Saturday, February 25, 2006

Democratic Party


This weekend its 'carnaval'. Don't ask me to give a translation. Its something they do in New Orleans (Mardi Gras) in Rio de Janeiro and yes in Tilburg too. People change into something uncommon. They leave their homes to meet friends, relatives and people they don't know in bars, cafe's, parlors, canteens and other places where people meet. Usually it continues after midnight and goes along with some rather serious beer-drinking. You meet folks old and young and of all socio-economic backgrounds. A very democratic party. All this goes on for four days; if you're really in shape that is. Nothing else to think about. Just get up, get dressed, start drinking, eat a little and go on until you go to sleep again. I've left my carnival days far behind me. I like to watch the parade, but that's as far as I get into it. Sometimes I feel a little sad about it, but I have to admit to myself that I'm not really the party type anymore.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Congestion


Driving to work and back again; this seems to be a national pastime. Each morning and each evening on weekdays, different radionetworks are broadcasting a long list of congested highways. It has grown into something of an industry in its own right. Depending on where you are its either a depressing, or a feel-good list. You feel really good when you're (still) at home and made aware of just how miserable you would be, if you would have been on the road right that moment. It's also a lot of time wasted. Politicians for years are debating solutions to this problem. Usually they come down to three options. First one is reintroducing a toll system on the most congested highways. The second one is building more highways. Third one is make everybody take public transport to work. Government seems to be opting for the first option, but apart from government, nobody is really enthusiastic about it. The second option is the favorite of the regular driver. Its difficult to realize this, because none of these drivers wants a highway in his backyard. The third option is a non-option because Dutch trains are even more overcrowded than the highways. Very likely, the problem is going to outlast the traveler. Until we all run out of gas, that is.

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Electrofog


I've looked it up and it doesn't exist. Some of you may have heard about electrosmog, but I don't think anyone ever came across electrofog. Its easy. Electrofog is the residue that clutters your head when there's too much electrosmog in the air. Electrosmog comes from microwaves, mobile phones, dect phones, wireless networks, that kind of stuff. I didn't make it up, really. All week my head was cluttered with quarrelling kids, birdflunews, work-related stress and coldplay-speed-of-sound music. So this weekend I tried to do as little as possible, just to clear my mind again. I spent my Sunday afternoon eating my way into a can of green olives, reading a Donna Leon novel and yes, listening to speed of sound. My head does feel a little better, which is kind of strange. The electrosmog still is here, even after kicking out my dect-phone. So is the fine dust which has reached inadmissible heights in the grey Dutch sky. I will admit the fog in my head is not only due to pollution of whatever kind you may think of. Perhaps it can be attributed to some questionable habits, like excessive coffee-drinking and smoking high potential Brazilian cigars as well. But granted that, you will have to admit to me, that there are a lot of things in the air which weren't around some four hundred years ago. Dutch skies have changed, definitely. You may think I'm paranoid and deluded, but if so, will you please make allowances for the amount of electrosmog in the neighborhood.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Love Hangover


Valentine's day. Yuk. I see advertisements in newspapers. Surprise your sweetheart! Take her out for dinner! Come to our place! We'll give you a reward and a free glass of champaign! Valentine's day still is something relatively new to the Netherlands. But it has gained momentum, especially in the past five years. I think it's a little strange. What makes me say that? I just take a look at the day after. Then you see the concept of eternal love is quickly disappearing behind the dutch horizon. Divorce rates are rising. And its not adultery that makes dutch couples split up. Some people are even starting to get worried over the impact it might have on the education of dutch youngsters and family life in general. People seem to forget about that, when february 14th is approaching. After that they wake up with a love hangover. Another good reason to say sober .

Treat your children well

Children don't have it easy nowadays. That at least is what you read in the papers. Child abuse has probably always been there. You might think its an international problem. There are different kinds of child abuse, and Unicef is trying to do its best to stop things from getting worse. What worries me is that also in the Netherlands children are abused, and that I seem to be reading more and more about it. Last week a toddler in Rotterdam seems to have died because of the wounds inflicted on him by babysitter. Its not only parents or teachers who seem to be doing it. A new development furthermore is that people are trying put the blame on responsible authorities, who should have tried to prevent these things from happening. If a child dies questions are asked by politics and local newspapers about welfare work. Were they aware of the particular problem? How did they deal with it. Most stunning about all of this is, that what you read about it, seems to be the tip of the ice-berg. That is what is really frightens me. All-too-often mistreated children grow into mistreating adults; a very wry "circle of life". Of course lots of people are worried. There are citizen and government inititiatives to spread awareness of the problem. Whether it's going to help, will probably only become clear in the long run.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Brick Borg Cube


Today I visited a really big hospital. Don't worry. It was strictly business. I refer to the size because it was really huge. I think it consisted of some twenty buildings all at least four stories, all of them interconnected by long corridors. I wasn't sure of where to go but followed the indicated route, which led me, among others, through the basement were I saw a huge kitchen, piles of blankets, a nurse and a patient riding together on a hospital bed, and people wearing all kinds of uniforms. I have been to hospitals before and very likely this visit is not going to be my last one (professional or personal), but for some reason I was impressed and felt awestruck. Maybe I should say I felt depersonalized. I'm not sure what the right words are here. Anyway. On my way home I found myself thinking of a spaceship. Don't ask me why my head turns the directions it does. Spaceships are largely imaginary things. But I do think they represent a concept. What was my next step? I couldn't help thinking of this hospital as a kind of brick Borg cube gone out of control. It had been growing, and building activity was still going on. I cant say I feel very comfortable comparing a big academic hospital to a science fiction bad guy starship. The people working in this hospital are doing it for some good reasons; they're there to help us. But like everything in medicine there are side-effects. Depersonalization in this case. I think I can say it made me feel a little dehumanized. Indeed, like being assimilated and living in a Borg cube. If you're really ill there's probably no better place to go than an academic hospital. At the same time I realize there's probably no other place where so much suffering is concentrated, where things unimaginable even for science fiction writers happen and which we all, sooner or later will inhabit.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The Razor's End.


Can'’t say I ever used one. But I know for certain, some of my recent male ancestors did. The Philishave electric razor was the embodiment of modernity for them. Wet shaving was backward. If you wanted to count, being a young man, you bought a Philishave: a Dutch produced device. And even later on when electric razors from Germany, the US and Japan entered the market; even then the Philishave kept a large share in sales. All that is coming to an end now. Philips has decided to put a stop to the assembly of Philishaves. And then Dutch men will have to settle for foreign devices. Not that they will object much. The Philishave has followed those long forgotten Dutch cars, Dutch TV-sets and even Dutch ships, into the heaven of things material. The Netherlands have become an international market, earning its money by buying and selling. That's what modernity is today.