Earth Hour is done for this year

Dear Bloggers,


I am not an environment guru but I think that we can make a difference by switching off the lights, at least to get the idea that we are using a lot of energy.

we are trying to reduce our carbon footprint and live a more sustainable life and it can often feel like an uphill battle with no end in site. For every bottle and can that's recycled, there are ten more thrown in the landfill, and it can be quite frustrating to make the effort without seeing much change.

If you've ever wished you could make a statement about climate change that would make the world sit up and take notice, all you've got to do is turn off the lights.

On Saturday, March 27th at 8.30pm (local time) Earth Hour 2010 will begin, and homes and businesses around the world will extinguish their lights for one hour to create awareness about climate change and demonstrate the powerful affect of a single decision.

Critics of Earth Hour have pointed out that even with millions of people participating, the energy and emissions saved during these 60 minutes isn't going to save the world. In fact, some have gone so far as to accuse the environmental movement of wanting to "throw humanity back into the dark ages," and have proposed their own Human Achievement Hour, encouraging people to turn on every possible light and appliance on during this time.

So if you're asking yourself "what's the point?" here are three reasons to consider spending an hour in the dark.

1. Just because an act is symbolic doesn't mean it's pointless

Again and again people have said that the only way to truly knock out greenhouse gasses and slow climate change is to create an international regime that puts a cap and a price on climate pollution. This possibility, sadly, is in the hands of the world's politicians and diplomats who have been reluctant to take a stand. So, if turning off the lights for an hour starts to show the world that we're serious about fixing this problem.

2. Tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be eliminated

No, even millions of people turning off their lights for just one hour won't bring global warming to a screeching halt, but it will prevent hundreds of tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. Hopefully, this significant act will make people think more seriously about the magnitude of the world's energy usage, and they'll find it easier to turn off the lights day after day, which will make a big difference.

3. Learn to appreciate (and conserve) what you have

Contrary to what some would say, the purpose of Earth Hour is not to convince people to give up electricity and stumble about in the dark and cold. Environmentalists don't hate technology, we just think it should be used to help reduce our negative impact on the planet instead of charging full steam ahead until there's nothing left. Turning off the lights, air conditioner, computer, and television for an hour is likely to make you much more appreciative of these luxuries than if you simply left them on for another night. Once again, this small sixty-minute observance is a chance to change your thinking about the energy that's available to you, and make a conscious effort not to spill it.

I hope that it will give some people some positive ideas about the world that we live in.
I will join again next year, to make also my kids aware of our planet and that we can really do something.

The Old Sailor,

Video, foto's en toolkit - Earth Hour 2010 - Campagnes Wereld Natuur Fonds - Wat WNF doet - WNF.nl

Video, foto's en toolkit - Earth Hour 2010 - Campagnes Wereld Natuur Fonds - Wat WNF doet - WNF.nl

Hooray it's Spring

Dear Bloggers,


After a long winter with a lot of snow and ice, people are longing for spring weather. When I am waiting in front of the school to pick up my kids, you hear the others whining about the cold weather that we had for weeks. You can read it on everybodies face when the temperatures are rising and we do not need to wear hats and gloves aymore. Ok it is not warm enough to take off the warm winterjacket. When the sun is coming out you see the first ones working in their garden and washing their windows.

Spring is in the air
This week it became finally warmer weather. Finally we could enjoy the rays of the Sun Just look around you, the coming days. Everywhere the hormones start to work again. It is also called Spring Fever. Nature is getting busy. The crows build their nests in the tallest trees. You see the sheep having already the first lambs. The crocuses find their way to the light and the duck is sitting already on her eggs. The planning in the economy is also already made again. The leaflets with the bargains are coming in the mail again. And what will you do the next few days?

Some are going to the campsite to their mobile home to get things back in order. The boat is out of the garage and the motorbike is being polished up again. What comes back is an energy release in humans. And it will become be even warmer, as expected from the weatherforecast. Do you notice it yourself, even it is only a little bit?

In this period of year I drift of in my memories: Years back when I still lived with my parents. It seems so long ago, but it is not that long ago. What did my mother do and what we do not nowadays. And if you think about it is already very long ago, or I am getting quickly older.

