30 August 2010
The
Independent sails and bikes on and around the IJsselmeer (includes travel information and tips for getting around).
"The first port of call, Hoorn, has evidently existed even longer than me: a 16th-century tower with defensive pretensions stands between the harbour and the town. On a warm summer's evening the citizens spill out onto the streets: either to loll on deck-chairs and gossip outside their houses (front gardens are a rarity in Dutch towns) or to converge on the cafés on the main square. Like most of the ports visited, Hoorn comes with an impressive pedigree. It was once a port for the Dutch East India Company, the world's first multinational. The first group cycle ride was a mere 10-mile circuit, evidently designed to allow the two guides (Gwen, a teacher, and Louisa, a student) to assess levels of skill and stamina. Happily for young or untoned limbs, the Netherlands does not require mountain bikes. (Its highest point, in the far south-east of the country, is a peak of barely 1,000ft that is shared with Germany and Belgium.)
A steady 10mph on the flat leaves you free to feel the breeze brushing your cheeks. You let your eyes rest on the scenery: avenues of beech or oak carving through meadows populated by contented cattle or posturing herons. Your ears tune in to a soundtrack where birdsong is usually more prevalent than motor transport, except on a few rare occasions when the procession strays near a rowdy highway – such as the Houtribdijk, a 20-mile-long dyke that begins at the port of Enkhuisen. We were quickly whisked away by boat into a tourist attraction that celebrates Dutch pragmatism: when they didn't like the lie of the land, they redrew the map."
Read the full article at the
Independent
Onlyinholland.com has also paid a visit to
Hoorn.
16 June 2010
From
BusinessWeek:
FIFA said it filed charges against the organizers of an ambush marketing campaign for a Dutch beer during the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Denmark. “The matter is now under criminal investigation,” soccer’s governing body said in an e-mailed statement today. A group of about 30 women were held following the June 14 match in Johannesburg after they donned orange dresses that are part of a promotional campaign for Bavaria NV, a Dutch brewer. Orange is the official color of the Dutch team. Sponsors have paid around $1.2 billion for the right to be officially associated with the World Cup, sport’s most-watched event. FIFA lawyers have filed more than 2,500 cases globally against parties it accuses of ambush marketing.
Bavaria said that while it had commissioned the dresses for a promotional campaign, they bore none of its branding. The company paid for two Dutch women to fly to South Africa and also paid for their match tickets, Barbara Castelein, one of the women, said yesterday in a telephone interview. The Dutch pair gathered a group of 34 other women, who also had their tickets paid for by Bavaria, to join them at the game, Castelein said. The party of 36 entered the stadium dressed as Danish soccer fans, as they feared they wouldn’t be granted access in their orange Bavaria dresses, she added.
Read the full article
here
12 April 2010
The City Archives present a wide-ranging overview of Amsterdam’s rich photographic heritage from the third quarter of the nineteenth century. The exhibition brings together the very best photographs preserved from this period both from its own and other collections in the Netherlands and abroad. In the mid-1850s, photographers such as Pieter Oosterhuis started to market their work. Amateur photographers, such as Eduard Isaac Asser, Jan Adriaan van Eijk and Jacob Olie also began to make their mark. As well as presenting a richly varied picture of Amsterdam seen through the eyes of the photographers, the exhibition also showcases examples of a wide range of photographic techniques. Pride of place is reserved for the sixteen large format paper negatives of Amsterdam landscapes taken by British candle manufacturer and landscape photographer Benjamin Brecknell Turner during his visit to Amsterdam in 1857.
For more information about the exhibition, see the City Archives
website
19 March 2010
From
The Times:
A retired American general has blamed the UN's historic failure to protect the Bosnian "safe haven" of Srebrenica on the fact that there were openly gay soldiers in the Dutch peacekeeping battalion assigned to it. The comments from former Marine Corps general John Sheehan prompted outrage in the Netherlands, where the humiliation in July 1995 of 400 armed Dutch peacekeepers and the subsequent massacre by Serb forces of 8,000 Muslim men and boys remains a subject of acute national sensitivity.
The general said that Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and other nations all took the decision that there was no longer a need for an active combat capability in the military. "They declared a peace dividend and made a conscious effort to socialize their military - that includes the unionisation of their militaries, it includes open homosexuality. That led to a force that was ill-equipped to go to war," he said. "The case in point that I’m referring to is when the Dutch were required to defend Srebrenica against the Serbs: the battalion was under-strength, poorly led, and the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone poles, marched the Muslims off, and executed them. “That was the largest massacre in Europe since World War II."
