Tuesday, 15 November 2011

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

I believe...

"I believe in pink.
I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.
I believe in kissing, kissing a lot.
I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.
I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls.
I believe that tomorrow is another day and
I believe in miracles."

- Audrey Hepburn -

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Just me

Before I officially start this post, I feel I should warn you. With a few exceptions, I don't really like to get too personal on this blog. That's just not my style. But in the post I'm about to write (although I must admit I'm still debating whether I should actually write it, and if so, whether I really want to publish it) I will be getting a little bit more personal. So, if that's not really your style either, if that doesn't interest you one tiny bit, you should probably run away... right... about... now!

Not too long ago, I finally joined Facebook. I had actively and persistantly resisted it before (you see, even though I have not one, but two blogs, I am in fact not very much - or not at all - into technology), but when a good friend of mine who is perhaps even more technologically challenged than I am, ventured onto Facebook, I couldn't very well stay behind. So, like the millions and millions of people who went before me, I now am the proud owner of my very own Facebook-page. Once I found some people who were actually willing to publicly admit to being my friends, Facebook started to throw all of these people my way, suggesting that I might know them. Some of them I know or knew, most of them I have never heard of. Of the ones I actually know or have known, most I like and if for some reason we haven't stayed in touch, I would very much like to see what they're up to these days. However, there are also a few I don't really care for and I would have been fine to have never been reminded of them ever again (thank you very much, Facebook!).  These few people (really, just one or two, I don't want you to think there are all these people out there that I don't like) I met in high school. Which kind of brought me back and got me thinking about my time in school (thanks again, Facebook!). I guess I was a pretty weird kid in high school. I was really shy. I never quite knew what to say. I was awkward and quirky. I wore cheap and often second-hand clothes, with which I desperately tried to create my own style (I failed miserably, if you must know). In short, I wasn't cool at all. Definitely not one of the popular kids. Don't get me wrong, I had some amazingly awesome friends! Still do! But there were also a few people who just didn't really seem to like me very much. Fortunately, I didn't get teased too often or too badly. But I did get made fun of every once in a while and especially when you're already a shy kid, that's not exactly doing you much good. So... I became even more shy and I desperately wished to be different. Cooler, prettier, less shy, more outspoken. Just anything but myself. And although I absolutely, more than anything in the world, wanted and tried to be different, I never really knew how. It actually took me the longest time (ok, this makes me sound kind of old, it might have just felt like a long time) to figure out why I wasn't very succesful at being different. The answer is actually quite obvious. Because you just can't be different. You just can't be what you're not (I know, this is starting to sound a bit too philosofical, but bear with me). This doesn't mean you will always be the same. You change, you grow, you learn, you evolve. And you should. But I believe this only concerns the nuances of who you are. The person that you are, your personality, your soul, that doesn't change. Nor should it. You just simply are who you are and you don't have to do anything about it. Now, realising that is one thing, accepting it is another. Accepting who you are, weird quirks and all, isn't the easiest thing to do (especially after having been teased for who you are and after trying to be different for so long). But personally, I like to think I've come a long way! Now I like that I'm a little different and that I have some weird little quirks. I like it when my boyfriend calls me his little weirdo (which he means in the nicest possible way, I assure you). Being normal is just boring anyway! I like it that I'm just me now. That doesn't mean that I'm never insecure anymore, but what I guess I'm trying to say is (I guess, because half the time I don't even really know myself what I'm trying to say): Just be yourself! Because there isn't anybody else you're going to be. And if you're a little bit different? Even better! And if people don't like who you are? That's their problem, not yours!

Oops, did I get way too personal here? Too much information? Well, I warned you. You should have run when you had the chance!

Thursday, 9 June 2011

Loving day

I'm supposed to be working today, instead I'm stuck at home not feeling very well. Having slept untill about 1 in the afternoon already, I'm pretty much all out of sleep right now. But what is one left to do when one isn't feeling up to much else? Browse around the world wide web for random stuff. Look what loveliness I came across:

"This Sunday, June 12, is Loving Day; and celebrations and commemorative events will take place around the nation. Loving Day is the 44th Anniversary of the 1967 unanimous Supreme Court decision in Loving v. Virginia, striking down anti-miscegenation laws.
 