What a difference
There was also much more reason that the spring cleaning had to be done. There was a coal stove or coal fire. And that gave a lot of dust. Every morning the ashdrawer had to be emptied. In wintertime you threw the ashes on your doorstep. And of course the covers of the beds. A quilt was not yet born. And the mattress with the springs. The spiral springs were of iron. Everything was brougth outside to let it the air and the dust was beaten out. Even the carpet beater was used for all rugs. The blankets and matresses were beaten by two people. We also did the books from the bookshelf. And all of us needed to help with it. We walked with a stack of books, outside and beat it. For my mother it was nice to have a big family as these extra hands could help.

Other times
Fortunately we live in a different time. The vacuum cleaner became a lot better and I slightly lower the teperature of te central heating. Hot water I get from the tap for things to clean. And in the meantime the washingmachine cleaned my laundry and I only have to put it into the dryer. And if have washed the windows, the next load of washing can go on the dryingline. So in this present time we have some more time to enjoy the sun and all the other beautiful things that nature brings. The thought alone, and springitches are born.

The summer should not start too quickly, otherwise we could not enjoy the pretty part of nature.

The Old Sailor,

Happy Birthday Old Sailor

Dear Bloggers,


It is that time of the year again, soon there is my birthday to celebrate and year 42 is there (that is 15.340 days).
Like every year the discussion starts what should we get you this year.
And funny enough the answer is already there, like always.

This year I get a bunch of flowers as the real thing comes later. But when it comes to surviving middle age, sometimes a man has to lose his bearings to find his way

Ever since Erik Erikson coined the term "midlife crisis" more than 30 years ago, male melancholy around halftime has been poked and prodded. The skeptics believe that the 40s funk is just a self-fulfilling prophecy for self-indulgent guys.
And given all the therapeutic silliness that gets sold as midlife fixes, it's tempting to treat the male willies as a psycho-bunch. Bad idea. Male midlife crisis is a time-honored trough, described by Dante and Shakespeare.

"There are multiple paths through midlife crisis,"at least that is what the experts say. Each man's journey is unique, shaped by his history and his hopes, his relationships, his blood pressure, and the angle of his dangle.
To be sure, the intensity of the midlife passage varies greatly. For some men, it's a dark ordeal that includes depression and is best navigated with a doctor's help. For most, it's a less perilous, but still demanding, midcourse correction. But whether the midlife transit is traumatic or just tricky, self-medication with bourbon is a bad plan, and nobody is served by pretending we're too tough to have troubles.

Our goal is to come through middle life as better men. Sure, we'll be a tick less quick off the dribble, and yes, we'll need to rely on others once in a while. But we'll also be wiser, calmer, stronger of spirit, and even more attractive to women of all ages. There are no perfect routes to your best older self. But we asked experts and some men we admire for guiding thoughts will ease the transit.

The midlife stew often starts with some garden-variety boredom. If you've been hoeing the same row for 20 years, only an idiot wouldn't wonder if there aren't some more interesting rows somewhere else. On top of it, we often get our first bolt of serious bad news: the death of a parent, trouble in a marriage, a career setback.

Often, come our 40s, some undeniable facts start eroding the dubious pillars on which we've built our notion of a man.
Remember Tolstoy's wisdom that "all happy families resemble one another, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
"The sadness of growing old is part of becoming an individual," and "The spirit finds an opening in the brokenness."

Express yourself, with anger. Nobody is suggesting that every hostile thought should get fired across the port bow. We've got to live together. But part of becoming a fully grown man is saying what's on your mind, respectfully, without rancor, straight up, no ice. But when the mortgage payment isn't at risk, it might help to be ever-so-slightly less eager to please. Speak your piece. Conflict is rarely catastrophic; it's just the sound of life happening.

Nope, sorry, this is not permission to act on those frisky feelings about Fiona from finance; just a reminder that the routinization of life saps our energy. Seek new tastes. Try new foods. Try reading a book, maybe two, maybe even one written by a woman. Or better yet, by a Latina woman. Get respectful of legends in areas other than war, and money. You're bored because you haven't learned anything new since the day you graduated from school.

Take up a new sport. Any new skill or competence -- cooking, gardening, carpentry, car care, golf, guitar, or origami -- makes the spirit more receptive. Get outside. Walk in the woods or even down your street at dusk or dawn. There is consolation in nature, inspiration in angles of light.

