Paul's Columns Archive

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The desperate act of an applicant

by Paul de Blot 19 April 2012 permalink

In the newspaper of 12 April, I read the article by an asylum seeker from Burundi, who with his son and daughter should leave the country and who then committed suicide hit. It is one of the many dramas about asylum seekers who notes the contrast of the heart of a father and the understanding of politics. It is obvious that in the Netherlands a limited opportunity to refugees. On the other hand, the asylum often tied to bureaucratic procedures. It often takes years before a decision is taken, then that too little account of the effects of inertia for the fate of these children.


Man and woman. What is their spiritual strength?

by Paul de Blot February 1, 2012 permalink

In politics, the position of women has a much discussed topic in both negative and positive sense. Not only the position of women in Islam gets attention, but also the fate of women in the Netherlands. We do the latter think of the sparingly soluble problem of trafficking of women and lover boys.


Everything runs against

by Paul de Blot January 16, 2012 permalink

Constantly we are faced with depressing predictions that the crisis worse. That can be in all areas and we feel let us easily swept away by the fear and despair. We forget that the crisis is part of life, without crisis because there will be no renewal. Who loses his job is indeed in a deep crisis, but often it is also an opportunity to have an eye for other possibilities.


What brings us 2012?

by Paul de Blot 1 January 2012 permalink

The messages do not bode well for 2012, a major crisis. It is how we see it. The economy is bad, but when I see the focus on charities is growing and there are beautiful things happen, such as the awareness of sustainability and spirituality, the image is different. Someone with thirst, that half a glass of water, moisture can react with disappointment, "but a half-full glass", or gratitude, "fortunately a half-full glass".


How to lie with statistics

by Paul de Blot 1 December 2011 permalink

I do not understand that policy makers do not go crazy from all the grades they need to handle to good decisions. In all areas will be asked to figures. For each policy, whether it comes to education, health care, immigration, naturalization or any policy, it seems that they first want to see figures to work responsibly. I can not deny that statistics are important as background information in order to be useful and applicable policies, but it remains an unreliable data. The computer policy can never completely take over, because it is never more than one important way.


A forgotten stakeholder

by Paul de Blot 1 November 2011 permalink

For years I taught marketing and management science in the manuals which the greatest attention to the stakeholders. But I missed the most important stakeholder, which is the family, the family. Also in the political policy is here little attention. From experience I know that family problems, illness of a child or spouse of someone very strong local market and can often have considerable influence in the work.


Europe in crisis

by Paul de Blot 1 August 2011 permalink

The headlines are full of the European crisis. Many banks do not meet the requirements to meet the stress test to meet. They have enough money on hand in times of emergency. That makes Europe sick, sick well, if you read the messages. Yet the one-sided messages. Economically, Europe is sick, but economy is always sick as those unilaterally applied. Any unilateral application or focus on something can cause disease. To unilaterally take food to you, always makes people sick. To unilateral discipline, with no room for freedom, is a family illness.


The food bank

by Paul de Blot June 15, 2011 permalink

In the Amsterdam Daklozenkrant Z! From May 20, I read the remarkable article entitled "perishable":

"What is not sold at the super because there is a dent in the butter or a bad orange in the net, I can not get out of the return shipment, even if I sell the Z! newspaper to what to buy food. I've learned that you do not throw away food. Returns converted into biogas, is better for the environment? What is environment, what is society, as long as people languish for lack of food? Where can I eat if the food does not give it to me because I am homeless? Yet I live mostly on what others throw away and give it away. "


Remembrance Day and Liberation

We have the dead commemorated on May 4 and 5 May is celebrated their liberation. Given the exuberance with which liberation was celebrated this day proved to be no mere formality. The commemoration was slightly harder but still has many deeply. We have our dead commemorated, often including our loved ones. We are grateful also to our freedom because we owe them. Partly thanks to their sacrifice we are now enjoying our prosperity. We remember the people whose idealism have done something great, often without the necessary resources. Therefore it is good to go deeper into this.


Salvation of the world in need through a network of relationships

If we follow the news in recent months, everything is on fire and we have no effective extinguishers. It is like we are in our planning guidance can be found nowhere.