03/02/24 Our very own Enron
03/02/23 And now...
03/02/13 The Iraq situation
03/02/05 Courtship continues - and miscellaneous
03/02/24 Our very own Enron
03/02/23 And now...
03/02/13 The Iraq situation
03/02/05 Courtship continues - and miscellaneous
Global grocery store operator Ahold said Monday it overstated earnings in 2001 and 2002 by at least $500 million and said two top executives will resign, raising concerns about its corporate accounting methods. [...] The disclosure shook investor confidence in the company and called into question the soundness of the accounting methods it used to post earnings from newly acquired companies. Its shares in Europe recovered slightly in late trading to close with a loss of 63 percent at 3.59 euros ($3.90).
Washington Post: Ahold admits it overstated earnings
We don't have a gouvernment yet.
And I found myself agreeing with LPF Immigration Minister Nawijn. He proposed to grant a pardon to asylum seekers who have been waiting for a decision whether or not they can stay for more than five years, and who are well-integrated in Dutch society. LPF's current coalition partners were against the proposal, but a Parliament majority consisting of Labour, the Socialists, the D66 political reform party, the Greens, the Christian Union and one member of the Christian Democrats voted in favour. These latter parties put forward a motion to extend the pardon to all asylum seekers who have been waiting for a decision for more than five years, which would be 5,000 to 7,000 in stead of the maximum of 2,300 covered by the LPF's motion. This latter motion didn't get a majority as the LPF didn't support it.
And clouds are gathering above the Dutch Royal House. In 2001 Princess Margarita, daughter of one of the Queen's younger sisters, married a commoner. According to the Princess and her husband their union was never accepted by the family, who shunned the couple and alledgedly went as far as spying on them and gaining access to the Princess's husband's social security file. The couple has now gone to the press and their stories have pushed sales of the German Die Stern and the Dutch HP / De Tijd magazine to record heights. And juicy stuff it is, the Queen nodding off after drinking too much at a family dinner... Prince Bernhard's relationship with his personal assistant... The Royal House stated that they didn't recognise themselves in the articles but that, out of love for the Princess, they would not comment on them. The latest news is that the couple is intending to sue the Royal House for damage done to the husband's business. The second installment of their story is in this week's HP / De Tijd, and there will be a third next week.
More Dutch politics and current events:
Dutch politics in 2003
I may not update this weblog very often during the coming months. I'm getting settled in my new job and I'm thinking about relocating. Also, I should be working on the thesis that I need to write to finish the postdoctoral course that I'm doing. In stead, being the Princess of Procrasination that I am, I've decided to write a novel. I'll probably end up finishing the thesis just in time anyway. That's what usually happens.
Anyway, if you'd like to check progress on the novel, it's linked below.
The 50,000 word novel
A poll about Iraq, which is now the main item in the news here. This poll was in the Netwerk tv show last night.
"The Netherlands should take part in a war against Iraq, if there's a UN mandate."
| (Fully) agree: | 54% |
| (Fully) disagree: | 31% |
| Neutral: | 14% |
| Undecided: | 1% |
| (Fully) agree: | 13% |
| (Fully) disagree: | 75% |
| Neutral: | 11% |
| Undecided: | 1% |
| (Fully) agree: | 65% |
| (Fully) disagree: | 21% |
| Neutral: | 12% |
| Undecided: | 2% |
| Iraq: | 36% |
| North-Korea: | 7% |
| US: | 39% |
| Other: | 11% |
| Undecided: | 7% |