Ask Laane

Hail stones in Oklahoma

2010-05-20T14:35:00.000+02:00

And it rolls on...

2010-03-05T14:48:00.001+01:00

One of the most work intensive video's taken in one shot.

Do you like it?

I do!

2010-02-25T16:09:00.002+01:00

A while ago an experienced climber wanted his picture taken at Mount St. Helens.

Everyone who takes a good look at the rim of the crater knows there are very dangerous spots, especially when there's a thick layer of snow.

They guy however must have forgotten that or just not have used his brains.

He took of all equipment and even his coat, to have the best picture of his life taken.

Moments later he fell in the crater.

Even though his friends threw a survival kit towards him, he was found the other day: dead.

Another sad example of the irresponsibility of people.

Harsh, but true.

Here is one of the common videos everyone can see.

snow again, watch Amsterdam

2010-01-24T15:32:00.002+01:00

We did have snow, but not much.

But my friends in Amsterdam had the joy of a white world again.

Isn't nature amazing?

Ukelele boy

2009-12-26T11:08:00.002+01:00

If I'd known you tube when my boys were younger, they would have become famous too.

Right now it's this boy's turn:

Merry Christmas and be careful!

2009-12-25T15:23:00.000+01:00

I want to wish you all a merry christmas.

The snow is raining away here.
Such a pity, even though it's a relief for traffic.
So many more people arrive healthy at the place they want to go to.

You have to be careful though, as this proofs:

Letter from President Obama

2009-12-24T21:50:00.001+01:00

Although it's Christmas Eve, I wanted to share some exciting news: The Senate just passed a historic health reform bill.

In all the back and forth, it's easy to lose sight of what this incredible breakthrough really means. But consider this: This Christmas, there are millions of Americans without health insurance who risk losing everything if they get sick.

There are mothers and fathers who wonder how they'll provide for their children because an illness has wiped out their savings. There are small business owners who worry that they'll have to lay off a long-time employee because the cost of insurance is rapidly rising.

If we finish the job, all this can change. We will have beaten back the special interests who have for so long perpetuated the status quo. We will have enacted the most important piece of social policy since the Social Security Act in the 1930s, and the most important health reform since Medicare in the 1960s.

In Decembers to come, millions more will have access to affordable coverage. Parents will have the security and stability of knowing their insurance can't be revoked at a moment's notice. And the skyrocketing costs plaguing our small businesses will be brought under control.

When you make calls, write letters, organize, this is the change you're making -- a better life for your family and for men and women in every state.

There is still more to do before I can sign reform into law -- a last round of negotiations and final votes in the Senate and the House -- and I'm counting on your help every step of the way. But for now, I hope that as you celebrate this holiday season, you remember that the work you are doing is making our union more perfect, one step at a time. For that, I am grateful to you.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays,

President Barack Obama

P.S. -- Organizing for America supporters are signing a note of appreciation to all the senators who have worked so hard to make this possible. I hope you'll join them:

http://my.barackobama.com/SenateLetter

Merry Christmas!!

A fast way from water to water

2009-11-23T17:48:00.000+01:00

No, I'm not referring to the flooding in the UK. I feel very sorry for all those who are stick at their house or who have lost their home and cherrished belongings.

No, this is something to make you smile or get the chills.

passports

2009-11-07T15:48:00.003+01:00

Representing a country when sporting can lead to complicated situations.
Because countries have all sorts of rules and regulations it's almost impossible to know for sporters.
They have to rely on the information they get from others and sometimes the information is not good.

Studying the law can be from two point of view: what is allowed and what's not allowed.
Both areas should meet seamless, covering all situations.

But at times things go terribly wrong.

A few sporters wanted to represent Kazachstan at the Olympic Games.
They got information, were told it was possible to have two nationalities and passports, someone even called the ministery of foreign affairs and was told it was possible, they were not stopped, and they thought all was well.

Until they wanted to participate in the national championships of their country of birth.
They were not allowed to subscribe, because they didn't skate the selection contests in this country and someone thought they might not be considered to be a citizen of The Netherlands anymore.

