Thanksgiving

Today Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, possibly the most important holiday after Independence Day and certainly the one for all Americans. The dates and whereabouts of the first Thanksgiving celebration are a topic of modest contention. Though the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine (Florida), the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621. Most people celebrate by gathering at home with family or friends for a holiday feast. Though the holiday's origins can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday has religious undertones related to the deliverance of the English settlers by Native Americans after the brutal winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The next Tour de France winner

Uncle Ben was surprised to see that Luca could ride his bike all on his own. He loves to ride around the living room and show off his skills. If he keeps it up, he is bound to become a future Tour de France winner!!

More snow

My street is very idyllic with all that snow. Too bad it didn't last...

Snow!

The winter has really started and the first snow has fallen. it probably won't last very long as it is not really freezing, but at least we have the sense it is winter. The question now is: is this a freak occurrence or will we have a traditional cold winter and a white Christmas after all??

Your Majesty

We had the pleasure to be invited to the East Meets West concert at the Concertgebouw. The music was a fusion between modern western music and traditional Indian music. Guest of honour was our head of state, Queen Beatrix. Although she attends many functions during the year and as such is a very visible monarch I had never seen her in real life, let alone close-up. Arriving in a convoy of cars with police motorcycle escort, she arrived just before the concert was about to begin. Surprisingly there was an apparent lack of overt security and one could come quite close to her.

Netherlands India Business Meet 2008

November is India Month in Amsterdam. Besides the many cultural events celebrating the diversity of India, business has not been neglected. In the Beurs of Berlage the largest Netherlands-India business event was held. Honoured guest were the Indian Minister of Finance as well as the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs. Aim of the event was to trigger increases cooperation between companies of the two countries as well as to promote the increase of trade from the current level of just over 3 billion euros per year to at least 10 billion within five years.

The kids are happy

Dutch kids are rejoicing today. In just a couple of weeks they can expect their winter gifts from Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas, the original Santa Claus. As per tradition he arrived in Holland by boat from Spain, where he lives with his helpers called Black Peter. From this evening until December 5th kids can set their shoes, filled with carrots for Sinterklaas' horse, near the fireplace in order to find it filled with chocolates or presents the next morning.

Barack O'Bama??

Can't wait for the White House parties!

Got to love those geeks!

There is no spoon

The Matrix is one of my favourite movies. The parody below is hilarious!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Work and play

Luca loves his dad and enjoys playing around the house with him. But it isn't all fun and games for the little one. He also likes to help his dad on the laptop.

A waterfall of words

I had the pleasure of babysitting my nephew Luca tonight. On our way back home his dad had to get some snacks for Uncle Ben so Luca and I had a little chat. It took a little while for him to tell his stories, but once he starts....

The battle ahead

The first Tuesday in November is rapidly approaching and Holland is in a frenzy. The pros and cons of each candidate are discussed daily in news broadcasts and talk shows. It is, however, not a local election that divides the opinions of many a Dutchman, but rather the American presidential race across the Atlantic. It is fair to say that the majority of people have a preference for Obama, although quite a few feel that despite the charisma and the message of change and hope McCain might be a better president due to his experience. Nevertheless, the fact that McCain is in his seventies, has a 30% chance of dying in office and thus gives Palin a real chance of getting her finger on the button makes Obama by far the choice of most people. Coming Tuesday many an election party will be held around the country and all through the night the Dutch tv channels will broadcast live from the US of A. I can remember watching the election broadcasts in 1980 when we lived in Washington to see Reagan beat Carter. I'll be burning the midnight oil this Tuesday to, hopefully, see Obama beat McCain.