Peekaboo

King Winter

Winter struck back with a vengeance. Over here in Holland the winter so far was very mild. Day after Christmas it was sunny with 12C and many people went out for walks on the beach. The latter is something mostly seasoned outdoor folk do in the winter.
All that changed in the beginning of this week. Temperatures dropped considerably. Yesterday it started snowing and last night it was -19C in the Amsterdam area. Read in the newspaper that the last time we had a cold spell like this was in 1956. It looks like the unusual weather patterns (we had here in Holland and Western Europe) are continuing.

Radiant Sky

Couple of days ago we had Northern winds over here, so clear unpolluted skies with isolated clouds. Thought the picture came out great.

Pan Art

Happy New Year 2012

Happy New Year readers. Still on a break of sorts and I'll probably take it easy with the blogging in the nearby future. Blogging on the internet is one thing, being active in real life is another. Focusing more on the latter. Here in Holland the economic prognosis is pretty much doom and gloom. Every cost of living will go up, politicians don't even bother to hide it. Holland's healthcare system used to be topnotch but insurance went up while the coverage got less. Even dental insurance has been completely privatized, meaning dentists aren't regulated anymore - the cost of treatments will skyrocket. Seeing how America is doing, I fear the worst for my own country which used to be fair and social.

Pepper It

The Socrates Decision

Last sunday I found about Socrates, the Brazilian football player, who had passed away. Only 57 years old. I remember him fondly. As a young teenager I used to watch Brazilian football matches in 1982 and 1986 during the World Championships. Socrates also played and scored some magnificent goals during that time but sadly never lifted the cup.

When I found about Socrates I was having a drink and smoking a cigarette. Ironically, these 2 things plagued Socrates most of his life. Although being a doctor, he made no secret of being a heavy drinker and smoker. Prior to his death he was hospitalized twice with bleeding in the digestive track. He recovered but attracted one final fatal infection a couple of months later.

Personally, I had major problems with my intestines as well. Just 2 years ago I was operated twice after developing abscess' and later on fistulae. Spend months recovering from what turned out to be an intestinal infection, a surgeon remarked to me that it looked like Crohn's disease. It's also a condition that keeps coming back. I only drink a fraction of what I consumed when I was younger. Smoking a pack a day however continued.

Last weekend was weird. Spend the morning mostly in the bathroom relieving myself. In the afternoon I looked up articles on the internet about intestinal problems and found out that smoking can have a tremendous effect on the digestive system. Than I visit CNN on the internet with my cigarette and drink in hand and I click on the article about Socrates. That was my last cigarette...

Dude, Where's My Car? XII

Why are car thieves often such bad drivers? I mean if you take the profession of stealing cars at least learn how to drive at high speed. Otherwise you'll simply wind up in jail like this fellow.

Sketchzoid #42

Dag van de Verontwaardiging

Pictures from the protest in Amsterdam last sunday called 'Dag van de Verontwaardiging.'

Oc Am

The Occupy Amsterdam camp last sunday.

Fogger 2

Last week's midday sun, for a moment shinning through the dense fog.

Imperial Tropes

“We face the threats from rising powers — China, India, others — that we have to always be aware of and try to make sure that we always have sufficient force protection out there in the Pacific to make sure they know we’re never going anywhere.”

Leon Panetta
(US Defense Secretary)

Zeitdam

Shots taken from the Zeitgeist Netherlands HQ, overlooking de Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, Amsterdam.

Dutch Treat 3

Check this out. Right after the Second World War in 1946 the Dutch government had plans to annex territory from Germany. You learn something every day. The plans were denied by Allied command in light of tensions with the Soviet Union and the necessity to build a strong, new Germany to confront the communist threat.
The Dutch annexation plan was actually the second proposal in their quest for compensation. In 1945 the Dutch state demanded 25 billion guilders from the Germans. Needless to say that this plan also didn't come to fruition. In the end Germany paid the Netherlands the amount of 280 million marks. Read more about it here. From my perspective it also shows the contemporary mindset of colonialism, seize every bit of land that you possibly can.