The Ferrari won't help. Nor will that teinted driver. There's no talismanic cure. "We deny our own sense of failure," says Levinson, "by using narcissistic pleasures as a device for reassurance." The only answer, wrote Jung, is to turn directly toward the approaching darkness and "find out what it wants from you."

The Old Sailor,

A Schocking Story

Dear Bloggers,

This week I write about fibromyalgia again.And as usual Iam reading on the internet about it.

When I am ending up on one of the forums of Rheumapatients, I am reading too many stories that can bring you down. Also here I find some jolly people, but most of them are quite negativ. When I open one of the subjects, I hardly can believe what I am reading.

It is about a young lady that is not been taken serious by the medical staff. Who are working for the medical unemployment services. She had been sent home with the diagnoses “There is nothing wrong with you, fibromyalgia is not recognized as a sicknes”. It is just something that you have, so learn to live with it. I see it many times that these doctors are not taking it serious.

Also the employers are not wanting to pay for a sickness that is not acknowledged in our country. Unfortunenetly she felt being left out and had the feeling that nobody wanted to understand her pain. Not even her own doctor was believing that fibromyalgia is real, and actually let her down.

Her pain became in many ways unbearable. When she was home on sick leave last week, she took her own live. Her family is totally devastated but they are greatful and thankful to the writers on the forum. Here she found people that understood most of her promlems and were giving some plain advices out of there own experience.

She stepped out of this life without any pre warning on the age of twenty-six. For a while I have been speechless anf tears were burning. How hard can it be for a doctor to acknowledge this crazy sickness. There should be more known about it especially by medical staff.

What a shame that absolutely nobody saw this coming and hardly anybody was understanding her. This has been hell on earth for her, now it is that for her parents and everybody else that loved her. I wish them a lot of strength in this bitter loss and to get through this darkest hour of their life.
Here you see that life is brutal and I will need some medication to calm myself down.

The Old Sailor,

A fieldtrip to the museum

Dear Bloggers,

It is springbreak and rain is pooring and the wind is picking up. We have decided to do something indoors unfortunately we did not have one nice day at all. The sun has been out but not longer than ten minutes.
It is another day that is filled with rain, rain and more rain. And the kids have spring break so it is time for a so-called indoors adventure day. With adventure day we are going to do something special together with a goal that we have fun and do something unusual. For example when I was sailing we went by bus or by train as my wife had to work and was using the car. As money has become more and more an issue and my wife has holiday too.

I calculated what it would cost to go by bus and train for the four of us and I was really schocked as our country wants to stimulate to go by public transport. Well let us calculate this.We live in Friesland, and today is the Nature Museum in Leeuwarden on the program. So we need to travel to Leeuwarden. First of all we need to go by bus and then by train. All bustickets for the four of us would cost € 30,10 and traintickets € 24,60 as our kids are under twelve day get a lot of discount. That makes a total cost of  € 54,70 and this is alot of money. If we go by car and that is what we did it will cost me € 5,40 in fuel and € 2,50 for the parking in the city. And that makes € 7,90 in total, ok I should charge some money for maintenance and tax and so on. So to make it easy it would cost me the double price which would be € 15,80 The difference is far too big € 38,90 is a lot of money if you want to stimulate the public transport. In my opinion every ticket should not cost more then € 5,00 for a day.

A great and really nice museum especially for kids! My youngest daughter got a card through school to help your grandparents through the holidays. If you are bringing a grandfather or grandmother you get as a kid free admission.

And I was advised about this museum by a former colleague who lives on the other side of the country. So there you see it again that sometimes you don't have to travel that far to do fun things, because it shows that the Frisians have many exciting creative ideas to make a very cool museum with some simple tools.

A diary of animals is scattered throughout the museum what constitutes a fun quest. This springbreak the Nature Museum Leeuwarden offers children to make there own fun crafts and a quiz a few times a day. There are many things in the museum you need to search or you take look at one of the viewers is also a fun activity, here you see the birds that are living nearby in the fields.

There was an exhibition about "The Secret Garden" and this is Inspired on the book written by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Over one hundred years ago it was first released, but the story is still popular to generations of children.
The Secret Garden tells the tale of three children who become friends through a special experience. By refurbishing the secret garden it will change something in themselves.

