable society' - basically a method of steering public opinion with careful propaganda and heavy-handed disapproval of dissenting voices.

Enter cartoonist Gregorius Nekschot - the pen name refers to a Chinese Communist execution method, the neck shot - who was arrested in his home by nine to twelve men (accounts differ) because some of his cartoons were judged to be insulting to Islam and 'people of colour'. And, well, they are. I am sure they are. I myself find some of his work gross, bordering on racist, based on half-brained conspiracy theories about the multicultural society, and I wouldn't buy a newspaper that prints them on a regular basis. But then, no paper hardly ever prints any of his work. And, as Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell puts it in this excellent write-up: Should [cartoonists] go too far? Of course we should.

Eventually, some of Nekschot's stuff was pulled from his website - eight cartoons in total. And despite the international upheaval, with articles about Nekschot all over the western world, Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin recently said that the attention for the case was "unjustified". This is what liberal Holland has crumbled down to - a country where a small army of police officers raid a cartoonist's house because of his drawings and a government which has nothing more to offer in reaction to that than a very, very, very thinly veiled attempt at downplaying the enormity of their blunder.

I can deal with the Muslim hunting that's going on. It's a passing fad and I believe it's already losing ground. Nobody in their right mind honestly believes that the far right will ever be in a government coalition in the Netherlands. But this is of a different nature. These are mainstream parties and the Christian Democrats especially don't look set to lose any ground at all over this. There's every chance that they will be part of the next government as well. The trick is that the majority of the people simply do not care. Either they have never known what happened, or they have already forgotten, or they actually agree that the government should intervene when things go 'too far'. They vote Christian Democrats mainly because they are not touched by all this. Things are good, aren't they?

And that's how it works. You cannot rob someone who's awake. You have to wait until they are sound asleep, dreaming happy thoughts, and there's no blogger loud enough to wake them. Panem et circences, it is still so true after all these centuries. Even in 'liberal' Holland.

Mobile payment: with chip or by sms

Bart Vanmaele — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:35:49 +0000

Earlier this month, European mobile operators (represented by the GSM Association) and European banks (represented by the European Payments Council) have reached an agreement to collaborate on mobile payments. Together they want to look for an easy way to link a mobile phone to a bank account.

Mobile payments would be made possible with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, which means the mobile phone has an integrated NFC-chip which can be scanned to make a payment.
The collaboration is an effort to create a standard for mobile payments, which now knows many different technologies and services. But first banks and operators have to come to an agreement on the financing of NFC-networks. Second obstacle is that all consumers need a mobile phone with the NFC-chip.

Personally, I don't think a hardware solution should be used for mobile payments. Of all current mobile payment solutions, SMS payment still seems the easiest and most effective one. Mostly because sending SMS messages is so easy, common and popular. Everyone can do it and everyone does.

So I'd rather encourage initiatives like the one of Rabobank, who introduced their service RaboSmsBetalen.nl.

With this service, everyone can open a mobile wallet which can be credited with a certain amount of money. To make a SMS payment, you just send a SMS to the shortcode 6689, including the mobile phone number of the recipient, the amount you wish to transfer and a description. The recipient can use the transferred money to create his own mobile wallet or he can transfer it to his own bank account (though a fee is asked here).

The recipient can be a web shop but also an other individual. And Rabobank especially wants to target the latter. A practical exemple are friends in a bar: one of them pays the bill and instead of having to count their coins, the others can pay him back by SMS. This way, the need to have enough cash in your pocket disappears. So maybe we can finally get rid of those annoying bronze eurocents...

Internet Access in the Netherlands

researchreport — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:04:02 +0000

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Getting ready to go . . .

jayhawk222 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:45:41 +0000

Hi! Glad you stopped by the blog. I hope to keep it somewhat regularly updated as I embark on another Dutch study abroad program. This time, I'll be back in Utrecht but for seven months instead of six weeks. I am really looking forward to the adventure as it will be a new start for me in many ways. I will end up graduating law school in December of this year and I hope to then find an internship or work until next September when I plan to start an LL.M. in human rights or public international law. I will keep you posted on those details, however, as December draws nearer.

