Tag Archives: Amsterdam

The Blog Game: Tag! Your it!

This week I have been tagged by my (digital) friend, Harry Bishop, from Canada (http://www.harrybishop.ca). It wasn't clear to me exactly what it meant, but if you read the rules, it is a rather fun concept. I renamed it: "The Blog Game".

The rules are:

  1. Link to your tagger and post these rules;
  2. List EIGHT random facts about yourself;
  3. Tag EIGHT people at the end of your post and list their names;
  4. Let them know they’ve been tagged; and,
  5. E-mail your tagger, the link to your post.

When I got tagged, I had no idea what to share, so I am going to share 8 random facts that pop-in to my head:

1. You might have guested what my passions are (looking at my blog and career choice), but I have a virus! I am mad about watches/mechanical movements/watchmaking. That is the reason I initiated the blog WatchFreaks couple of months ago. From the start we received positive feedback and the group of visitors grows steadily every day.

IWC Portuguese Chrono Rattrapante

2. If people need to guess where I was born, looking at my name, the largest chance is that people will say Israel. Although my roots go back to the Jerusalem of King David, I am born and raised in Amsterdam (The Netherlands, Europe), where I still reside.

I AMsterdam

3. Talking about names, almost everybody gets confused about my double family name: Ben Joseph. Most people think Ben is my middle name. My family name means Son of Joseph in Hebrew. So, my complete family name is BEN JOSEPH and first name is: Alon, which means "Royal Oak" (yes, like the watch).

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

4. A lot of people question me about the meaning of the slogan of my blog: "Strong as a Tree"... If you paid attention at fact #3, my name is also used for a tree: an Oak 😀

Oak

5. My favorite dish/food is: Almost anything that comes of a BBQ! Especially a good juicy steak.

BBQ

6. My direct circle of friends know that I love quotes, so hereby one of my favorites, an oldy, but a goody by C.G. Jung: "Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you!".

7. My favorite (dream) car: Lancia Flaminia Zagato Supersport.

Lancia Flaminia Super Sport Zagato

8. Last, but certainly not least, a question that is asked many times: My favorite watch. That I currently own, the IWC Portuguese Chrono Rattrapante. My dream watch: F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain.

F.P. Journe

I hope that you enjoyed my scribbles. Now I am tagging to following people that I think have something interesting to share:

1. Natalie Shell of Think Talk Walk- My friend that was one of the first persons in my direct group of friends with a dynamic blog.

2. Guilda Moussazadeh of Funfair - The first member in my family that started blogging.

3. Robert-Jan Broer of Fratello Watches - My partner-in-crime on WatchFreaksBlog.com.

4. Tom Mulraney of The Watch Lounge - My Australian (digital) WatchFriend.

5. Suzan Fluitman of ONLuxury - The Dutch Online Luxury Guru.

6. Schelly Talalay Dardashti of Tracing the Tribe - The expert on Jewish Genealogy.

7. Doron Krant - My buddy who doesn't blog yet, but urgently needs to. He always finds the newest info/FunStuff & shares the coolest things with all his online contacts. He already owns the domain: Krantee.com (keep posted)!

8. Steve Fritsche of SteveFritsche.com - My Photography Friend, who doesn't have a blog yet, but now that I have tagged him, he needs to!

For all the people that don't have a blog yet, I advise them to logon to www.wordpress.com and get a free account. You can be blogging within 5 minutes!

 

Cannabis vending machines rolled out in LA

Amsterdam (The Netherlands) is considered to be the drugs capital of the world, but we don't have the vending machines they have for cannabis in Los Angeles (USA):

The world's first cannabis vending machines have been launched in Los Angeles.But not everyone will be able to get there hands on the drug, as it will only be dispensed to people who have a legal medical prescription for it.A choice of six different types of cannabis are available from the handy machines, which are protected by security guards 24-hours a day.

And Vince Mehdizadeh, the owner of the Herbal Nutrition Center, is hoping the move will promote more accountability in the medicinal use of the drug - which is legal in 11 states in the US.

Mr Mehdizadeh said: "It's looking to be regulated, why not have it regulated in this way, with actual transactions, after transactions, being documented, so that state taxes can be paid, fed taxes can be paid and everything is lucid and clear and out in the open for all to see."

Before being allowed to use the machines, patients are photographed, fingerprinted and entered into a database that helps keep track of their usage.

They will then be issued with a prepaid security card, that along with their fingerprint ID, will allow them access to the drug at any time of the day.

California voters backed an initiative in 1996 allowing the smoking of marijuana for medical purposes - a use barred by federal law.

MSN, 30-1-2008 (http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=7401141#toolbar)
MSNBC, 30-1-2008 (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22910820/?GT1=10755)

What is your opinion on drugs? Do you agree on the difference between soft and hard drugs? Should soft drugs be legalized?

In Holland we have a very weird legislation on drug: hard drugs is illegal and soft drugs is legal to use, but illegal to trade/sell... Yes, I know so if it is illegal to sell soft drugs, how can you buy it and use it in a legal way. But studies in Holland have shown that when soft drugs is legalized the usage goes down... Yes, you have read it correctly, when things are illegal, people will want it more!

What they are doing in the US is also intersting... Soft drugs as a medicine... What do you think?