The story
Mary is rightly pointed to the estate of her rich uncle. Nobody pays attention to her and her uncle let it fail. He struggles with a great sorrow, the death of his wife.
After her death leaves her beloved garden close. The house appears to have a child to attend her nephew Collin, who is sick and weak and always stay inside. Together with her friend Dickon, the brother of the maid, she discovers one days at the entrance to the secret garden. If they open the gate appears to be all overgrown and neglected. She cited the garden is going to be refurbished.

Collin is also involved. They smuggle him out to see the garden with his own eyes. As they remove the weeds and plant seeds it creates a special friendship between the three children. The cooperation and interaction with nature helps them to process their grief.
When the roses bloom and the robin has young ones, there is something in them permanently changed.

The exhibition was created by Othilia Verdurmen.
It is an old friend of the museum and also made the Dragon Ming Li who lives in the attic of the museum.
All landscapes, animals and flowers made of textiles. It is an environment not only pleasing to the eye but for all senses.
The objects may be touched and felt and there is very nice music.
The exhibition is very suggestive, much is left to the imagination of the children.

The children loved the part were you went so to say under water in Friesland, because you end up there by going down the stairs as you get the feeling that you are walking under water. Here you see what a lot of thought has been given to this exhibition even a pair of paws of a cow are injected into the ditch. A swan is busy eating and there are some nice surprises.

But there's much more to do and see, such as flying like a bird and milking a cow there is a lot of thought to these things to fit the skills of children
I really find this fun. When I ask how busy it is today when paying the entrance fee, the lady behind the counter tells me that the whole week has been about a thousand visitors a day and that is a lot I think for a midsized museum.

The tinkering takes place in the courtyard of this old former orphanage that lies under a large modern glass canopy. This link between old and new is a nice architectural masterpiece. Here you can design your own craft to take home. There are, except the entrance ticket, no extra charges at all. There is also the great coffee and tea stand which is selfservice and this is also included. This is a nice incidental.

This whale was found dead at one of the islands above the Netherlands.

So if you live in the neighborhood and you have kids who love nature and crafts I would definitely go and pay a visit!

The Old Sailor,

Help the Red Cross or become a member

Dear Bloggers,

My wife is an active member of the Red Cross division in our neighborhood. http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ Every Tuesdaynight she is going to follow lessons with a diversety of items. They learn for example how to handle injured persons and also how to recognize bonefractures. Furthermore they learn CPR and how to use a walkie talkie as a professional which is needed when a disaster or a big event happens. Unfortunately the Red Cross in the Netherlands is getting short of (young and new) members, and we absolutely need these people for so many occasions. So I used all my sources to find out why I should write about them and I asked myself the following questions.

http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/
What is the Red Cross?
Most countries have a Red Cross Society or the Red Crescent but they have the same kind of background. The Red Cross can therefore (almost) anywhere in the world help people and children. Millions of volunteers who want to help, for example when an earthquake in Haiti struck recently the Red Cross in the Netherlands started to raise funds together with other help organisations, and they were sending people to help them. This is a specialized team that acts when disasters happen. The Red Cross consists largely of volunteers who do not get paid. Without all these volunteers the Red Cross would not exist. In the Netherlands there are about 34,000 volunteers.

http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/
The Red Cross has seven core values about the manner in which the Red Cross work is done. These agreements are called seven principles, I mention those seven lines, in my own words:

Humanity
Impartiality
Neutrality
Independence
Voluntary service
Unity
Universality

A full worked out version you can read on http://www.ifrc.org/what/values/principles/index.asp

The founding of the Red Cross.
In 1859 there was a battle of Solferino in Italy between the French and the Austrian army. After the battle were 40,000 wounded left behind, nobody took care about them. They had no water, food and aid. Henry Dunant was in the neighborhood as a coinkydink. He went to help the wounded and was taking care about them and he succeeded on his own course. He asked the help of Italian women from the villages nearby. They made emergency stations for sick and injured. When Henry was back in Geneva from his journey. Solferino he could not forget about it and wrote a book:''Un souvenir de Solferino''. In this book he proposed three things to avoid. The proposals were:
- In every country should be voluntary aid organizations be established to care for the sick and wounded.
- The wounded on the battlefield should be consider as ordinary people and should be protected.
- An international rule, these proposals will help the law and provide security for the wounded and the people who take care of them .
His book was widely read and many people were agreeing with him. In 1863 came from 16 European countries to a meeting in Geneva. They approved the proposal of Henry to set up associations of voluntary workers. On October 29, 1863 the decision was taken and there was a new organization founded:''''The Red Cross! With the creation of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant's dream was fulfilled.
In the years that followed there was a National Red Cross club. The Red Cross in Belgium in 1864 was the first national association. The Dutch Red Cross was founded in 1867. As we speak about today there are around 170 countries with approx 128 million volunteers.
For all the work Henry Dunant did he got in 1901 the Nobel Peace Prize later he got another four times the Nobel Prize.
http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/