The program I'm involved with this semester, EuroScholars, is a relatively new thing and I will be the first American Law Student to participate. My school, Washburn University School of Law, has posted a news story about my participation. I was thrilled to see this article, despite the fact that the picture is less than stellar-ha!

Before I ship off to Europe, I will spend a week or so with my parents at their new home in Columbus, Ohio. I am really looking forward to hanging out with them before I leave. I suppose I got a bit spoiled when they were just across town instead of across 3.5 states. I hear there are good shopping locations and nice bike trails near their neighborhood, so it should be a welcome break from what's been a very hectic summer.

I will leave 28 July for the Netherlands and before my A2 Dutch course starts on 4 August, I will spend a few days with my brother, Chris, in Amsterdam. He has spent the summer near Cape Town, South Africa jump-starting a music academy for talented students in the area. You should check out his blog if you want to know more. He's really done an amazing job in the three months he's been there.

I am really looking forward to heading to the Netherlands for this project. My language course runs through the month of August and then I'll start the research project while taking a comparative methodology course at the University of Utrecht Law School. After the methodology course, I will focus solely on research and writing about child maintenance schemes in the U.S. and NL. My efforts will ultimately culminate in a co-authored article with my supervising professor, Dr. Ian Curry-Sumner, in the Utrecht Law Review. I will also give two presentations to groups of law faculty at Utrecht. The whole experience should be amazing, but I am a bit nervous at the outset as I don't know exactly what to expect. I guess that's all part of the adventure . . .

I did find out this week that after a bit of a rocky start, the housing situation seems to be all settled, and I have a place to stay on the Cromwijcklaan in Utrecht. I'm starting to get really excited!

So, finishing up the packing is the last part of the to-do list. Now if I could only whittle down the shoe selection to fit into United Airline's suitcase guidelines . . .

Tot ziens!

The wisdom of the bicycle sages of Holland

mattsteinglass — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:18:04 +0000

Ezra Klein writes today about the dramatically higher usage and greater safety of biking in the Netherlands, and Megan McArdle writes about how infuriating and dangerous the disregard of DC drivers (especially commuters) towards bikers and pedestrians is. My basic reaction is: yes and yes and yes. Biking is great, and societies designed for biking, like the Netherlands, make biking seem like the easiest, fastest, most obvious way to get around. However, having just got back from the annual vacation in the Netherlands to visit my wife's family, I also have two further reactions. The first is a caveat: creating the infrastructure of a bicycling society, both physically and culturally, is a very big deal. It's not just about painting a couple of bike lanes. Exhibit A:

This is the Kleverlaan, the shopping street of a residential neighborhood just north of the town center of Haarlem. As you can see, the auto traffic lanes are reduced to about 1.5 car widths, with speed bumps, forcing cars to slow down and avoid the kind of hostile driving Megan decries in DC. (Past the shops it broadens to 2 lanes.) Most of the width of the street is taken up by sidewalks, two red paved bicycle lanes (note the one at left; one lane heads in each direction, and riding the wrong way in a bike lane is strictly not done), and a couple of little dividers with pink flowery shrubs. Parking is practically nonexistent. Shopping is expected to be accomplished mainly by bicycle or on foot. But automobile traffic remains reasonably sparse because, a quarter-mile away through a little park, lies...

The Haarlem train station. It's two stops to Amsterdam Centraal -- less than 15 minutes. The Dutch rail network is extraordinarily dense and efficient; it serves every decent-sized town in the central part of the country. With the possible exception of New York City, I don't believe any region in the US has a comparably dense rail network. With a rail network like that, biking to the train station becomes the logical default commuting option. But that's not all. This is just Haarlem, a little town of perhaps 100,000. Once you get into Amsterdam, you get this:

This is Waterlooplein, with behind us the Blauwe Brug over the River Amstel; the brick building at left is the Opera House. This is a huge, wide avenue with just two lanes for cars. Taking up the rest of the space, besides the sidewalks, the red bike paths on either side, and the pedestrian islands, we have tram tracks down the middle of the street. Taxi cabs are allowed to drive along the tram tracks. And, up ahead underneath the Opera House, is a Metro station; the Metro runs underground in the city center and elevated in the suburbs. And note the red knee-high metal posts at the edges of the sidewalks, "Amsterdammertjes", which separate pedestrians from bicycles. In sum, this is an urban transit concept with a very sharply restricted role for cars. It works beautifully, but it's a complete system; you need to put together a lot of different parts to make it work. (We are entirely leaving out the canals, which used to play a major urban transit role but are now important mainly for sightseeing and pleasure boats and occasional light freight barges.)