Richard Perry Loving (felicitously named) married Mildred Delores Jeter in June of 1958. Since he was white and she was black, and interracial marriage was prohibited in their home state of Virginia, they traveled to Washington, DC to get married. A few weeks after returning home, they were arrested, pled guilty, and were sentenced to one year in jail. The sentence was suspended for 25 years on condition that the couple leave the state. Appeals within Virginia (while the couple lived elsewhere) upheld their conviction as non-discriminatory because both the white and black spouses were convicted and sentenced equally. Nine years later, the unanimous Loving decision finally put an end to anti-miscegenation laws, and allowed the Lovings to return to their home state.
 
In 2007, a year before she died, Mildred Loving prepared a statement in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Loving decision. It concluded:
 
Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don't think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the "wrong kind of person" for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people's religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people's civil rights.
 
I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard's and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That's what Loving, and loving, are all about."

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Personality

Oops, it's been a while since I've written something for my cute little blog over here. I guess I've been a bit too busy with my other blog. I'm sorry, sweet blog of mine, can you forgive me? (I like to think it will say yes, but then again, it's probably not a very good sign of my mental health when I hear my blog speaking to me)

I like sunday. I think it's my favorite day of the week (but I guess that's true for most people). I like to do as little useful things on sunday as I can and stay in my pyjama's way too long. Today I found this fun personality quiz (found it via How About Orange) to waste my time with. I don't think the outcome was all that accurate, but I still like it. Here is what it said about me:


My personality

Mood: Go Getter
You're an adventurous soul (who sits behind her computer on a sunday afternoon in her pink bathrobe taking a personality quiz, very adventurous that soul of mine!) with a bit of a romantic outlook. You have a very creative spirit and love to search out new experiences that will fuel your imagination. Your choice of drink (I choose water, because I'm boring and that happens to be what I drink most) shows that you care about your health and make sure you're putting the right stuff in (does chocolate count as 'the right stuff' too?). When it comes to holidays you see them as the perfect chance to further yourself and to learn more about the world around you. You like to be immersed in a completely different world and would be really bored just sitting on a beach (ok, that's true, I like walking on the beach, but just sitting on it? No, thank you).

Fun: Thriller
As for the home you have an expressive personality (I do? I did not know that, it might explain the bright orange wall in my bedroom though). You like your surroundings to be simple and comfortable (does anyone really like their surroundings to be uncomfortable?) - with a really romantic feel. You love physical activity (I do??? That's news to me!) - you've got serious wanderlust. Keeping a clear head and healthy body makes you ready for whatever life throws at you. For kicks you like to indulge and treat yourself to whatever you like. After all you only live once!

Habits: New Wave Puritan
When it comes to art you tend to have a traditional approach (I picked out a painting of Van Gogh... what can I say, I'm a sucker for a crazy guy who cuts of his own ear, I did not realise that made me traditional). You are passionate about history (if only someone told me that in highschool, I might not have failed it) and true classics. Truly great art stands the test of time. As for music for you it's all about self expression. Nothing beats it to take you away from everyday reality. You love being a little bit naughty (yep, that's me, breaking rules left and right). Being good all the time is too boring - life should be about enjoyment. When you think of freedom - you think of living for the here and now. You're pretty (ah, thank you!) fearless and take any opportunity open to push yourself to the limit.

Social: Fun
You can never get enough attention or affection. You love to be touched. You love to touch others... And what turns you off: Vanity in a world gone mad. You favor a natural look. Fantastic not plastic. You have real passion for life and you don't like to take things too seriously (such as this quiz). For you friendship is all about enjoying yourself (no, I prefer to always have a bad time when I'm with friends) and seeing the funny side of life.

Thursday, 14 April 2011

The story of stuff - summarized for your convenience

Earlier today I posted a great little 20-minute movie called The Story of Stuff. But I've been informed by someone who knows a lot more about this than I do, my brilliant knows-all-about-computers-and-the-people-who-use-them boyfriend, that this video is too long for the attention span of the average internet-surfer. Therefore, I decided to reduce it to a small summary and highlight some of the mindblowing facts that are mentioned in it. I still recommend you go see it though, because it is just so fascinating (to me, at least).

