Henk van de Goor's Bloggers@large

Ok, what is wrong with this picture? €83 million euros equals $117 million dollars. That's the amount of money raised in Holland with a the Holland Helps Haiti telethon this Thursday Jan. 21st.

This Friday, there was a telethon in the USA (and some other countries) organized (among others) by actor "George - do good - Clooney". The telethon was aired simultaneously on more than 25 networks, including CNN.

So far that show raised... $58 million dollars...

What? That must be wrong?

Let me get this straight: Holland with only 17 million people, raises $117 million dollars and the US (and other countries) with an estimated 308 million people, only raise $58 million?

I hope those are preliminary figures, because that would be a shame and disgrace in my book. It can't be right can it?  The Funny thing is that CNN writes in it's article about the telethon:

"The preliminary figure is a record for donations made by the public through a disaster relief telethon, according to a news release from telethon organizers."

Wow. I surely hope that this is a mistake and they can't really count all the donations fast enough.

See also: Hope for Haiti telethon vs Holland helps Haiti

With the winter hitting several parts of the European mainland and the UK hard, we see an increase of people getting stranded. They either get snowed in or find themselves trapped at the airport or train station. I find it amazing how bad people are prepared for these winter conditions. In several parts of Europe people have already died from accidents and/or because of the cold or - as I see it - a lack of preparation.

If people would just think a few steps ahead, they might save themselves (and other people) from a lot of problems.

So, for those of you out there that do want to prepare, have a look a the video below by YouTube user USNERDOC. He prepares for wintertime by putting a box with some basic tools and survival gear in the back of his car.

I highly recommend you prepare such a box yourself as well and put what ever gear in there that you think is useful. I think the video will help you come up with some ideas on how to go about that. I myself have a big backpack in my car filled with blankets, tools, a sleeping bag etc..  Anything I might need if I get stranded somewhere. There is really no need for you to become a sad statistic because of a lack of preparation. You can make the difference yourself.

Or, in the words of  Norwegian Arctic & Antarctic explorer Roald Amundsen (1872 - 1928): "Adventure is just bad planning".

Winter kit

Monday morning. Most people have vacation for at least 1 or even two weeks. Not me, and obviously not all the people around me that tried to leave Almere. As soon as I drove around the corner I was stuck in traffic. I tried a small detour, but it didn't help. All in all it took me 45 minutes just to get to the highway (less than 3 miles from my home). After that another 30 minutes to get on the A1 highway. From there it was a smooth ride even nice and sunny.

Anyway, caught a slice of my life again on camera. I ♥ Holland?

Daylight saving time, or DST, will kick in here in Europe tonight. When it's 3am, our clock moves back to 2am. I never understood why we need to change the clock each time. All I know is that when winter time starts, I get an extra hour of sleep. Good as that might sound, it also means I get hungry earlier during the day for at least a week or so. And when it's around 4pm I feel like going home from work already.

Some say that using DST saves on energy. But I think thats just a load of bullcrap. In fact, research about how DST affects energy use, seems to be limited and mostly contradictory. I think it's completely unnecessary in our modern age to change the clock twice a year. Oh well, maybe I will get old enough tot see the day they change that and just stick with the time as it is.

When people are talking about dictators, they usually live in countries far away like Africa or South-America. I'm talking about the likes of Hugo Chavez (Venezuela) and Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe). What a lot of people do not realize is, that right here and now, we have a dictator in Europe as well. A dictator that got elected democratically, just like Hugo Chavez and Robert Mugabe once were elected. But a dictator nevertheless. I'm talking about president Silvio Berlusconi (73yrs) of Italy.

Don't get me wrong: I believe strongly in he fact that most countries (not all) get the government they deserve. But let's face it: Berlusconi is one of the worst (or best) examples of a politician misusing his powers and influence for personal gain - just like a dictator. To me, he is right up there with people like former Russian president Vladimir Poetin.

Berlusconi is one of the few politicians in the democratic world that can boast he is "(...)record-holder for the number of trials"(...). He has had more trials against him them any other politician.

Now, under any other circumstances I would say that any person on this planet is innocent until proven guilty. But with Berlusconi there is no doubt in my mind that he is guilty as sin.

My proof is simple. In 2008 Berlusconi passed the "Lodo Alfano law", granting immunity from prosecution to the four highest political offices in Italy: the President of the Republic, the two Speakers of the Houses of Parliament and the Prime Minister. The whole purpose of the law was to stop any trials involving Berlusconi himself, by placing him above the law, which - in my opinion - is a disgrace.

Now, you would think that Italian citizens would not put up with his blatant misuse of power and start protesting and rallying the streets. I'm sure that would happen in Holland or in the USA when the president would try to do the same. I mean: president Nixon had to resign for less. Well, not in Italy. For many people Berlusconi is a hero because he appeals to the common man and has somehow served them well (in the short term) by doing what they want. Among them some reforms of labor laws leading to less unemployment and reversing a law that would have raised the retirement age to 60yrs - so it's back to 58yrs (by the way: in Holland it's 65 and it will become 67 soon).

Now, just like with that other Italian institution - the Mafia - Berlusconi's influence stretches far, and his power corrupts many, but this week it seems Berlusconi reached his limit in what he can do and who he can corrupt. Because on October 7th this week, the Italian's Constitutional Court ruled that the Lodo Alfano law is unconstitutional, so trials against Berlusconi can be reopened again. Berlusconi of course commented the ruling as "politically motivated".

Personally I think this is a triumph for democracy. Europe should not be a place for blatant dictators and politicians serving only their own best interest, even if they once where elected by the people. Since Berlusconi is 73 already, he will probably be dead by the time they put him on trial. Still: it will be interesting to see what happens.

Or, in the words of Nico Toscani: "You guys think you're above the law... well you ain't above mine!"