And that's just the physical infrastructure. Perhaps more important is the mental or cultural infrastructure which makes the system run: habits of good cycling and driving around cyclists. To start with, cyclists always have presumptive right of way; a motorist who hits a cyclist is always assumed to be at fault. That entails an extra check in the motorist's right side mirror every time she makes a right-hand turn. Stoplights have three sets of signals, for cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. Pedestrians are not allowed to walk in bike lanes and will be yelled at for doing so, and, as mentioned before, cyclists must ride in the bike lane on the right-hand side of the street -- even, technically, on the right-hand side of the canal, even if this entails riding out of their way for a block or two to the next bridge in order to cross to the proper side. (Though in practice there's some tolerance for riding the wrong way along a canal, if traffic isn't heavy.) And then there are these:

These are flashing LEDs to hang on the back of your saddle. In recent years, city police have begun to strictly enforce the requirement that every bicycle have a working headlight and a working rear warning light at night, a rule that used to be enforced only in the countryside. (In a very weird way, the stricter enforcement of these kinds of traffic rules has gone along with rising antipathy towards Muslims and immigrants and less tolerance for drug use -- what the Christian Democrat PM Balkenende refers to as normen en waarden, "norms and values".)

The overall point here is just that the Dutch cycling model, which is a fantastic model, has lots of moving parts and grows out of a whole complex transit culture which you probably can't just introduce in a day. I think it's a better model than the American model not just because it's physically healthier and makes for a more attractive and human urban environment, but because it's more resilient, precisely because it depends less on a single modality. American cities that already have decent urban rail systems (Berkeley/SF, Boston, NY, DC, Chicago) should definitely move in this direction though.

Kudos (II) to Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr.

girbaudz — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:02:24 +0000

DBM money for faxes, electric fans, and Disaster Assistance etc.

First, even if the Pag-Asa is under the Department of Science and Technology, it is Sec. Gilberto Cojuangco Teodoro, Jr. who is the chief whip of the inter-agency task group that coordinates disaster assistance.

I was extremely surprised when I was told that suddenly Pag-Asa faxed an unsolicited message from a Quezon City number to selected government offices. Even if the fax contained near-microscopic letters and minute drawings of clouds, rains, suns, it provided a good view of the coming weather conditions and what kind of preparations one should make.

It makes Teodoro a good leader, a very good secretary and cabinet man. There aren't many good Queen's and King's Ministers all round us. But Teodoro is a candidate for an Olympic gold medal for being fast on the job. So kudos Mr. Secretary!

May your tribe increase!!!

* * * * *

On the other hand, Sec. Rolando Andaya of the Department of Budget and Management - DBM, should now look for ways to fund the purchase of more fast, heavy duty fax machines for Pag-Asa or else, more computers with fax modems.

Of course, Sec. Andaya should investigate ground floor, DOST and consider buying the laboratories thereat new electric fans, feather duster, Pledge and wiping cloth (they always seem untidy, exceedingly mummific dusty), among other kakulangan at that department. Even the brain of the DOST secretaries, always seem to lack turnilyos. Tsk, tsk, kawawa naman. Mr. Andaya, please give them some pity and buy them the necessary turnilyos. The worst is still to come; if the other turnilyos from the DOST secretary's head will also fall, that will be damnation for our national science and technology, that awa ng panginoon ay masayang nasa putikan na ngayon. OMG!

Sec. Andaya and the President should also look for ways to support Teodoro build a state-of-the-art disaster monitoring and assistance coordination system with a complete war room and the latest GIS software.