  • Annie Leonard, who presents The Story of Stuff, spend 10 years traveling the world to research and track where our stuff comes from and where it goes.
  • In the past 3 decades, 1/3 of the earth's natural resources have been consumed.
  • 80 % of the planet's original forests are gone.
  • The Amazon is losing 2.000 trees a minute.
  • During the production of stuff, chemicals are added to the resources that have been extracted from the earth (for example: wood). There are 100.000 synthetic chemicals. Only a few have been tested for the impact they have on us. None have been tested for the impact they have on us once they had a change to interact with eachother.
  • BFRs (brominated flame retardants) are neuro-toxins, which means they are toxic to the brain. These chemicals are used on all types of products, including matresses and pillows.
  • The food with the highest level of toxic contamination is human breastmilk.
  • 1 % of all materials is still in use 6 months after the date of sale. The other 99 % is trashed (in the US).
  • Planned obsolescence - "designed for the dump": All kinds of stuff is designed to break after a while (not too quickly, so you don't loose faith in the product, but soon enough) so you buy more.
  • Perceived obsolescence: The way things look is changed all the time (clothing, shoes, computers etc.) so you keep buying new stuff, because you don't want to look old-fashioned.
  • National happiness (in the US) peeked in the 1950's and has been declining ever since. The 1950's was also the time that the consumption mania exploded.
  • Dioxin is the most toxic man-made chemical that exists. The number 1 source of this chemical is the incineration of garbage (thus, the most toxic chemical ever is being blown into the air for us to breath in).
  • For every garbage can that leaves our home, 70 garbage cans of waste was created to produce the stuff that ends up in that 1 garbage can.
  • A lot of stuff is too toxic to be recycled or just cannot be recycled (since it consist of too many different materials that cannot be separated).
PS: This afternoon, I found a blog called The Zero Waste Home of an American family that strives to create zero waste (by refusing, reducing, reusing and, as a final resort, recycling). Very fascinating!

The story of stuff


Everyone should see this little film called 'The story of stuff'! I came across it on the website The Kind Life. It looks and sounds a bit like it was made for small children (and perhaps it was), but it is filled with a ton of mindblowing facts and insanely interesting information about where our stuff comes from, the highly consumeristic world that we live in and the effects that this modern way of living has on the environment and ourselves. Check it out... today! And start thinking of (small) ways that you can reduce, reuse and recycle your stuff.

Sunday, 3 April 2011

Less = more

Why I don't eat meat... a lot.

I guess my way of eating is not easily labeled. I'm not a vegetarian, because I eat, and don't have a problem with eating, fish. And I'm definitively not vegan, since I absolutely love (almost) all things dairy and cheese. But I don't eat a lot of meat. I've consiously made the decision to eat less meat after learning more about the modern meat industry and the effects that it has on the environment, ourselves and (perhaps most surprisingly to me) world hunger.

"Earth's 6,8 billion residents produce enough food to feed between 9 and 11 billion, yet 1 billion go hungry."
-- Joel Cohen, mathematical biologist - BigThink.com
So, we produce more than enough food to feed all the people on the planet, but there are still people starving. How can this be? This is, in part, because about 2/3 of the food (mostly grain) is being fed to animals in the meat industry. It takes 16 pounds of grain to produce only 1 pound of edible meat. How illogical!

"Meat consumption is an ineffecient use of grain - the grain is used more efficiently when consumed directly by humans. Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grain to animals, creating competition for grain between affluent meat-eaters and the world's poor."
-- The Worldwatch Institute
Here in The Netherlands, about 60% of our grain is being fed to animals. Even worse, developing countries are also growing grain which is exported to Western countries where it is used to feed livestock. This is financially more benificial than using it to feed their own people (Vegetariërs.nl). Not only does the meat industry use a whole lot of grain, it also takes up huge amounts of other resources, such as water, land and energy.

