Happenings

Almost 9 years I have lived here in Holland and one of my biggest joys is wash day in the spring/summer/fall. I love hanging up the wash outside on the gadgets they have here for hanging wash on balconies.

I take great pride and time hanging everything up straight and neat. On sheet washing day I make sure I hang them all up double so they do not hang too low so they do not bother my neighbor lady downstairs. I have had the same neighbor lady downstairs for the length of time I have been here and we were on friendly terms. We even helped her with some problems she was having with other neighbors – to do with noise from household appliances after 10 PM. Well, I could have figured at some point we would be on her hit list as well.

About two weeks ago my neighbor lady told me that she did not want me to hang wash on my balcony anymore as it bothered her seeing it swaying in the wind. She also said she could not imagine why we washed so much. She would not mind if it was only out there a couple of times a week but never on Sunday.

She proceeded to tell me, among other things that this was in the ‘rental rule book’ and that I was not following rules. I have read this book several times in the past and dug it out again just to make sure I was right and we were allowed the luxury of hanging our clothes outside. Sure enough no mention of this in our rental agreement.

Yesterday my neighbor lady got me again as I was relaxing in the sun on my balcony, reading a book. I told her to call the wash police and send them to my door so we could have a chat and till that time I would continue as I have been for the last +8 yrs.

I am an abider of rules and have researched this as far as I can to make sure I am not doing anything wrong. I am assuming if the house rules changed in the last years we would have gotten notice and I would have changed my wash hanging accordingly.

Picture of a wash is to follow…

I had these listed on a previous page that is being deleted and put them here as they may be of help to someone.

UWV official figures.

The WAO Plein. – For those interested in support, information and just sharing with others (in Dutch).

Stichting GAOS – een organisatie van, voor en door arbeidsongeschikten.

Landelijke Vereniging van Arbeidsongeschikten (LVA).

WAO Café.

L.A.M. de Groot Heupner – expertise op het door het huidige UWV gehanteerde claimbeoordelingsproces.

WAOtrefpunt– gemaakt door lotgenoten en voor lotgenoten.

WAO – Stop de Herkeuringen

In ten years there are ten times more students skipping school.

This is the day and age where going to school is mandatory. This means that teachers have to control the students attendance. This is really needed here in the Netherlands because more students are skipping school each year.

Parents are given fines of 50 euros a day, (maximum 375. a week or 500. for two weeks) if a family goes on holidays when a child should be in school. For a child who skips school the parent pays 125. euros. Kids who are older than 12 also get a ‘task sentence’. (Rtl)

Here are some figures of a study done here in Holland.
———————-

Year —– total ——- ‘of age’ kids ——- under aged kids

2006: —- 5980 ——- 3060 (51%) ——– 2920 (49%)

2005: —- 5380 ——- 2820 (52%)——–  2560 (48%)

2004: —- 4930 ——- 2650 (54%) ——– 2280 (46%)

2003: —- 3830 ——- 2030 (53%) ——– 1800 (47%)

2002: —- 3880 ——- 2400 (62%) ——– 1480 (38%)

2001: —- 2610 ——- 1590 (61%) ——– 1020 (39%)

2000: —- 2400 ——- 1529 (63%) ——– 880 (37%)

1999: —- 1170 ——- 1200 (68%) ——– 570 (32%)

1998: —- 1580 ——- 1240 (78%) ——– 350 (22%)

Another sad story that really touches me…

Who are we to say what is right and what is wrong for other adults? As long as they are not hurting anyone why should we care? Kids brought up in a loving home life can only benefit in my opinion.

Patrick Stübing and his sister Susan grew up apart from each other in Germany and met in later years and fell in love with each other.

They started a relationship in 2000 and now have four children, three who have been taken away from them and are in foster care.

Supporters say they will fight to have incest removed as a criminal offense, stating the law is out of date.

Patrick has already spent two years in jail for this offence and faces another prison sentence.

Incest is not illegal in many of Germany’s neighbouring countries, he said. The law was a “historical relic”.

Napoleon abolished France’s incest laws in 1810 and it is not a crime in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal, Turkey, Japan, Argentina and Brazil.

Incest is forbidden in Britain, where the law was extended in 2002 to include not just those with blood ties, but also step-parents and their children and in cases of adoptions.

Germany’s constitutional court is expected to decide on the Stübings’ appeal in four to six weeks’ time.

You know this whole Anna Nicole Smith ‘thing’ is just driving me crazy. How does a mother have the right to say where you should be buried, just because she is your mother. I am a mother of two kids and I would not presume to know for one minute what my kids wishes are or what is best for them, alive or dead.

I would hate to think that my family of origin would interfere in any way with plans that my common law spouse may have for my remains. And I get along with my family.

From what I understand Anna Nicole Smith and mother had a strained relationship and rarely spoke in the last 10 years. What is the mother trying to prove at this point? Is she trying to get the final ‘control’ of her daughter? Will Anna Nicole Smith finally get her last resting place with her son or will her mother want them both in Texas?

For some reason this is really hitting me. Leave the girl alone and let her rest in peace with her son!!