Spykers en doodskisten

Prachtig verhaal in de New York Times, vooral de openingszin:

“De meeste topmensen uit de auto industrie kunnen de modellen van hun merk uit het hoofd ophoesten, Victor R. Muller kan hetzelfde…..met zijn klantenkring”.

From Spyker to Saab, a Quest for Miracles

By LAWRENCE ULRICH

Published: January 29, 2010

THE top executives at most car companies can rattle off the names of their models. Victor R. Muller can tell you the names of his customers.

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FLYING DUTCHMAN Victor Muller, with Spyker C8 Spyder, has a deal for Saab. Spyker’s motto translates as “For the tenacious, no road is impassable.”

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NEXT IN LINE The C8 Aileron Spyder, Spyker’s next model, goes into production this year.

That intimacy helps to explain the appeal of Spyker, a Dutch builder of six-figure sports cars that many people had never heard of. Until, that is, Mr. Muller, the company’s founder and chief executive, began bidding to acquire Saab from General Motors late last year. Last week, after rejecting previous bids, G.M. agreed to Spyker’s offer of $400 million in cash and stock.

But the Spyker story has a familiar ring: Having built barely 260 cars since 2001, Spyker is one of those dream-big automakers — like Tucker or DeLorean — that’s almost gleeful about ignoring the odds.

Dit is nou de echte Hollandse handelsgeest, ondersteund door 400 miljoen Euro van de Europese Investerings Bank, gegarandeerd door……Zweden!.

Toyota volgt!

Met zijn geliefdste spreekwoord: “Ik weet voor elke spijker een gat” is topman Victor Muller al onderweg naar Tokyo; klik maar op Gruppo Sportivo, die hebben niks met dat gaspedaal te maken!

Tokyo – Gruppo Sportivo

Dit is toch een van de weinige keren dat je kan zeggen dat de spyker omgekeerd evenredig is aan de redding van het lijk in de kist. Uh…ergens klopt iets niet aan deze redenering, maar mijn deadline nadert met rasse schreden, dus…..

Leuke week achter de rug met SPIE’s Photonics show (SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies). Eerste Dutch Business Breakfast in ons hagelnieuwe consulaat, waarbij een zevental bedrijven hun elevator speech hielden (max. 60 seconden). Voor beelden van de getergde sprekers tijdens de oefensessie ga naar www.nbso-california.com

De mooiste momenten doen zich voor tijdens Happy Hour, waarbij ongenode gasten zich gunstig manoevreren en plotsklaps een groen flesje met inhoud weten te bemachtigen, danwel wat houten souvenir klompjes. Artisten zijn het; lasersnel weten zij hun doel te bereiken en daarom horen zij ook op die show thuis.

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Een 10 voor Bill(ion) Gates!

Wat ik ook van Bill Gates en windows ooit gezegd mag hebben gaat uit het raam; iemand die 10 miljard dollar ter beschikking stelt om kinderlevens te redden krijgt van mij de grootste pluim, waar dan ook, die ik me kan bedenken.

Bill Gates commits $10 billion for vaccines over the next decade

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Bill Gates commits $10 billion to vaccine development and delivery over the next decade.

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By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Bill and Melinda Gates gave a big hat tip to vaccinations today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Indeed, the pair, who head up the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said that they will spend an additional $10 billion over the next decade — on top of $4.5 billion already committed — to develop and deliver vaccines to children in the developing world, Reuters reports.

Hulde!

Over nagels en doodskisten gesproken:

President Obama meets with GOP Leaders: Change vs. Obstructionism?

January 30, 3:51 AMclip_image010St. John the Baptist Parish Progressive Examinerclip_image010[1]Gregory Boyce

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President Obama explains his administration’s policy

Inside the Lion’s Den

President Obama understanding that the American people are fed up with partisan political bickering which has all but destroyed national confidence in our elected officials ability to focus on and fix the problems that threaten to cripple our nation, has once again presented an olive branch to the Republican Party by accepting Thursday an invitation from top Republican lawmakers to engage in a political question and answer session today (Friday) in an environment / setting that some are comparing to as the proverbial “Lion’s Den”.
140 Republicans vs. 1 Democratic President
During the unprecedented televised exchange of questions and answers between an American President and his political opponents that “oh by the way” happened to be unscripted and teleprompter less, President Obama on Friday articulately and surgically addressed a volley of questions that were posed to him by GOP leaders that were determined to appear on television before the American public as not being the party of “No” but rather being a party that was “dutifully engaged” in bi-partisan discussions.

Gebrek aan ballen kan je hem niet verwijten!

The Lion sleeps tonight FULL

JUST WATCH 🙂