"It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat, while growing 1 pound of wheat only requires 25 gallons. You save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you do by not showering for six months! A totally vegan diet requires only 300 gallons of water per day, while a typical meat-eating diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day."
-- PETA
A lot of land is needed to not only house the animals, but also to grow the grain that is used to feed them. This leads to deforestation, which in turn leads to other environmental problems (such as the extinction of species and an increase in the amount of CO2 in the air).

And energy... the meat industry is a gigantic consumer of lots and lots of energy. It takes a 100 times more energy to produce 1 kilogram of meat than it does to produce 1 kilogram of potatoes. - Vegetariërs.nl

Furthermore, the meat industry is a major contributor to global warming and pollution. Worldwide, 18% of greenhouse gases ('broeikasgassen') can be contributed to the production of meat. This is 5% more than that of all types of transportation - cars, trains, boots and planes - combined! - Vegetariërs.nl

 The best known greenhouse gas is CO2, but the meat industry also exposes us to other greenhouse gases, most notably methaan (which is 21 times stronger than CO2!) due to the massive amounts of manure that the animals produce. - Vegetariërs.nl
"Rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars."
-- United Nations
So, the modern meat industry is clearly not all that good for the environment. But the eating of meat isn't really all that good for ourselves either. It has been scientifically proven that eating lots of meat is unhealthy and that vegetarians generally suffer less from heart- and cardiovascular diseases and usually have less problems with obesity and diabetes (Vegetariërs.nl and ChooseVeg.com). It has also recently been in the news that (Dutch) scientists have now been able to proof definitively that eating meat (meanly chicken) can make your body resistent against antibiotics. This has to do with the antibiotics that are given to the animals that is still in their meat once you eat is.

After learning all this, and more, I decided to eat less meat. A whole lot less. Which for me, wasn't really all that much of a sacrifice, because I wasn't the biggest fan of meat in the first place. I do eat meat occasionally when I feel like it, and because I'm not necessarily against the slaughter of animals, I don't feel guilty when I do. Therefore, I'm also not saying that everyone should become a vegetarian, but just eating a little bit less meat would make such a great difference. It would be better for the environment, for yourself and it could make a small difference in the fight against world hunger. This is definitely a case where less = more! By eating less meat (and still eating delicious meals) you give other people, who desperately need it, a chance to have more food.

Monday, 14 March 2011

The ramblings of a frustrated jobhunter

Hello, my name is Sylke... and I'm a frustrated jobhunter.

I've graduated in August and ever since then (and a little bit before that time as well), I've been looking for a job. Preferably a job that relates in some way to the subject that I have studied (international law), but really I'm just looking for any job. Any job that can provide me with some kind of practical experience or from which I will be able to learn something... anything. Because my current job of delivering mail isn't really doing that, at all. So I don't think I'm asking for that much. Then why is nobody offering me a job? Or even inviting me to come for an interview?

Because for the legal positions that are in some way related to 'my field' I do not have enough experience. And for a lot of the other positions I am either too highly educated or do not have the right education.

First of all, how can I get some experience when nobody wants to hire me?
Secondly, how can I be too highly educated when I still have so much to learn?

I understand that an experienced candidate might be more desirable than a candidate like me, who needs more training which costs more time and money. But that doesn't mean that I don't come with my own wonderful set of benefits. I'm not necessarily more intelligent than most people, but I'm smart nonetheless. I'm a quick study, hard worker and eager to gain experience and learn new things. So I'm thinking I could be a great asset to many companies and organizations. But people like me, recently graduated and without a lot or any experience, still have a lot to learn even after having studied hard for several years. And employers don't want to spend the time and money to teach us what we need to learn. If they did, however, they might just gain an employee that they could mold into someone that fits perfectly within their company. Employers need to start seeing us not as burdens that will be time consuming and expensive, but as blank slates that they can train and teach to be the perfect employee.

Ok, I think that's enough of my by frustration induced incoherent ramblings for today.