They were reported to their councils and now they're facing to be thrown out of the country because it's said they're here illegally.
One of them is a young father!

After all discussions about people with two nationalities I can understand these sporters thought they were able to keep their Dutch nationality.

But bureaucracy is so important int his country nowadays that individual people just don´t count.

It´s about rules, countrol, and certainly not about trusting the good intentions of people.

influencing the weather

2009-11-01T17:34:00.002+01:00

Yes, the weather can be influenced by humans.

Before the Olympic Games at Beijing scientists were able to prevent rain at the main events by injecting chemicals in clouds and have them rain before the event and/or at another place.

This time they were motivated by the lack of rain in Peking.
At a temperature of minus 2 it snowed half a day.

All I want to ask is to lower the temperature here... a lot!
It's raining a lot at the moment and it would make a marvelous pile of snow for children to play in.

Come on... it's almost peanuts, it seems.

the boy (not) in the balloon

2009-10-18T06:12:00.003+02:00

This week the news and internet were full of the story of a balloon taking off with presumably a child in it.

Turned out the kid had been hiding in the shed all the time.

My intuition told me there was more to it.
How could the balloon get in the air?
Why would the child hide itself?

When watching an interview with the child and parents he said something that triggered my attention and made me think it had all been a set up to get attention for the balloon.

I was right.

The father will be brought to court, it's said.
The charges are not known yet.

Knowitall.org

2009-10-17T12:07:00.003+02:00

Once in a while I stumble upon a website that should get far more attention than it does.

The site from Knowitall.org is one of them.
It's ETV's educational Web portal, and is filled with all sorts of interactive items for K-12 students, teachers and parents. In fact, many of them are websites that can be used as a whole to cover a subject.

The diversity of the subjects is large, so there's something for everybody.

There's a good mix of fun and educational content. For example the song: Wash hands, and the manual for writing a Haiku.

Have a look yourself.

I'm changing the template.

2009-10-13T22:34:00.002+02:00

I'm in the middle of changing the template.

Almost ready with the changes.

How do you like it?

Plant bulbs for christmas now

2009-10-11T16:43:00.003+02:00

I want some flowers at christmas.
When do I need to plant the bulbs?
Or am I too late already.

The next two to three weeks is the best time to plant bulbs.
Some people begin as early as september 15 to be sure to have flowers all days of december. They keep the pots outside for some time and move them inside when it gets too cold.
But you can plant them and keep them inside all the time.

Get some good compost for potting or special bulb fibre that you soak well.
Use clean, fresh smelling, bulbs without a trace of fungus. (That goes for the compost too).
Put the bulbs close together or in layers, but make sure they won't touch each other.
Make the tip come above the sand just a tiny bit.
Keep the pots cool for a few weeks. No need to keep them dark, just cool, but not in the freezing cold.
You will enjoy to see the shoots grow.
When they're 5 cms you can raise the temperature a bit, but not too much at once.

Depending on the growth and room temperature you can move them to the livingroom.

Maybe you have to experiment a bit the first year.
Write down which bulbs you have used and what you have done.

I'm sure there will be a christmas you'll make some photographs to send to me to. :)

Give-away for scrappers

2009-10-11T04:03:00.002+02:00

Want to get in the mood of the december month?

Go to Paper Cakes Finds and take part in the give-away for scrappers.

It's a december daily album kit from Shabby Chic Crafts, which will bring you a lot of fun during the whole month.

When you enter don't forget to wish them a happy thanksgiving weekend, because in Canada thanksgiving is celebrated now.

Gold, dollars and euros

2009-10-06T22:45:00.003+02:00

Never ever before has gold been so expensive.
1 ounce, just a little bit more than 31 grams, was sold today for more than 1040 dollars.

For quite some time now investers have been selling their dollars; buying gold, because gold is considered relatively stable. They are afraid of inflation of the dollar...and by their behaviour they're making it a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Today some newspaper reported that the Golfstates are considering to stop using dollars for the oiltrade, and using euros and yens instead.
Even though there were as many articles denying this step, this couldn't prevent a further fall in the dollar.

