Corne van Dooren - (Multimedia) Designer

May 24, 2006

Yeeha, just secured some tickets for the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands. Over the past years the quality has dropped a couple of times, but this year they've got one band I just gotta see: the Red Hot Chili Peppers!

I've seen quite a few artists perform in the past but this is a band I just gotta add to that list. Gotta be honest though, there's one more band performing that I just gotta check: Keane - the band without a guitar player. The Hopes and Fears album was just great, looking forward to them playing some new material.

Anyway, just felt it was worth mentioning in the blog...

Take care.

May 18, 2006

There has been a lot of commotion in the Netherlands about a woman called Ayaan Hirsi Ali (or in fact - turns out that isn't her real name). Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a woman who has fled to the Netherlands and was given a Dutch nationality.

She slowly but surely made her way into Dutch politics. A week ago word got out that she didn't use a real name and age when she had fled over here. Ayaan got known for her stands on muslim belief - something that didn't make her popular amongst muslims. In the process of declaring her own muslim-belief, she got Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh killed - with the killer leaving a personal message to her on the dead body of the filmmaker.

There's an MP who is put in charge of Dutch Immigration, her name is Rita Verdonk. Once the rules were written about immigration and approved by our Prime Minister and his people, Rita made sure to follow them. She made no difference when looking at different people's cases for legal immigration to the Netherlands.

Now the word has gotten out that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is not who she claimed to be on arrival in the Netherlands, it is Verdonk's task to treat her like all the other immigrants - and she does by taking away Ayaan's Dutch nationality. However, our best MP ever is being ambushed by all our other politicians for this. She was even told by our Prime Minister (total wanker alert!) what to do.

Our ministers aren't following the rules they agreed upon earlier. Oh no. Now someone they know (drink a cup of coffee with, talk to, etc) is being treated as an illegal immigrant (what Ayaan really is - because she committed fraud when applying for Dutch nationality) Rita is suddenly wrong about everything. Well, she is not really...

The big majority of the people I know support Rita Verdonk on this matter and want to take away the Dutch nationality of someone who has lied to us since entering the country. Once again, our politicians are showing what they do best. They don't give a shit about the people who voted for them. They want to do whatever suits them best.

Except for Rita. Rita follows the rules and executes them properly. I would like to call Rita Verdonk the best MP Holland has had for a very, very long time. I'd also like to call Mr Jan-Peter Balkenende, our worst Prime Minister since...ever!

Just take a look at what happened when he wanted to try and impress the youth... Too bad, our Prime Minister's side-kick (Minister Zalm - who is really pulling all the strings) wasn't there to get down on the floor too...

To end this story: Ayaan, bugger off to America - where your lies are still being regarded as the truth. Where you will anger many muslims and where you will hopefully reap what you will once again sow. To Americans: good luck, she's your problem now! To Rita: Go! Don't let them get you down - you rock!

I know it is dangerous to talk about politics and belief on a personal webspace. But I feel so much disrespect from the people running my country toward Mrs Verdonk that I just had to say something. I also want to point out that I have no problems with other people's beliefs. Respect is the word that is running through my veins.

And respect I have for Rita Verdonk.

May 17, 2006

Tonight the final of the Champions League is played in Paris. And as always I am rooting for the underdog: Arsenal.

I am kinda hoping it will be 1-1 until the 85th minute. Henry (who scored goal 1) is substituted by Dennis Bergkamp. With 1 minute to go, the master makes it 2-1 to clinch the title. His farewell to the game in Bergkamp fashion!

Also hoping the underdog wins, because Barca will probably reach the final a few more times the coming years. So let this one be for the Gunners...

All the best (to Dennis and his men).

Update: It happened the other way around. Barca beat Arsenal 2-1. But after the referee had sent off Lehmann after just 18 minutes (poor decision - and he made many, many more) it was gonna be hard for Arsenal anyway. They can be proud of keeping Barca at 0 for as long as they did (with 10 men!).

May 14, 2006

Hello again! I know it has taken me a while to write down something new in the blog, but I have been extremely busy.

Project 79 (my own company) is currently working on about 3 or 4 websites and writing material about multimedia design and user interfacing for a study by the LOI (Dutch).

Today my grandfather celebrated his 83rd birthday - quite a feat, hope I can make it that far! But today was also a day of a heated discussion in which I got involved. The discussion was about the Da Vinci Code.

I don't like the Da Vinci-code and tried to explain why. I did go too far by wishing all kinds of horrible things to its "author" Dan Brown, which I regret and I apologize for. By the way: I've placed author in quotes because I do believe many things about his story are extremely similar to books (Lewis Perdue) that were published earlier...

Anyway, doesn't matter if Dan wrote it himself or has taken some parts by others. I just want to point out that I don't like the book and movie. It is not because of the whole Catholic Church issue or anything like that. Everyone is free to believe whatever and its just the freedom of speech to say something about the church as well. So no problems there.

The big issue that I am having with it is Da Vinci. Leonardo Da Vinci was a fantastic artist and scientist. I admire his work. His name will now be forever linked to this book and the movie. If I search google for him - I get a lot of rubbish Da Vinci code crap. And that's something I don't like.

Anyway, gotta get this of my chest. Don't know whether I had lost or won the debate about this - doesn't even matter. At least on my webspace I'm entitled to my own opinion about it.

Take care and talk soon.

May 8, 2006

Some of you may know I am a big Man Utd fan. Have been since the 1990-1991 season and still am. But it once again has struck me as very odd that they will once again drop a player in "Alex"-fashion. This dissappoints me very heavily. And that is by far the first time to happen...

The way players like Beckham, Stam, Keane and now Van Nistelrooij are outplayed by the club as if they are bad guys just amazes me. Here are men who have played a big part in the history of the club and they are kicked out of the club in this "Sir Alex Ferguson"-style.

Am I the only one doubting his qualities? Sure he has won the club some big prizes, but he has also cost the club quite a few big players. Stam went on to do very well. Beckham is one of the few constant factors at Real. Keane has just won the Scottish league. Ferguson hasn't really won that much since the 1999 Treble. Maybe it is time he is hit in the face by someone's shoes...

It may appear as if I am not a fan of Man Utd anymore, but I still am. I just feel we won't win anything important the next few years if Ferguson keeps kicking out the playmakers. Message to Rooney: enjoy these four or five years my man, after that - you'll find yourself having words with Fergie...

All the best.

May 2, 2006

This time of year is always very busy. And I don't mean work for a change. Nope, this time of year there's a lot of birthdays to attend!

Luckily I am still walking every week to relax (see blog April 2006) so I am not really putting on any weight from eating a lot of cake.

Today its my mum's birthday - congrats mom! Then on Thursday I'll be travelling to Amersfoort to celebrate the birthday of Nadine's mum. On Friday I will first travel to Leiderdorp for business.

On Friday-afternoon I'll be travelling back to Hooge Mierde for my parent's party to celebrate they both turned 51 this year! On Sunday I will once again travel to Amersfoort to celebrate the birthday of one of Nadine's cousins....

So if you spot a Toyota Corolla travelling all around The Netherlands: Wave! It could just be me!

Take care and all the best...

Corne van Dooren, Multimedia Designer