The origin of the symbol.
The Red Cross is not just a symbol. Already in the 18th century was agreed that sick and wounded soldiers should receive protection and assistance If they wear a red cross symbol with a white background. All of this was agreed in Geneva in 1949. The founder of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant as a Swiss, Henry had chosen for this symbol, it is because when you turn around (the white cross and red background) was a Swiss flag. The sign of the Red Crescent association instead of a Red Cross a red Moon During wars, the symbol used for protection of the sick and wounded, and for those who help them. Many people know the sign of the Red Cross. This sign is very important in wartime. The countries have agreed with each other if someone or something wears the Red Cross symbol that it should not be attacked. Also the sign of the Red Crescent should not be attacked.
http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/

The Netherlands Red Cross.
Even if a disaster occurs in the Netherlands as for example the fireworks disaster in Enschede, the fire in Volendam, there are Red Cross volunteers are ready to help.
There are some special teams if they need to help the staff of an ambulance to treat injuries and ensure that the victims relatives are informed and will be mentally supported or even being picked up if necessary.

This so called Sigma team is being called in cases of bigger accidents.Furthermore there is group that acts in cases of disasters like in Haiti to find people in the aftermath of an earthquake.

Closer to home some volunteers will help disabled people to go on holiday onboard of the Mps Henry Dunant a specialized hospital ship for the ones who otherwise can not travel. For all this they have weekly education and training. At football matches, popconcerts, the Eleven city ice skating tour and so on there are always people of the Red Cross. They are also helping out with big vaccination campaigns as with the Swine flu pandemic.They are always there for us, what ever might happen to us people.
http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/

What does the Red Cross abroad?
The Red Cross helps people who have no food and drinkable water or who are without clothes, people who just experienced a natural disaster, and people who need medication in a war. In every country there are people voluntarily helped to get them medical care and drinking water. If it really is needed the Red Cross also from other countries that provide money, personnel and supplies.
Around Christmas time a Dutch radio station was raising money for mosquito nets against malaria one of the biggest killers in the world. And recently all stations reunited for the earthquake in Haiti.

Four of today's recognised symbols: the red cross, the red crescent, the red lion/ sun and the red crystal.
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The Red Cross and Politics

When the founders of the International Red Cross met for the first time in 1863 in Geneva, they decided to establish an humanitarian movement of strict neutrality. Soon, however, it became clear that politics and ethics could not be separated. Humanitarian aid and (local) political circumstances are aspects of the same society. The present attitude of the generals in Burma, the recent closure of the World Food Program in North Korea or the deception by Nazis’in the concentration camp Theresianstadt are proverbial and notorious examples. Even symbolism did not escape from the religious and political division. The Red Cross and the Red Crescent are the most significant results of this discussion. The Iranian government launched a successful campaign to introduce in 1922 the Red Lion and Red Sun.  The recent discussions, however, concerning the Red David led to an astonishing compromise. On 14 January 2007, the Third Additional Protocol to the 1949 Geneva Conventions entered into force. With it, the additional emblem, the Red Crystal, was formally recognized as emblem. The possibility of using the Red Crystal will make it easier for national societies who do not wish to use the Red Cross or the Red Crescent. Under international law, the Red Crystal offers the same protection as the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. The Red Crystal is an attempt to confirm once more neutrality of an global humanitarian organization, surpassing local and regional human political follies and (military) struggles. The universality expressed by the United Nations, International Public Law and the International Court of Justice is symbolized by the Red Crystal, universality as close as it gets.

http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/ http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/

If you got interested in the Red Cross just have a look on these webpages

http://www.rodekruis.nl/

http://friesewouden.rodekruis.nl/

http://www.ifrc.org/



The Old Sailor,