Right now a euro is about 1.47 dollar, which is almost the topvalue

Mercedes Sosa

2009-10-04T13:56:00.002+02:00

With her deep warm voice she could cry, yell and dream.
When we were young, my friend and I, she was used to teach us the perfect way of singing with full use of our airways, deep, while the sound ran round through the depth of our being.

She died in Buenos Aires.
74 she was.

Ending her life after traveling around the world and after a life full of commotion.
At the beginning of the military dictatorship in Argentinia she was arrested during a concert, and a large part of her audience with her. After that she went to live in Spain.

She gave concerts with Luciano Pavarotti ,Shakira, and many others, at the most prestegious places.
She won many prices and was nominated for the Latino Grammies of this year.

She will be missed by many.

May she rest in peace

Calling to work that he's ill

2009-09-29T08:44:00.003+02:00

Because everyone is so afraid for the mexican flu my working son is told he's not welcome at his job, a shop, when he doesn't feel well.

So this morning I woke him up at 7 because he had to call work in time so they could ask someone else to cover for him.

No one there.

8.30 Colleagues have arrived, but none can handle a call about illness. But someone would be in at 8.

8.01 Another call. No one has arrived yet. But someone knows management will be in at 9.

Let's hope so.
It'll be too late to call in a substitute, because the shop is already full functioning at 8.

Alicia de Larrocha

2009-09-27T03:36:00.002+02:00

It's fascinating that some people have such a talent and commitment to music that they really touch the lives of others.

She was 6 when she first performed, and 4000 performances later she retired.
But music stayed with her as a dear friend.

Today she died. 86 years.
Leaving us lots to remember her by.

Alicia de Larrocha.

Earthquake Bhutan and Assam

2009-09-21T13:47:00.003+02:00

Today Bhutan and the north Indian state Assam were hit by an earthquake of 6.3 on the scale of Richter.

The epicentre was 180 km east of Thimpu, the capital of Bhutan, and 125 km north of Gauhati, the capital of the Indian state Assam.
Reports of feeling the quake come from as far as Bangladesh and Lhasa, but no damage was done there.

Not many reports are in yet, but from Gauhati we hear about buildings with cracked walls.

old age is fun

2009-09-20T11:59:00.002+02:00

There are days that the passing of time really frightens me.
Getting old seems to be a curse, when I should believe politicians and economical oriented fellow citizens.
It's like old people are good for nothing and it's so depressing to read the papers and see how people consider old age.

My gram was a very energetic person until she was beyond 90, so I should be able to balance all the bad news. But I keep forgetting that.

Now I've found something that will make me smile whenever I see it.

Remembrance of WW2

2009-09-18T13:55:00.002+02:00

In the area around Arnhem and Nijmegen in The Netherlands many veterans, their family and dutch people are gathering this week to remember those who lost their lives during Operation Market Garden and to thank those who fought the terrible battle to free Europe from the German occupation.

It's now 65 years ago that thousands were dropped at different places above the area with the aim to take the bridges over the Waal and Rhine and secure them, so the roads would be open to free the rest of The Netherlands.

The operation wasn't completely successful, so the people in the north half of the country suffered the hunger winter, while the people in Nijmegen faced massive bombings and shell attacks as a frontline city.

Queen Beatrix and Prince Philip of England will be present at the memorial service on sunday and the festivities of gratitude afterwards.

Smoking

2009-08-15T00:48:00.002+02:00

I don't understand why people still smoke.
They know all the dangers, they know it will harm them and the people around them.

Sometimes I come across people who are just not using their mind.

Like a pregnant woman nearby who told me she didn't mind that her child would be smaller than usual, so she wouldn't stop smoking. In fact, she said, she was helpign herself, because delivering a smaller baby would be easier.

Well, the brains of the child will also be smaller, with lesser chance of survival.

demolishion doesn't always go as planned

2009-08-01T21:53:00.001+02:00

No, Ramon, demolishion doesn't always go as planned.

In turkey this happened:

Right contactadres

2009-07-10T12:18:00.001+02:00

Helen, can you give me the rigth contactadres so I an answer your question immediately.