The European Dream

I see a million articles reporting that this bill ...

2012-04-20T11:53:46.025+02:00

I see a million articles reporting that this bill has been “presented” but has it been “passed”?

They weren't not just laying there for the hec...

2012-03-09T16:01:12.624+01:00

They weren't not just laying there for the heck of it. Its actually a lot more sad than romantic.

Rape is a terrible thing!

2012-03-06T22:20:56.789+01:00

Rape is a terrible thing!

Great story! We are currently in fairly one-sided...

2012-02-15T03:11:14.719+01:00

Great story! We are currently in fairly one-sided negotiations with our landlord over "damages" in our rental property. We would love to see the letter you wrote regarding unfair rent, as we were paying 1225 euro for a one-bedroom flat in Utrecht out of extreme desperation for accomodation!! The issue of this exuberant rent could provide us the leverage we need to get our bond back. You can contact me at janellelouisemagee@gmail.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

So basically the immigrant themselves cannotuse th...

2012-01-15T10:24:14.787+01:00

So basically the immigrant themselves cannotuse their own savings as income?

This has become even more pressing and relevant du...

2011-11-02T22:33:58.473+01:00

This has become even more pressing and relevant during the past two years.

I volunteer at a place that teaches English to imm...

2011-10-01T00:01:01.567+02:00

I volunteer at a place that teaches English to immigrants. If they are illegal immigrants, they can tell us, but they don't have to. It's up to them. The group that I volunteer is based on the passages in the Old Testament. The people who run this ministry are my heroes.

Loved this story! How can I contact you? Cause we ...

2011-09-29T15:14:47.043+02:00

Loved this story! How can I contact you? Cause we have some serious problems with rent too. The landlord is charging the s*it out of us.. And we didn't know it was illegal. We're going to take action. I'd love to see the copy of the letter you sent to your landlord. Contact me: fazotronas@gmail.com

The Internet is the only internet. The Pentagon i...

2011-09-09T21:29:58.811+02:00

The Internet is the only internet.

The Pentagon is a pentagon.

There is the additional example of Britain, where ...

2011-09-05T15:21:56.794+02:00

There is the additional example of Britain, where the two left-of-center parties were unable to form a government, leaving it to the left-most and right-most of the main parties to do so.

But the worst example ever is Woodrow Wilson, who accepted the surrender of Germany on the condition that the peace be based on his 14 points. Wilson then proceeded to agree to a treaty which violated every single one of his 14 points. This was presented to Germany on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, with no negotiations permitted. Boo, hiss.

I agree completely. The problem is that there are ...

2011-09-01T17:13:44.182+02:00

I agree completely. The problem is that there are no principled leaders on the left, except for Ralph Nader. (And none on the right except for Ron Paul, but that's a different story.) What does Obama stand for? Who knows.

I can't help thinking of the obituary of a well-known Wichita trial lawyer, who handled complex civil litigation. The obituary said he had a rule, enforced on all his associates, that no matter how complex the case was, you must always start your opening statement with, "This case is about..." and then go on to state in one sentence what the case was about.

Similarly, any great leader must be able to state clearly and succinctly what he or she is about. Obama's inability to do so is his great failing.

Reasoning of the CBHO on the AWGB: Major premise:...

2011-08-10T13:02:35.701+02:00

Reasoning of the CBHO on the AWGB:
Major premise: Dutch universities are allowed to make distinctions based on the nationality of student in determining tuition fees.
Minor permise 1: The defendant is a Dutch university.
Minor premise 2: The applicant is one of the persons who falls within the higher institutional fee.
Conclusion: Because the defendant is a Dutch university and the applicant o falls within the higher institutional rate, the defendant may charge a higher rate.
Then, they note: We find no reason to doubt this conclusion despite the fact that the major premise was specifically rejected by precedent and the case the defendant cites was overruled. Also, we find no reason to doubt the minor premise 2 despite the fact that the law the defendant relies upon excludes charging the higher institutional fee to a family member of an EU or Dutch citizen (which the defendant is), and excludes charging a higher fee to to someone "by virtue of a treaty or decision of an international body is entitled to be treated the same as a Dutch national" (which he also is).

The court's DAFT argument is a perfect demonst...

2011-08-10T12:49:47.856+02:00

The court's DAFT argument is a perfect demonstration of the logical error known as 'begging the question'. Although commonly misused, 'begging the question' is a logical error that occurs when the starting assumption that all the reasoning flows from is never proven. Breaking down the court's reasoning, it goes as follows:

Major Premise: The DAFT only applies to US nationals who own business in The Netherlands.
Minor Premise: The applicant is a student and not a business owner.
Conclusion: Because the DAFT only applies to US business owners and the applicant is not a US business owners, the DAFT does not apply to the applicant.
Note: This reasoning is not affected by the fact that the applicant is a US national who owns a business in The Netherlands.