Renee Jones-Bos, the Dutch ambassador to the United States, said that she "couldn’t disagree more” with General Sheehan, adding there was no evidence of his claims in the extensive record of research on Srebrenica. Roger Van de Wetering, a Dutch Dutch Defence Ministry spokesman added: “For us it is unbelievable that a man of this rank is stating this nonsense, because that is what it is."
Read the full article
here
16 March 2009
From
BBC News:
The Netherlands throughout its history has had an ongoing struggle with the sea. Even its mythology reflects this battle, with the story of the little boy who put his finger in a dyke to stop the land being flooded with seawater. Now, it seems as the tension between land and water is set to reach a new level as rising sea levels and overflowing rivers leave this low-lying nation increasingly vulnerable. "Just let it come; we can't hold it back anyway," farmer Fons Bergmans tells the Television Trust for the Environment's (TVE) Earth Report programme.
The Netherlands only exists as a result of the lowlands' extensive flood and sea defences because two thirds of the nation's population lives below sea level. For centuries, it has relied solely on defensive walls - called dykes - to defend them from flooding. Windmills, an iconic image of the region, were not just for making flour, but for pumping water from the land. In the devastating North Sea flood of 1953, which affected much of northern Europe, almost 2,000 people in the Netherlands lost their lives. One of the lessons learned was that walls and dykes were not enough to tame the seas.
Over the following 30 years, the Dutch constructed huge barriers to protect coastal cities. But 50 years later, the predicted impacts of climate change have put the country's flood defences back under the spotlight.
"We used to have these dykes to keep the water in place, but now we have learnt we have to make places were the water can flow in [floods]. "It is an enormous project through the whole country for more than 40 places where we have to 'make room for the river', as we call it." One example of this work involves one thousand hectares (2,500 acres) that will become a flood zone, including 40 hectares owned by Fons Bergmans. Professor Fresco says the Dutch have been complacent in recent decades about the threat posed by water. "I think we are now moving into a situation where we're thinking again about water, not only as something to be controlled, but also something which is part of our environment, our habitat and something that we have to live with. "We are very optimistic about the new creativity that is generated by thinking through how we live with water in the future."
Much more
here.
03 March 2009
From
Newsday:
Engine trouble may have caused the Turkish Airlines crash that killed nine people in the Netherlands, the head of the agency investigating the accident said yesterday. Separately, officials said those killed were five Turks and four Americans. The State Department confirmed last night that two of the Americans killed were Boeing employees and that a third employee was injured. Flight TK1951 from Istanbul crashed about one mile short of the runway at Schiphol Airport on Wednesday morning, smashing into three pieces and spraying luggage and debris across a field. It was carrying 135 passengers and crew. Chief investigator Pieter van Vollenhoven said, in remarks quoted by Dutch state television NOS, that the Boeing 737-800 had fallen almost directly from the sky, which pointed toward the plane's engines having stopped. He said a reason for that had not yet been established.
Survivors said engine noise seemed to stop, the plane shuddered, then simply fell out of the sky tail-first. Witnesses on the ground said the plane appeared to drop from about 300 feet.
Read the entire article
here.
25 August 2008
Olympic athletes from the Netherlands returned home Monday and were cheered by 25,000 fans at the Amsterdam stadium which hosted the 1928 Games. Led by medal winners, team members walked or danced along an orange-colored catwalk to a stage set up in the Olympic Stadium before being reunited with family and friends. The Netherlands ended 12th on the Beijing medals table with seven golds, five silvers and four bronzes.
"This is great. There are so many people here," said Marianne Vos, who won gold at the cycle track in the women's points race. "We have only just flown home, but you would not want to miss this." Hockey gold medalist Minke Smabers told the crowd that her boyfriend Tjerk Smeets, a catcher with the Dutch baseball team, proposed to her in Beijing at the closing ceremony. "He dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. I said 'yes' straight away," Smabers said.
