Philly colors Orange

In Philly, the Orange Soccer Team (or: the Netherlands' soccer team) is popular too. The Irish Pub Fado was filled with orange people during the games, which looks like this:

 




















This makes you feel real Dutch again - everyone wears orange, and we were yelling Dutch team songs all the time. By now, I have arrived in the Netherlands for a week of vacation. I'll be back to report on Independence day on July 4th!

Famous people

Last Saturdaynight I was in Philly with some of my 'buddies' from Delaware, when we ran into Al Morganti . So we walked towards him:

“Hey Al Morganti! How are you”
“Good guys, where are you from?”
“We are from Delaware!”
“Delaware?!? What are you doing in Philly?”
“We are visiting our Dutch friend Daniel, he lives here!”
“Dutch! I was the commenter of the Eurocup in 1988, when the Netherlands won. I will never forget: Gullit en Rijkaard, what a team!”
“Cool! Do you also remember Ven Bestin?”
“Sure! He was a great offender!”
“He is currently the coach of the Dutchies, and we are going to win the Euro again!”
“Wauw, that’s amazing!”

There you go: Dutchies are famous everywhere. And my guests - the locals from Delaware - were very dissapointed: they finally met someone famous, and a Dutch guy that doesn't even know who he is steals the show!

Phillies

While everyone in Europe is talking about Euro 2008, we´re in the middle of the baseball season in America. The baseball teams have to play 162 games in the period between April and October, which is 6 games a week! And it is filled with entertainment, just like a flyers game.

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

US Laws

This week's news: a 78-year old man got hit by a car in Connecticut by a drunk driver, who drove on the wrong side of the road. Unfortunately this happens very often in the US (drunk people driving their car). What happened after this accident was strange however, because no one stopped to help the injured man.

This surprised me too. Usually, people in the US are very friendly and helpful. But a discussion on the radio explained it to me: people got sued in the past for helping the injured after accidents like this. Often, helpful people had to pay claims because they should not have tried to help, according to the victims or their families.

Because of these lawsuits, people got scared to help others. The government therefore made a law with the intention to protect these helpful Americans. The result: the good samaritan law protects people that provide help at the accident before medical specialists have arrived; they may provide this help as long as they are trained to do so. A related law is the duty to rescue : if you caused the accident or you have a special relation with the injured, you have to provide as much help as you can. To make it easier, these laws differ per state.

So in the end, you have to ask yourself three things before you intent to help an individual: did I cause the accident, or do I have a special relation with this person? If yes, you have to provide help. If no, do you want to help? If yes, please consider the following before you start: act rational, in good faith, and in accordance to your medical skills and education. The first thing you should do is call 911, to avoid a ticket. If you start to provide help, you are not allowed to leave the scene until someone with equal or better medical skills arrives. It is also not allowed to ask for any financial compensation after you have helped someone. But, you might be in a state with different laws!

Other than this news, it is extraordinary hot here; over 100 degrees, and it stays this way in the evening because of the high humidity. I have watched the European Championship soccer game of the Netherlands agains Italy today in the Irish Pub in Philly. The Italian community is large here: there were about 20 Italians, and only three Dutchies :( We all stayed positive though. And Orange has won the game!

New apartment

After living in a small studio for a few months, I finnaly found a very nice apartment in Philly. The view is amazing, and the roofdeck is even more spectacular!! By the way - there is a floor missing. Do people really think it gives bad luck to live there? Or is it a smart move to add an extra floor to your building?


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

Gas prices

 

The average European looks jealous at the gas prices on this photo (click on it for a larger picture), and wonders why people still pay that little money for fuel.

Last week, the gas price reached almost $ 4 per gallon, which is $ 1.06 or € 0.68 per liter. Still, the gas price is daily news, and Obama & Hillary talk a lot about it – how to decrease the price and the usage of gasoline. Why is there so much going on about gas prices in the US, while it is still inexpensive?

First of all, the gas price increased with $ 1.50 a gallon (60%) in one year, and in 2002 people only paid little over one dollar a gallon. So people here were used to almost-free gas, but they now start seeing it in their pockets.

Secondly, many American cars use a lot of gas, especially the SUV´s and pickup trucks… An example: my car (1999 Honda Accord) was sold in the Netherlands with a 1.6 and 2.0 litre 4-cylinder engine, which was big enough for most Dutchies. However, I have the lightest version in the US, which is a 2.3 litre engine; there is also a 3.0l V6 version of it! And don't assume that everybody likes to race here - not at all!

Thirdly, people in the US need their car. There might be trains in between cities, but they are expensive. And once you’re in the city the subway will take you to many places, but visiting someone or something outside the city is impossible. And don’t even start about the bicycle – that is used for entertainment, not for practical transportation! The distances won’t let you use your bike. The country is built on space, gigantic metropolitan areas and suburbs, and using busses there would be impossible.

The fourth reason: people drive long distances! Are there people living in Amsterdam, working in Leeuwarden, and visiting their parents in Paris on a regular basis? Over here, it´s pretty common!

So you could understand that the people here are filling up their gas with a little frustration nowadays. You will hear tips about fuel-efficient driving on TV (like we had in the Netherlands 10 years ago) and websites started comparing fuel prices. After all, I´m still filling up the gas with a little smile, thinking about the $ 9.50 a gallon that people pay in the Netherlands!

Kanye West concert

Last weekend I went to a performance of Kanye West, Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco. A colleague of mine had some tickets left (thanks, Ken !!!!!!). It was amazing!! A video impression: