WHAT IS WISDOM???

“The very moment a person realizes that reality has many faces, he takes his first step on the road to wisdom.”

Hopstaken’s newsletter - Undutch Maiden Edition – August 15, 2005

Contents

Introduction
1. A dictator at work in the Hofstraat?
2. News: Marten Toonder Dies at 93
3. Meet … the Duke and two Turkish brothers who made it – bigtime
4. Communication & other complexities
5. Cultural notes
6. Wise quotes from across the planet

Introduction
Welcome to the ‘maiden edition’ of my newsletter for non-Dutch friends and relations. It has experimental status: as
yet, it’s not sure if it will be continued. This largely depends on the feedback I receive from you, including the survey
results. Also, the contents of this edition are very ‘Loek’. However, they should be more ‘You’. In other words, your
input is needed and wanted.

So if you care to keep in touch, this newsletter may help to create a communication platform where we can share
news, ideas, fun and adventure. Share:
a. there will be an interview with a former student or teacher, or a portrait of an interesting person (‘Meet …’);
b. you can ask questions (and if they may be of interest to others, they’ll be published;
c. you are welcome to react, comment and write accounts of your experiences.
I’ll take care of some things I like to share with you. Peter van Oosten promised to contribute, and so did Larry
O’Connor. And oh yes: please let’s not limit ourselves to business subjects. We don’t live to be busy. Even if it feels
like that sometimes. But when I’m busy doing things I like, such as communicating with people I care for, I feel very
much alive.Don’t you?

What is Wisdom??? is an independent newsletter. It’s companion to the monthly newsletter which is sent to my Dutch
clients, friends, family and associates. Both are published by my company. My hat is ‘chief editor’. I have permission
from DDU to use its student email addresses, but there will be no DDU involvement in its content. If I like your
contribution, I will publish it. Until I find out how to put pictures on my website, a picture-less version will be
published on my website (www.hopstaken.com). My aim is to publish at least one newsletter every three months.

Let’s see if we can make this work.

I’m looking forward to your feedback.

Loek Hopstaken, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, European Union. Email: loek@hopstaken.com.

1. A dictator at work in the Hofstraat?

Dictators, especially when they rule for a long time, create enemies. Often these are former associates who ‘know too
much’. As the dictator no longer wants to be associated with them, he commissions his staff to get rid of them,
including having them removed from photographs – as if they never existed. An attempt to ‘change history’. Stalin
did it, so did Saddam Hoessein and many other dictators right and left, throughout history.

June 2005. A group of candidate bachelors poses after their Graduation Project presentations in the Hofstraat, in front
of DDU, for pictures. Sun Yifan (Jack) made the picture(s?), using his ‘delayed action shutter’. They appear to be
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identical. I stood where & when they were taken. But … I get confused. Do you see what I see? The right picture
omits Nguyen Anh Tuan (Tony) and Xu Zhaoxiang (Orange). Did they too fell victim to a dictator? If so, who is the
Hofstraat dictator? What happened to Tony & Orange?

2. News: Marten Toonder Dies at 93

(In a next edition, this space could feature an article written by you – one of the readers of this newsletter.)

My favorite cartoon character is Oliver B. Bommel. I often wear a tie with Bommel’s image. His creator, Marten
Toonder, died July 27. The next day, this was the headline of the most respected Dutch newspaper. In his 177 stories
mr. Toonder often had Bommel and his friend Tom Puss heroically address the madnesses of the world, including,
yes!, the international business world. Maybe someday the rest of the world will discover the wondrous adventures of
Bommel & Puss. Mr. Toonder died peacefully in his sleep; his creations, such as Oliver B. Bommel, live forever.

July 28, 2005 – frontpage: Bommel & Toonder One of my Toonder ties
Headline: “The man who exposed the world’s madness”

3. Meet … the Duke – and two Turkish brothers who made it – bigtime
(In a next edition, this space could feature an interview with a former student, or anyone who fits the description:
un-Dutch, interesting, and part of Loek’s network.)

The Duke
You may have noticed that sometimes I refer to an artist called ‘Duke Ellington’. I’m a fan. As you may know, ‘fan’
is short for ‘fanatic’. Let me introduce you to this remarkable man.

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In the 20th century musical world in North America and Europe, Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington kept his orchestra
going for 50 years, became a living legend, left a legacy which is very much alive, and who in 50 years only fired one
of his employees 1 . He was born in 1899 and died in 1974. He composed close to 2,000 pieces, from songs to
orchestrated works, which he performed all over the world. Since I heard his ‘Blue Reverie’ back in 1966, on a 1938
concert recording, I’m hooked to Duke’s sounds, colors and atmospheres. Besides his music, both as a person and an
artist, Duke Ellington has had an impact on my life. To some extent, he’s one of my role models. Like the Duke, I
attempt to survive well in a highly competitive market, by giving all I can to my customers and sometimes taking
risks in the proceedings.