The same GIS is expandable later to becoming a monitoring system for hotspots during crisis situations, flashpoint areas, logistics movement and management, as proposed as early as 1990-1992 -- but the significance of which Cory, Ramos, Erap were not able to fathom.

Andaya and the President should also be able to do the same for Sec. Jose Atienza in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources -- DENR so that the agency can build GIS based mapping of the country's water, forest, soil, mountains, underground formations like caves, etc. and be able to create environmental hazard maps accordingly.

The SONA is about to be delivered by Madam Gloria but these things need not be mentioned if they cannot be done anyway.

But the most critical assistance that DBM can render the concerned agencies, is providing support for forecasting.

So far back in the past, Pag-Asa and Phivolcs for instance have always been crying for newer and better forecasting equipment, that are truly very expensive.

The United Nations, for instance can help provide funding for NDCC member departments or agencies (not through the DND since fund sponsors, such as, but not limited to World Bank are prohibited from giving money to military and other armed institutions).

If not the UN, at least that organization can help point the NDCC to potential sponsors that could help fund the projects.

Organizations based in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands are prospective sponsors and if the aid will have strings attached, at least the supply market in those countries are all attuned to the newest developments in the trade.

The Germans have always for instance been up-to-date in Disaster Public Warning Systems (PWS). Simple public announcement speakers for instance, during disaster, are able to utilize radio waves and reach households through radios and even television sets (at least these must be turned on, idiot). Nothing of the sort was appreciated by the higher ups in 1992 when this kind of German technology was offered. To think that Germany has huge clout in the Asian Development Bank -- ADB that bank could have approved a grant for the country.

Even if the gestation period for approving a funding request is long, the time frame between 1992 up to the present would have been too long for ADB not to have considered providing financial and technical assistance to the country in disaster assistance.

The problem was with nincompoops and fools in the Cory government who squandered time, resources and efforts in the highly critical emergency assessment, assistance and coordination front. Of course Cory herself is stupid, so what more can we say? She would never have understood the import and real worth in terms of human lives, properties, opportunities of what we are discussing here today. She always had her mahjong sessions and her ka-chikas then and she will always have them now anyway, so what the heck! Fucking presidenteng sugarol! Sounds like it's nice to eat no? But some people are fucking loads of shit and crap that their behinds get cancer just because.

And Ramos? Ask the Pangasinenses and they will ask you back, sino yan? Wala naman kami naramdaman na may naging presidente na taga Pangasinan!!! That says a lot of his accomplishments, doesn't it? Imagine the East Pangasinan ash that trampled huge areas of that province, destroyed riverine systems, ricelands and Ramos the President forgot about it all and up to now, lives, rice and other cash crops go down the drain with flash floods that heretofore were not known in Pangasinan before the Pinatubo eruption. Jesus f_g Christ!!! And the old boy keeps shitting Gloria about his genius ideas about how to solve our national crises, OMG!!!

And his asungot, Mr. de Venecia nee Perez, will be his stariray during the coming movie of Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola (Julia Roberts and Joe Perez in the billing), The Great Flasher while he, Ramos, the demonyong puppet master will stay unseen behind, pulling the strings as the Flasher and the throng mount and stage their next big attack against city hall. Well, helloooo!!! Excuse us, sirs and madams, aren't you out of your fucking minds? Aba, patahimikin niyo naman kami, marami pa kaming kalamidad na sasagupain!

The Arroyo government should not follow the Cory, Ramos and Erap models. All play, money making and no work. All because Juan was a dull boy!

At least La Gloria is a real, working president and people like Teodoro are truly worth their mettle. Unlike Cory who always managed to slip to the late Joe Quirino's house in Pasig to play her favorite sugal with her rich (kuno) and notoriously stupid (not famous) confreres. You can ask the wife of Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, if she is still alive. She is one of them mad mahjongeras and Mrs. Biazon's mahjong sessions with Cory is the reason why Pong became chief of staff and later a senador. Imagine!!! The fate of our country over a few games of that unspeakable game of plastic chips! Caramba!!! Dios mio!!! (At least Biazon owes his mahjongera wife the chief-of-staffship and the suggestion from her to hire an English tutor so that de poor Pong weel no longger spik karabaw ingglis. Susmaryosep!!!)

