This dude made it my day!

This morning, I was in the elevator with another 2 people in my office building. One floor up, one guy went out. The moment he walked out of the elevator, this other dude opened his mouth:

WE SHOULD BAN THOSE WHO TAKE ELEVATORS FOR JUST 1 FLOOR UP!

Before I could give some thoughts towards his statement and respond, I immediately cracked out - you are a Dutch, aren't you?!

Apparently he is:

• Dutchies approach strangers in an elevator. Swedes will NEVER do that!
• He has such a thick Dutch accent when he spoke English - I am missing that!
• Only Dutchies can be that critical, never the Swedes!!!

He really made me laugh. Aw... I miss Holland.

SWEDEN CLAMPS DOWN ON SICK AND DISABILITY PAY

This is what Flic just emailed me:

In recent years, there has been a boomlet in sickness and disability in Sweden. Thirteen percent (13%) of working-age Swedes live on some type of disability benefit. That is the highest proportion in the world. Yet, Swedes are the healthiest people in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Hmmm. There are several dynamics at work. Sweden has a very generous welfare system. The government trusts people to be honest. Benefits are easy to get. Fraud has crept into the system. The Protestant work ethic is waning. The perfect storm. But things are changing. The system cost too much and cannot be sustained. The government is cracking down. People are losing their benefits. People are being told to return to work, the gravy is over. The government is providing training to people who need it because they have been out of the labor force for so long. Lotta Landstrom has lost her sick benefits after two years. Lotta is allergic to electricity, or so says her doctor. (The Wall Street Journal, 09-May-2007, Central ed., p. A1)

Not just being sick and so-called disabled. Some people take paternity leave for 4 months!!! And maternity leave can be up to 2 years!!! What career aspiration and ambition?! I just need to get a job which allows me to maximize my days off!!! =)