International Herald Tribune
24 August 2008
Chef de Mission of the Dutch Olympics team, Charles van Commenée, looks back on the Games with a good feeling. He is "more than satisfied" with the Dutch performance in Beijing. In the past two weeks, the Dutch team won 16 medals: seven gold, five silver and four bronze. That is less than in the previous two Games, but more separate teams and individuals were involved in winning the medals. In Sydney and Athens, the Dutch team relied on just a few competitors such as swimmers Pieter van den Hoogenband, Inge de Bruijn and cyclist Leontien van Moorsel.
More at
Radio Netherlands
With 16 medals the Netherlands end up in
12th place in the overall medal standings.
22 August 2008
Americans forced to settle for silver in water polo
The Americans lost, 9-8, to the Netherlands in the gold-medal game Thursday when Dutch superstar Danielle de Bruijn scored with 26 seconds left. The loss follows a trend. The U.S. lost in the gold-medal game in the final seconds in the 2000 Olympics, lost in the final seconds of the semifinal in 2004 and lost again in the waning seconds Thursday. This defeat is easy to explain. The Americans could not stop de Bruijn, who scored seven goals in her final game. She announced her retirement after the medal ceremony. The Netherlands quickly rolled to a 4-0 lead, and the Americans never recovered. The U.S. tied the game at five and later at eight but never led.
Detroit Free Press
Netherlands win women's hockey gold
World champion the Netherlands has beaten host China 2-0 to win its second Olympic hockey title. China won silver, its first hockey medal of any colour, while Argentina earlier outclassed Germany to take home the bronze for the second consecutive Olympics. The Dutch took the lead from a botched penalty corner in the 51st minute, with forward Naomi van As knocking in a rebound and scoring her first goal of the tournament.
ABC
The men's hockey team was less successful, losing to Germany in the semi-final. After drawing 1-1, they lost on penalties in extra time. There was also disappointment when both Dutch table tennis hopefuls were knocked out of the women's singles competition in the fourth round. Singapore's Feng Tianwei beat Li Jie of the Netherlands, while Li's compatriot, Li Jiao, the current European champion, didn't have a chance against China's Guo Yue.
Radio Netherlands
19 August 2008
Star rider wins Olympic gold for the Netherlands
Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands won her third consecutive gold medal in the individual dressage equestrian event at the Olympics. She scored 82.40 percent with her horse, Salinero, in the grand prix freestyle riding on Tuesday to bring her total to 78.68 percent for the grand prix special and freestyle tests, confirming van Grunsven as the queen of the sport.
Sportsnetwork.com
Netherlands advances to semifinals of men's field hockey
After an uneventful first half, the Netherlands and Pakistan battled back and forth in men's Pool A field hockey, with the Dutch emerging with a 4-2 win. The Netherlands scored its second marker on a penalty corner in the 46th minute, followed by a second penalty-corner goal in the 58th minute. With 10 points from four matches, the Netherlands only needed a draw to secure a place in the semifinals. The Dutch won a silver medal at the Athens Games.
CBC.ca
There was also disappointment in the Dutch camp, with cyclist Willy Kanis failing to secure a place in the finals during Tuesday's track sprint finals; she ended fourth to miss a bronze medal. Gymnast Epke Zonderland also failed in his bid for a medal in the men's horizontal bar final; he fell from the apparatus, ending in seventh place.
Radio Netherlands
17 August 2008
Rowing: Dutch double win lightweight gold
Netherlands duo Kirsten van der Kolk and Marit van Eupen won gold in the women's lightweight double sculls after a close battle with Finland.
BBC
Dutch upset defending gold medalists in water polo
The Netherlands upset defending gold medalists Italy 13-11 in penalty shots in the quarterfinals of the Olympic women's water polo tournament Sunday. Erzsebet Valkai's first missed penalty shot in three years with the Italian national team came at the worst possible time, helping the Dutch to victory. The Netherlands advanced to play Hungary in the semifinals Tuesday. The Hungarians won the teams' earlier meeting, 11-9 in pool play. "It's our duty to reset that first match, if you know what I mean," Dutch driver Danielle de Bruijn said. "I think we have a score to settle."
International Herald Tribune
Hockey: Dutch women down Australia 2-1
Reigning world champions the Netherlands snatched their fourth win and secured a semifinal spot, defeating Australia 2-1 in the Olympic women's hockey on Saturday. Australia, ranked fourth in the world, suffered their first loss since the tournament started. Australia went 1-0 up on a field goal from Sarah Young in the 17th minute. However, just three minutes later, Maartje Paumen from Holland leveled the score to 1-1 with a penalty corner. He scored his second in the 46th minute, also a penalty corner, and set up the Dutch's win.
