Always a bit sad but it was definitely time: the Christmas tree is gone.

The nicest are the pre-studied jokes:


"Those Germans surely aren't 3 times smarter than we are!"

"Want die Duitsers zijn heus niet 3x slimmer dan wij!"

Wouter Bos -- on the much better crime solving rate by the German police.

"Mr. Zalm, you said Wouter Bos doesn't know how do to his maths. But he was working for you when you were Minister of Finance, right?"

"Yes but... he was doing taxes there wasn't he?!"

"Maar ja, daar deed hij ook belastingen!"

Big news: Sex in the City will stop next year.

Of course I never watch it. The first time I didn't watch it was the first year we worked in the States, in 1998.

For those are starving for some SITC, here's the official website.

It's 8:30 am and I'm ready to study. Every morning the waking up gets a little bit easier, that gives me hope for the future.


This morning I'll stay home and write on my thesis. There is a lot to read and sometimes is good not to be distracted by the laptop etc.

Sasha just called me and told me a package had arrived for me. I was very curious so I went home.

It's a Christmas present from Jonathan, Irena and Ilana!

It's a book written by Nigel Harris: Thinking the Unthinkable, the Immigration Myth Exposed. It has been on my wishlist for a long time since I read a review in Foreign Affairs about the book. It deals -obviously- with immigration but in a refreshing way:

"According to Harris, immigration considerably enriches the host nation both scientifically and culturally. Immigrants do the jobs that most native workers do not want or cannot do. Without immigration our economies would dissolve.

Nigel Harris shows exactly why and how immigration is the lifeline of the developed world's economy, using examples from all over the world to prove how immigration makes both the rich and the poor richer and acts as the final safeguard against such ugly world phenomena as racism, nationalism, and intolerance." (source: this review)

Thanks a lot guys!

The day before Christmas I received another Christmas present by mail, this time from Bulgaria. Nadia sent me a beautiful shawl. It's handmade and really nice, especially in this weather.

My father pointed me out to 'Pioneers of Computing'.

Atanasoff -the Bulgarian inventor of the computer- is 3rd on the list.

Found this on the website of a Pvda local council member in Leiden: Marije van den Berg.

Just like on Friday I took a couple of pictures when I was helping Saturday with painting.


They are ready now.

On Bieslog there's a link to an interesting moving face.