Dedicated to the person reading right now what I typed a while ago – yes, that is you.
“Clowns to the left of me
Jokers to the right
Here I am
Stuck in the middle with you.”
Stealers Wheel
Author Archives: Jan Van Haver
Left vs. right in politics
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It is sometimes said that the distinction between left and right in political terms is no longer there. Utter nonsense of course. The claim is usually based on the fact that some politicians or political parties that would traditionally be labeled as left on the politcal spectrum might indeed, once they are in a position to make policy, talk or act in a way that is in reality more right (and vice versa of course). But that is really due to the dynamics of politics, not to the underlying values of the person or the political party: those who have risen to power will often go to great lengths to maintain their position, even if this means making deals that are conflicting with what could be considered as their ‘natural’ position on the left/right axis.
Quote of the day #13
“Seeking moments of collision, looking for new and interesting projects to take on, understanding that work has become project-based where groups come together, solve problems, and then look for more problems, have all become parts of the new normal for most businesses. It is those exact skill sets that you must embrace in the here and now.”
Mitch Joel on working today (in Ctrl Alt Delete)
Song of the day: Dave Stewart & Candy Dulfer – Lily Was Here
An 80’s classic I was reminded of this morning. I proudly dedicate it to the Lily who was born today, 04-04-2014.
Song of the day: C2C – Happy (feat. Derek Martin)
Pharrell Williams’ Happy was no doubt the summer hit of 2013. But also in the year before there was a catchy song by the same title, released by the French turntable group C2C.
Challenge of the day: try to sit still while listening to it. I did several attempts but never succeeded.
Quote of the day #12
“Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.”
usually attributed to Oscar Wilde, but there is no substantive evidence to this
(more like coming from an anonymous marketing pen from the early 2000’s)
How to escape scripted calls
Phone calls from call centers – often at the most impossible and/or inconvenient hours of the day. You might be one of those rare few people who like receiving them, but I definitely don’t. I can live with the market research ones (and even have been known to take part at times when I actually did happen to have some time at the exact moment the call came in), but I really hate the sales calls. Continue reading
Song of the day: Bastian – You’ve got my love
Not only a memorable song this time, but also defintely a memorable video. Check it out if you want to discover what I mean. I can guarantee that you will watch it until the end. Having watched the clip several times (before publishing a post I make sure to undertake the necassary effort to research the material thoroughly – although effort might not be the most appropriate word here) I can hereby confirm you that the PageUp button is now my personal favourite. Do let me know, after having wtached the video, which image, word or phrase you prefer.
Bastian is an Amsterdam based band consisting of 7 longtime friends. You’ve got my love was released in 2001.
Quote of the day #11
“Every man desires to live long, but no man wishes to be old.”
Jonathan Swift (from Gulliver’s Travels)
How sure are you about your nationality?
Large sections of books describing human history are essentially lists of wars, conflicts and discussions of one group of people against another. In a number of cases the reason why both groups have some of their members either arguing with one another or end up mass murdering each other is connected to a concept usually referred to as nationality or nationalism (unsatiable hunger for natural resources and religion obviously being the other 2 in the top 3 of reasons). Continue reading
THE SECOND HALF 