So there, it is hoped that more action will come from NDCC in the days to come. That DBM's Andaya will not repeat the example of Erap of buying huge teevee screens to make it look like that DND has finally built the state-of-the-art command, control, communications, computers and intelligence system to confront real disasters, specially in these times of global warming.

Godspeed to these people, and to hell with Cory and the rest of the demonyos who nearly buried us all in the pits by being heartless and unfeeling about the subject of national catastrophes and cataclysms. As if the greatest countrywide calamities that both threatened and actually hit us, were just like having a boiling stomach and making a simple trip to the toilet for them! Aaaaand,

Shit!!!

Voila!!!

Look Virginia, the disaster's oooohhveeeeeeer!!!!!

No Mississippi Flooding in RP only Kalibo mudshit!

No China earthquakes, only Baguio killer tremor and Pangasinan liquefaction and earth cracking!

No maritime natural disaster! Only murder by Sulpicio. (Pag ang intsik nagipit, bato bato sa langit, ang malunod at masunog wag magalit hhaaaa…)

Hay naku, tanqhna niyo talaga!!! Animál!!!

Rotterdam

daydreamermag — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:10:33 +0000

Zoals sommige van jullie lezertjes mogelijk weten, ben ik betrokken bij het skateplaza, dat Rotterdam krijgt. Nu het ontwerp redelijk klaar is, en niet te vergeten te gruwelijk, moeten we naar de uitwerking gaan kijken: een ontwerp kan te vet zijn, maar als het materiaal nie' klopt dan is het nog steeds kut met peren. Zodoende staan er in Rotterdam twee curbs met daarop 4 verschillende rand afwerkingen, zodat we van te voren weten, wat voor vlees we in huis halen. Dus moest ik nog net voordat de OV kaart zijn zomerstop inzette nog even langs gaan. Federico Dafies, John Koetzier en Rutger de Boer wilden wel mee gaan. Dus begonnen we een soort Supervet team dagje Rotterdam.

Federico Dafies bs 180 5-0.

Remco Rodenburg fs shov crook.

Rutger de Boer flip bs lip.

Rutger weer, en dit keer zonder flip, maar wel to fakie.

De crew van de dag, plus John Koetzier, die weigerde om vandaag op de foto te staan: geen enkele trick was vet die hij deed, zei die. Daar was ik het mee oneens, maar dat kan komen omdat ik er zelf gewoon niks van bak.

Na de test curbs zijn we zoals alle skatetouristen naar Hotel New York gegaan en hebben we een bezoekje aan Left gepleegd. Toen we Left werden uit gestuurd omdat de winkel ging sluiten zijn we naar de gap curbs in de stad gegaan, waar langzaam aan een vette sessie kwam.

Federico deed fs crooks als de malle!

Toen we hier klaar waren, gingen we nog even naar Pathe, even C-truken over het rooster heen gooien. Toen ook hier een truukje of 2 gedaan was, was het tijd om terug te gaan naar de Domstad en ons klaar te maken voor de dag erna.

Truck Leasing in the Netherlands

researchreport — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 08:01:28 +0000

Truck Leasing in the Netherlands industry profile is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Truck Leasing industry. It includes data on market size and segmentation, plus textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, demographic information, and descriptions of the leading companies.

Scope
This report covers the following:

Contains an executive summary and data on value, volume and segmentation
Provides textual analysis of the industry's prospects, competitive landscape and leading companies
Includes a five-year forecast of the industry
Detailed information is included on market size, measured by both value and volume

Reasons to Purchase
Purchasing this report will enable you to:

Spot future trends and developments
Inform your business decisions
Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
Save time carrying out entry-level research

http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=79459

AMSTERDAM FASHION WEEK DESIGN

amsterdamstreetart — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:14:05 +0000

THIS I WILL PUT UP THE STREETAT OD AMSTERDAM DURING AMSTERDAM FASHION WEEK (NEXT WEEK)

AND WILL BE FOR SALE SOON!