39 years later, I own thousands of Ellington recordings, and I have read all his biographies. Through the internet I
know many people around the world who worked with the Duke, play his music or are just Big Fans like me. Earlier
this year I volunteered to produce a 48 hour radio program showcasing nearly 660 tracks, for a South African radio
station. That’s what happens when you’re a fan. Officially, the music of Duke Ellington belongs to a category called
‘jazz’. If you care to find out more about this man, check http://ellingtonweb.ca. This site is an entry point for any
research into the Duke’s work and life. And alive he is – his music is everywhere. If you want advice on what to buy
and what not, just ask.

Two Turkish brothers

On this picture from 1941 you see the Duke (2nd from left) and three fans. On the far right is Nesuhi Ertegun, on the
far left his brother Ahmet, sons of the Turkish Ambassador in the USA. They fell in love with jazz and rhythm &
blues, decided to stay in the US and became founders of one of the most successful and artistically satisfying record
companies in the jazz and popular genres: Atlantic Records. Nesuhi produced one of the best live concert recordings
of the Duke, 1963, in Paris (‘The Great Paris Concert’). This is just one of Nesuhi’s many classic jazz recordings.
Ahmet became the man behind many unforgettable stars in popular music, ranging from Ray Charles to Crosby, Stills
& Nash. Nesuhi passed away in 1989. Ahmet is now in his eighties, still active and a living legend himself. Examples
of highly respected and successful entrepreneurs with a non-European background 2 . They knew how to network!

4. Communication & other complexities

Communication media
Although I grew up in a time when radio, tv, telephone, telegraph and writing letters were the only means of
communication (that is, apart from talking), this day and age I’m confronted with a vast amount of communication
media which are just advanced variations on those early media. Since 6 years I use email to communicate with my
relations – business or private, and I can’t do without. However, I can live without SMS and MMS. I tried them, but

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You want to know why he fired that guy? Well, despite the fact that Charles Mingus was one of the world’s most
famous bass players, he threatened to kill trombone player Juan Tizol, one of his fellow musicians and composer of
several hits for the Ellington orchestra. That’s the long and short of it.
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The third fan is Bill Gottlieb, a famous photographer of the Forties jazz world.

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those are just not the type of media that appeal to me. Currently I’m trying out Skype and Vskype, new ways of
communicating on line. Skype means you can talk with eachother for free – if the other person is a Skype member
and on line (www.skype.com). Vskype is the same, but with a webcam. I haven’t installed a webcam yet, but that
could be a next step. However, I prefer looking eachother in the eyes, above looking at eachother through a webcam.
If you see what I mean. What do you think? Wing recently persuaded me to try chatting (try my chat facility …
http://spaces.msn.com/members/hopper1951.) This facility is not aimed at my generation of grey-haired men. I don’t
see that as a problem. The main problem is: how on earth will I find the time to be online and chat?

Inductive or deductive???
Q. What is the difference between inductive and deductive research methods?
A. When something happens you don’t understand and you want to understand it, then the first thing you do is collect
data and analyze them. This may result in a rule or a principle. This is inductive reasoning. From observation to
theory. Deductive reasoning is, you take a rule or principle, then use it to understand what happened. From theory to
confirmation. Example of inductive: your laptop crashes. You find that a virus entered your system, as you opened an
attachment to an email from an unknown sender. This is not the first time this happens. You adapt a new rule: never
open email attachments from unknown senders. Example of deductive: the rule is, don’t travel without a valid train
ticket. You do it anyway. You get caught and have to pay a fine. These two methods both have their own value in
areas as different as teaching, solving crimes, law making, medicine, and any type of research. I find both help to
increase the amount of workable knowledge – real know-how. http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/dedind.htm
gives a fine description.

5. Cultural notes
Amsterdam China Festival
This October there will be a series of concerts featuring Chinese music in Het Concertgebouw (‘The Concert
Building’ in Amsterdam). The seven programs range from classical Chinese opera to modern Chinese instrumental
music. See www.concertgebouw.nl.

6. Wise quotes from across the planet

“Every time we’ve moved ahead in IBM, it was because someone was willing to take a chance, put his head on the
block, and try something new.” Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956, founder of IBM)

“Do not fear a stain that disappears with water.” Puerto Rican Proverb

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790, American
scientist, publisher, diplomat)

“Before preparing to improve the world, first look around your own home three times.” Chinese Proverb

“My mother always said, work hard, take advantage of every opportunity and never give up. If you have a dream,
don’t let anyone laugh you out of your dreams.” Jane Goodall (born 1934)

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.” William Arthur Ward (1921-1997)

Any comment or contribution can be addressed to loek@hopstaken.com.