Xinhua
Cycling: Tough times in Beijing for the Dutch
If the Dutch cycling team don't seem particularly cheerful in this year's Olympics, it's hardly surprising after the series of problems which have hit the team in Beijing. Worst off by a long way was their team pursuiter Niki Terpstra, who crashed badly as he was riding to the Laoshan stadium for the qualifier this morning. When team-mate Robert Slippens braked, Terpstra went into him and over the handlebars. His injuries was major: two broken arms, possible fractures in the sternum and a possibly fractured jawbone.
That's not all, either: Yesterday Peter Pieters, the team coach, was struck by a rider at the velodrome and although initial suspicions of a broken hip turned out to be unfounded, he does have a broken cocycx bone in his lower back. On a sporting level, things have not been going too well either. Theo Bos fell and was eliminated from the keirin on Saturday, whilst team-mate Teun Mulder was disqualified for not keeping his line.
Cycling Weekly
US defeats Dutch 7-0 in baseball
The United States has beaten the Netherlands 7-0 in a baseball game that was called off after eight innings following a second rain delay. The Dutch protested the decision because they had loaded the bases in the ninth inning with no outs. The protest was denied by baseball's international federation. The players shook hands after the game, which started 6 1/2 hours earlier.
Associated Press
13 August 2008
Dutch Olympic women's judo bronze
Dutch Olympic judo contestants continue to win medals in Beijing, with Edith Bosch taking the bronze in the women's 70kg category. However, her compatriot, Mark Huizinga, was knocked out of the men's 90kg category contest.
Radio Netherlands
Swimming: 'Hoogie' wants to win just once more
Pieter van den Hoogenband has just one goal at the Beijing Olympics: He wants to win his third gold medal in a row in the 100-meter freestyle, the main event as far as swimming is concerned.
If he does, he will be the first person to do so in the history of the Olympic Games. At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Van den Hoogenband was the first person to swim the 100-metre freestyle event in under 48 seconds. This is the thirty-year-old's last competition season and he wants to shine just one more time. "I want to show myself and the rest of the world that I am the best. Just once more." It's also Van den Hoogenband's fourth Olympics.
Radio Netherlands
Football: Sibon Keeps Dutch Olympic Dream Alive
Netherlands 1-0 Japan. The Dutch needed a win to qualify to the next round, but Japan did their best to bring them down. Oranje needed a Gerald Sibon spot kick to seal the deal. Japan are already eliminated after two losses, while Holland have been unable to impress with two draws. As a result of the results so far Holland needed to win today’s match by two goals to make sure of qualification. Injury time was a tense time - it usually is when Holland are playing. Vermeer had to be on his best as Japan had a late goalmouth flurry. Thus, the narrow win for The Netherlands was enough to help them qualify for the next round, because of the Nigerian win against USA. However, the quarterfinal won’t be easy for Oranje. Reigning Olympic champions Argentine are waiting.
More at
Goal.com
Holland's rowing team on a low as weed slows them down in Beijing Olympics
Racing may be cancelled after Holland – Britain's main rivals in the men's four – complained that their elimination in a semi-final was due to weed slowing down their hull. Holland were too late to make an official protest to FISA, but the international rowing governing body will check the course early and, if necessary, cancel racing so that it can be cleared.
The Telegraph
Hockey: British hopes suffer blow at hands of Dutch
Great Britain's hopes of a medal in the men's hockey suffered a blow after a late goal condemned the British side to a 1-0 defeat against the Netherlands. A 4-2 victory over Pakistan in their opening group game had raised British hopes, but the Dutch, silver medal winners in Athens in 2004, presented a sterner test. The result leaves Britain in third place in Pool B, behind the Dutch and Australia, both of whom have 100% records. The top two teams in each of the two groups qualify for the semi-finals.
The Guardian
11 August 2008
At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Dutch judoka Deborah Gravenstijn has won a silver medal in the women's under-57 kg category. In the final, she lost to Italy's Giulia Quintavalle after she was unable to take the intiative following an uko. Nevertheless it was a good day for Ms Gravenstijn in Beijing. She was not expected to win an Olympic medal. She won a place in the semi-final after beating the Brazilian Ketleyn Quadros and the Spaniard Isabel Fernandez. Once she beat China's Xu Yan in the quarter final, she was certain of winning a medal.