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

International Women's Day

This is for (some of) the women in my life, in celebration of International Women's Day:

  • My mom - The strongest woman I know! She is beautiful, smart, powerful and wonderful. If I have only inherited one tenth of her strength and wisdom, I'm a very happy woman.
  • Joyce and Evelien - My two oldest friends, who I consider to be more like the sisters I never had than 'just' friends. Thank you for all the amazing times together, I'm looking forward to many more (including skydiving together when we're old and grey!).
  • Myrthe - One of the most creative and smartest persons I know (who taught me that it is ok to wear mismatching socks).
  • Ilse - You were an amazing housemate and I'm so happy we were able to remain good friends (even though we don't always get to see eachother as often as we would like).
  • Mensje - I always enjoy our dinner and movies dates greatly!
  • Wendy - The best childhood friend a girl could wish for! And I don't think I have ever properly thanked you for introducing me to Erwin, so in case you happen to read this: Thank you so very much!
  • Lucie and Jeanine - The best mother- and sister-in-law anyone could ever hope to have.
  • Paula - Who makes my dad so happy, thank you!
  • My aunt Marianne - Who taught me (probably without realising it) that you should live your life to the fullest and enjoy every moment, because you never know how many moments you have left.
  • My aunt Rita - Who taught me (probably also unknowingly) that there is nothing wrong with being a little different.
Happy International Women's Day!

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

Volunteer work



I haven't found a new job yet, but I did find me some volunteer work to keep busy with. I'm helping with the organisation of the 'collecteweek' for Simavi here in our small town. It looks like it is going to be a little bit more work than I thought it would be, but I think it will be worth it. It's a great cause!

Monday, 7 February 2011

Double jeopardy

I've been completely into the old(er) episodes of Law & Order lately. I had always found the normal Law & Order series a little bit boring, I was more of a Law & Order: Criminal Intent kind of person. But now I am finding the legal (and moral) dilemma's of the series absolutely fascinating. The other day I say an episode that posed a particularly interesting (albeit perhaps somewhat theoretical) legal question. The episode started with a murdered woman being found in a park. The detectives discover that her social security number belongs to a woman who died ten years ago and that she has been living under a false name. They suspect her husband of killing her, but he blames his brother. It turns out that she was married to his brother first, but she had an affair with her brother-in-law (her current husband - are you still with me?). They ran away together, which resulted in her being 'missing'. Since her husband (her first husband) had been abusive, he was soon suspected of her 'murder' and was sentenced to jail. He was released after ten years, about a week before she was actually murdered. He now confesses to having murdered her (his brother's wife), now, not ten years ago. So, he already served his time in jail when he was wrongfully convicted, therefore he cannot be convicted again for killing the same women. Or so he claims.

Is he right?

You know, I really can't tell you. And believe me, I've thought about this! It really is a question whether this is a case of double jeopardy of not. Double jeopardy means that the same person cannot be convicted more than once for the same crime. You will find this rule in (probably) all national criminal laws, as well as in international law. In this ficticious case of ours, we're definitely dealing with 'the same person', but are we also talking about 'the same crime'? The victim is the same. The crime he is being charged with is the same (murder). Double jeopardy seems to apply. However, one could also argue that it is in fact not the same crime, since they took place ten years apart. Your instincts (or at least mine) tell you that the killer should be punished for what he did now. He should thus be prosecuted and sentenced. But in fact he already payed for his crime in advance, since he already spent ten years in jail. It really is confusing, isn't it?

You're probably wondering what the prosecutors of Law & Order decided to do. Did they prosecute him? No, they did not. I turned out he didn't do it after all. It was his brother (the murdered woman's current husband) and he was just trying to cover for him, thinking he wouldn't be prosecuted. Then why did I bother you with this incredibly long and confusing story, you are asking? Well, because I thought it was interesting and fascinating and, frankly, I don't really care if you think it's not! (but ofcourse I'm hoping you find it as fascinating as I do and will now be haunted be this utterly confusing legal dilemma as much as I am).

Monday, 10 January 2011

2,100 political prisoners


"Although Aung San Suu Kyi has finally been released, more than 2,100 political prisoners remain in jail in Burma. These prisoners include members of the political opposition, human rights defenders, labor activists, artists, journalists, internet bloggers, as well as Buddhist monks and nuns.

Now is the time to renew the call for Burma's government to release all political prisoners in Burma."
Please sign the online petition to help free the 2,100 political prisoners of Burma!