Well, actually disproving the minor premise actually destroys the entire conclusion.

Wouldn't Article VIII section 2 strengthen you...

2011-08-06T21:41:02.085+02:00

Wouldn't Article VIII section 2 strengthen your argument towards the interpretation of Article XI, as well?

Article VIII
2. Nationals and companies of either Party shall be accorded national treatment and most favored-nation treatment with respect to engaging in scientific, educational, religious and philanthropic activities within the territories of the other Party, and shall be accorded the right to form associations for that purpose under the laws of such other Party.

As the intro to the blog states, this blog focuses...

2011-07-31T11:47:12.079+02:00

As the intro to the blog states, this blog focuses on "America", "Europe" and "The Netherlands". Obviously, yes, the article focused on those places.

Also, events in India and Pakistan are simply unrelated to the Brevik event. Further, they are pretty much irrelevant to my life, unlike the events I discuss.

As for attributing violence to a single religion or race, I do not do that. As for attributing violent acts to a political philosophy, yes, that is exactly what I did. And I stand behind it. Why did I do that? Because Brevik wrote a 1500 page document attributing his actions to right-wing nationalism (fascism). He even wrote in there that fascism has caused the deaths of fewer people than capitalism or communism. He was by no means a lone wolf or simply a crazy person. He presented a coherent (albeit wrong and dangerous) vision of the world. Further, he himself saw himself as part of a larger movement, which is absolutely true once you connect the dots. There isn't really anyone in the US media who understands recent developments in European politics, so you can't really get this from the US media. Here is a link to a Norweigan scholar who describes the dynamics well. http://www.democracynow.org

You list a handful of American incidents...then us...

2011-07-31T11:26:14.424+02:00

You list a handful of American incidents...then use Wilder's language against Muslims. Wilder's comments are blatantly racist, for sure.

I just don't understand why you don't discuss things like the hundreds killed in the same time frame in places like India and Pakistan, by the hands of Islamic terrorists.

If your statement of "waking up" was merely limited to Europe or The NL, then that's fine, and I can bow to your evidence as given in your quote. But to pretend like such crazy actions are attributed to a single religion, race, or political philosophy is horribly naive, and I hope that's not what you are doing.

"According to Europol, in 2006, one out of 49...

2011-07-27T10:34:24.133+02:00

"According to Europol, in 2006, one out of 498 documented terrorist attacks across Europe could be classed as "Islamist"; in 2007, the figure rose to just four out of 583 - less than one per cent of the total. By contrast, 517 attacks across the continent were claimed by - or attributed to - nationalist or separatist terrorist groups" - http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/07/201172482841769458.html

I noticed you didn't discuss any terrorist vio...

2011-07-27T10:20:34.282+02:00

I noticed you didn't discuss any terrorist violence done in the name of Islam.

2011-07-24T10:12:07.892+02:00

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Hi! So, how did it go? When will you hear back?

2011-06-27T09:56:04.545+02:00

Hi! So, how did it go? When will you hear back?

I have a somewhat related question I hoped you mig...

2011-05-28T08:00:45.339+02:00

I have a somewhat related question I hoped you might be able to answer:

I am an American considering pursuing a master's degree at a Dutch university. My husband is an Italian citizen, but we currently reside in Tunisia. Would I qualify for reduced tuition?

Thank you!

Oh, by Narcisstraat I meant the Amsterdamsestraatw...

2011-05-18T21:10:51.732+02:00

Oh, by Narcisstraat I meant the Amsterdamsestraatweg. That makes more sense.

I really need to get over to that side of town for...

2011-05-17T11:47:17.877+02:00

I really need to get over to that side of town for some shopping! I've found corn meal of varying sorts at a Super de Boer near me, and even at one of the tokos over by Vredenburg, fortunately. I've been wanting corn tortillas recently, so I'm definitely going to have to try making my own. Thanks for the inspiration and Narcisstraat recommendation.

Yup, corn meal. I went to five stores before I fou...

2011-05-17T09:33:48.221+02:00

Yup, corn meal. I went to five stores before I found it. The huge Oriental store on the Narcisstraat has three different kinds. Also, the Albert Heijn that just expanded at the beginning of the Narcisstraat also corn meal it now.

It all looks delicious! I'm curious about your...

2011-05-17T08:28:06.499+02:00

It all looks delicious! I'm curious about your recipe for the corn tortillas. Do you just use corn meal instead of masa harina? Or have you found masa harina here in the Netherlands?