8)) My dearest Eartheans,

as we traditionally attach quite some of importance to the increments of
the numerical year markings, I wanted to use some of these last hours of
2006 to share with you a shortest possible summary of what I had in the
period between the two last longest nights...

First of all, what concerns staying in a good email-contact: please note
that I switched to a new email address, which is djov-monkey-djov-dot-net.
For the training period I provide the following email-contacts overview:
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 | for fast and reliable response:         djov-monkey-djov-dot-net     |
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 | for very large attachments: put them on a webpage and send me        |
 | a link to the address above; however, if this not possible,          |
 | the escape is:                         djovgiga-monkey-gmail-dot-com |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 | for laziness and backward compatibility: djov-monkey-consultant-dot-com|
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
The main reason for switching is a lot of bounced mail sent from
consultant.com, being webmail of a commercial domain. I will see if I
will be of a better luck with the private djov.net domain: but please
keep an eye on your trash folder and please make me know if something as
this happens.

The 2006 is memorable to me chiefly as a big switch in the rhythm (and
partially content) of my days between weekends. From a long academic
period where I first had learned what the industry does and how it does it
and, later, what I can do to make it do better, at the very beginning of
this year I found myself in the phenomenon itself. It took many hours to
grasp the idea of the industrial state of the art from the academic
perspective; it has taken even more for observing it within; an enriching
insight to the most appreciated form of creativity within the
materialistic world. Especially when being reminded that it is only tip of
the iceberg of that creative world. I am glad for getting chance of
stepping on it. And happy with the way I got to do that.
In March I obtained PhD degree, but the feeling of “the year of PhD” was
with 2005 when the work was at its zenith, so the week of the promotion
and the day itself, although being extremely rewarding, was just one of a
few weeks different from my new “industrial rhythm”.

Related to the previous, a feeling of entering the domain regarded as one
of the greatest accumulations of material wealth was followed by a
strongly increased call of balancing the somewhat increased income with
enormous shortages in our global society, through charities. By following
a personal belief that the strongest weapon against the evil of all faces
(of which the poverty is one of the ugliest) is education, I tried to
identify in the scarce free time of this year charities that help young
people deprived from access to education. For this year, I joined a Dutch
organization that provides second families, homes and access to basic
education to children that lost parents, “Children’s villages”, [1].
Please feel encouraged to inform me how to search better for funds with
focus on education. I saw some websites about this started appearing, as,
for those who read Dutch, [2].
Although I am not completely sure whether sponsoring sport has a flavour
of hypocrisy compared to burning basic needs around the world, I organized
collecting a small amount for sending a young Serbian karate contestant to
the European championship.

Related to the previous were the three literary pieces and two movies that
left the strongest external impressions on me this year. So strong that
they come in a selection of artefacts that I consider a useful common
knowledge for me and anyone who would like to get to know me better. The
first is a relatively well known book of Erich Fromm, “To Have or to Be”,
lay quite some time on my bookshelf. I would really give up some loved
aspects of my life to join a group that would seriously intend to put the
ideas of this book into life – the feeling about this piece was “would it
be possible??”. The second is the speech of 2005 Nobel Prize for
Literature laureate Harold Pinter [3]. (with the feeling “was this possible?!”).
The third is the Nobel
Prize for Peace for Muhammad Yunus and the institution he created, the
Grameen Bank in Bangladesh [4], which borrows micro amounts to the poor,
helping them create their personal prosperity; according to Mr Yunus (and
agreed by me), eliminating poverty (followed by increasing knowledge and
understanding) is indeed the way to the world peace. (“it is possible!!”.)
The first movie is about responsibility for children, regardless their
origin, the greatest title of 2006 of Danish cinematography, “After the
Wedding” [5]; the second movie is an effervescent cocktail of existential
mysticism and quantum mechanics(!) “What the Bleep Do We Know” [6].

Politically significant, though emotionally ambivalent event of 2006, was
that my land of origin after 15 years of decay of beautiful Yugoslavia
stands again alone with its older territory, again officially recognised
as Serbia.
It was a bright political moment this year that the Dutch parliament got
two representatives of Party for the Animals; especially in a country as
the Netherlands which is, proportionally to its population, a giant
producer of meat. Because, on each Dutchmen, women and child, there is
approximately one cow, one sheep, one pig at any single moment, which are
grown under stimuli for rapid growth; while one can see cows and sheaps
all over the Netherlands, in my more than 5 years stay in the country, I
have not seen a single pig. One can imagine poor existences of these
beings, many of which never see the sun. It is similar with poultry.
Therefore I signed a petition against massive bio industry [7].

Although the previous is not strictly an environmental topic, it prompts
me to share with you also the awareness-event of the year, and that is a
rising number of United States that are lobbying for limiting emissions of
greenhouse gases. This was a positive change at the most influential
rejecter of the Kyoto protocol; however terribly negative is the following
of the old attitude by the fast-closing runners China and India.
But I have to admit to you a large discontent with my self: this year I
made 22k km with my benzine-powered car :(

At the end of this email let me mention other small loved thinks of this
year: it was a great come back to (almost) all kinds of dances that I used
to practice in Belgrade – this happened in the beautiful city of
Groningen, which is also one of the bright symbols of my 2006; it was
further more than a third of those 22k km for seeing many dear faces
around Europe [8]; it was also many great stuff attached to emails that I
have received all year long – a small selection will reside temporarily at
[9].


Year 2006 for me was a year with lot of changes; I expect 2007 will go in
the same fashion. It will be a year of a few major steps in my
professional as well as private life. (For now, let me mention some
“minors”: back to Tango Argentino as of 10. January, my first leaving
Europe (for Canada) and one more paneuropean tour - [10] - for this one
the companionships are possible, but express your interest before 1.
March).
About all these I will send you a similar email in one year. Should you
rather keep that one away from you mailbox, please send anything to
giveup-monkey-djov-dot-net.

And what about getting similar emails from you, at least once a year?

I wish you a good year of a Major smile!

Yours DJ 8)
www.djov.net/homepage/news

[1] www.soskinderdorpen.nl
[2] www.independer.nl/goededoelen/intro.aspx
[3]
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2005/pinter-lecture.html
[4] http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2006/index.html
[5] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457655/
[6] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0399877/
[7] www.stopvoutvlees.nl
[8] www.djov.net/Tour2006
[9] www.djov.net/emajl2006
[10] www.djov.net/Tour2007