More at
Radio Netherlands
Hockey: Dutch and Germans open with big wins
Defending champions Germany and the Netherlands swamped their opponents on Sunday, while former champions Australia scraped past South Korea in the first round of the Olympic women's hockey. Germany thrashed Britain, ranked 10th and whose last Olympic appearance was eight years ago, 5-1 and top-ranked Netherlands hammered South Africa 6-0.
More at
Reuters
Sailing: Dutch women on right track
The British trio of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson continue to lead the Yngling after finishing fourth and second in Monday's races. They dropped a seventh place finish in race four and have a total of 15 points, giving them a three point advantage over Mandy Mulder, Annemieke Bes and Merel Witteveen of the Netherlands. The crews in spots 3-11 are separated by a mere four points. Australia and the United States are in third and fourth, respectively, with 32 points, and Finland is one point back with 33.
Beijing Olympics website
10 August 2008
Veldhuis anchors Dutch to relay gold, second medal
Marleen Veldhuis anchored the Netherlands to women's 4x100 metres freestyle relay gold on Sunday to secure her country's first Olympic title in the event in 72 years. Dara Torres, who became the first U.S. swimmer to compete in five Olympics as well as the oldest at 41, followed Veldhuis home for the silver while world champions Australia finished third. The Dutch quartet, whose Olympic record time of 3:33.76 was only just outside the world mark of 3:33.62 they set in March, were chasing their country's first gold in the event since the 1936 Berlin Games. More at
Reuters
Football: Injury time goal gives Dutch 2-2 draw with US
Gerald Sibon converted a free kick in the third minute of injury time and salvaged a 2-2 tie for the Netherlands against United States on Sunday, keeping Dutch hopes alive for advancing in the Olympic football tournament. The Americans fell into a tie atop Group B with Nigeria with four points each, two better than the Netherlands. Only two teams advance from the group stage and the Americans will face off against the Nigerians on Wednesday in the final group game for both.
Associated Press
Hockey: Australia under pressure, says Dutch player
Olympic champions Australia will feel the pressure when they begin their defence of the men's hockey title on Monday, Dutch player Teun de Nooijer said on Saturday. The experienced midfielder, who will be playing in his fourth Olympics, was talking from experience. Australia stopped the Netherlands' bid for a third straight title in Athens. The Netherlands, who finished fourth in the Champions Trophy, are in the same group as Australia and will also play Pakistan, Britain, South Africa and Canada in the preliminary stage.
More at
The Guardian
Bronze medal for Ruben Houkes
The Netherlands has won its first Olympic medal. Ruben Houkes, the reigning world judo champion in the under 60-kilo class, has won a bronze medal by beating the Israeli Gal Yekutiel. Houkes lost in the semi final to the South Korean Min-Ho Choi, who went on to take gold. The Austrian Ludwig Paischer won the silver medal.
Radio Netherlands
Dutch Olympic team chief looks to top 10 finish in Beijing
The Dutch Olympic team faces tough challenges from South Korea, Spain, Hungary and Japan in its road to a top 10 finish in the medal tally, team chief Charles van Commenee told Xinhua in a recent interview. "Our ambition is to finish in the top 10 in the medal tally. There are a few countries who are in the same bracket," the Dutch Chef de Mission said. Van Commenee has high hopes for cycling, which in his opinion will probably bring home the most medals. The Dutch cycling team abounds with world class players, including Marianne Vos, who took the biking and road racing titles in 2006 world championships and became the track racing world champion in the points race this year.
Judo is another sport where the Dutch are likely to reap medals. The team boasts Ruben Houkes, the gold medalist in the men's under 60-kilo class at the 2007 World Judo Championships, and Mark Huizinga, who won one gold and two bronzes in the past three Olympic Games. The Dutch are also strong in equestrian, field hockey, swimming and sailing. The Dutch women's hockey team is one of the favorites to took gold in Beijing, while Anky van Grunsven, 40, is looking to take her third gold in individual dressage in as many Olympic Games.
More at
Xinhua
Everything about the Olympics can be found on the
official website, including bios for all the participating countries (
The Netherlands).
