24 May 2010
From the
New York Times:
We're driving on top of a dike in the northern province of Friesland in the Netherlands, with a sliver of pink-hued sunrise slicing through an otherwise gray sky. We zoom past verdant pastures full of cows and sheep, past centuries-old churches, and past windmills, both old and modern. I notice the blades on the newer machines are spinning fast. That’s a bad sign: more wind means more water. That is, more water in the Wadden Sea, a thin and shallow stretch of the North Sea that separates the Dutch mainland from a series of islands, including Ameland, a narrow slip of pristine land that’s home to four villages.
In the Netherlands, trudging through muck is a recreational pastime. The Dutch call it wadlopen, and the Wadden Sea, one of the world’s last remaining natural large-scale inter-tidal ecosystems, recently designated a Unesco World Heritage site, is a popular destination for the country’s mud-trampers. You can’t make this walk without someone who knows where the water is shallow enough to permit pedestrian passage. The guides, mostly men in their 30s and 40s, wear professional-looking water shoes and windbreakers bearing the insignias of their tour-guide outfits. They’re consulting about the weather conditions: Several trips are canceled because of the wind. [...]
Eventually, I spot a slip of land in front of us. It’s miles away, but at least we have a target. Once we reach a long sandbar, we’re treated to a break — and a brilliant panorama. To our right, distant clouds are letting loose dark, thick bands of rain. To our left, the sun has broken through to illuminate a bright azure sky. All the colors are sharp, the air crisp. We’re standing in the middle of the ocean, part of a vast and flat expanse, bathed in light, watching weather fronts coming and going. Every member of our group is smiling. Ms. van de Maer says to me, “See why I keep coming?”
Read the full article
here
14 May 2010
From
Gemeentearchief Rotterdam:
Until today still not all questions regarding the devastating German bombardment on Rotterdam of Tuesday May 14th 1940 have been answered. It is certain that at a high German military level such a heavy bombardment was looked at as a means to precipitate the Dutch surrender. That is indeed what happened, in spite of a directed, light bombardment and negotiations with the Dutch army command preferred by the German commander in Rotterdam Schmidt. The bombardment on Rotterdam of May 14th was carried out by approximately 90 Heinkel bombers of the squadron 'Kampfgeschwader 54 Totenkopf' (KG 54), under the command of 'Geschwaderkommodore' Oberst Walter Lackner. Between 13.27 hours and 13.40 hours the big surface bombardment took place on the centre of Rotterdam, Kralingen and the north of Rotterdam. More than 30.000 buildings were destroyed. In total 800 to 900 people died as a result of this bombardment.
Immediately after the bombardment everywhere in and around the centre of Rotterdam fires broke out. A strong wind stirred up the fire and the fire brigade couldn't do anything useful in this situation. There was a lot of material damage, blocking the streets, and many springs were out of reach. Ten thousands of civilians flee from the city centre, which was transformed into an inferno. Nearly eighty thousand citizens of Rotterdam lost their homes and possessions. In Kralingen and at the Coolsingel the blaze spread even more across the city. With the turning wind fanning the fire during the night, other parts of the city fell prey to the flames as well.
All together 25.479 dwellings were lost in which 77.607 people were housed. Besides that, 26 hotels, 117 boarding houses and 44 lodgings, in which some 2000 people lived, had been destroyed. In total 79.600 persons, who represented 12,8 % of the population of Rotterdam, were left homeless. Of these people, as from June 15th 1940 onward, 20.887 were accommodated in other municipalities, while others, at that moment, had found a temporary shelter within the boundaries of Rotterdam. A lot of industrial premises were also destroyed: 31 department stores and 2.320 smaller shops, 31 factories and 1.319 workshops, 675 warehouses and storage companies, 1.437 offices, 13 bank buildings and 19 consulates, 69 school buildings and 13 hospitals, 24 churches and 10 charitable institutions, 25 municipal- and government buildings, 4 station buildings, 4 newspaper buildings and 2 museums, 517 café’s and restaurants, 22 cinema’ s and 184 other business accommodations.
Much more information, photos and videos can be found
here
NOS News: Rotterdam remembers bombardment
05 May 2010
From
Reuters:
Dutch police detained two suspects after a disturbance at a Remembrance Day ceremony on Tuesday that injured 30 people and forced security officers to escort Queen Beatrix hastily from the scene. [One has been released this morning.] During a two-minute silence for victims of war at the war memorial in Amsterdam, someone yelled an unintelligible remark which caused panic and confusion among the crowd. More than 30 people were hurt, most of them trampled underfoot or falling against safety barriers, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said. Police detained two suspects. Queen Beatrix reappeared shortly after the incident.
Just over a year ago the queen was the target of an attack on the April 30 Queen's Day national holiday when a Dutchman rammed his car into onlookers at a royal parade in the city of Apeldoorn, killing himself and seven others. Security was tightened at this year's Queen's Day event last Friday and also at Tuesday's Remembrance Day ceremony
Read the full article
here
29 April 2010
Queen's Day: The Queen's official birthday (Koninginnedag). On Koninginnedag, 30 April, (in 2006 on Saturday 29 April) the Netherlands celebrates the Queen’s official birthday. Street parties and other events are held all around the country, often organised by local “Orange associations”. Queen Beatrix and other members of the Royal House visit festivities in one or two places each year [this year she will visit the province of Zeeland]. The royal visits are always broadcast live on television. Queen Beatrix’s birthday is not on that date, but on 31 January. 30 April was the birthday of her mother, Queen Juliana. Queen Beatrix wanted to continue celebrating Koninginnedag on that date as a mark of respect to her mother.
Koninklijkhuis.nl (Official website of the Royal Family)
Radio Netherlands has a top 10 list of Queen's Day events (Number 6: You can make your own Queen’s Day video and post it on the
Royal Family’s YouTube channel from 12:00 onwards. An independent jury will be choosing out five of the best which will win a royal audience at Queen Beatrix’ Noordeinde Palace in The Hague).
Koninginnedag in Amsterdam: Guide to all the events in Amsterdam.
Dutch queen celebrates 30 years on the throne (AFP)
The Netherlands' Queen Beatrix celebrates 30 years on the throne Friday amid a crisis of government that observers say has made her all the more relevant as a unifying figure. "Beatrix is a symbol of unity. It is her role as queen," Han van Bree, an author on the Dutch royal family, told AFP ahead of the ever-popular queen's landmark anniversary. "People have a need to know that there is someone who looks after the stability of the country." Given the collapse of the centre-left government in February in a spat about extending the Netherlands' military presence in Afghanistan, the 72-year-old monarch's retirement ahead of June elections was unlikely, the author said. While the build-up to last year's annual Queen's Day celebrations was marked by widespread speculation of her abdication, there has been no such talk this year. "She won't abdicate in such a turbulent time," said Van Bree, especially given the popularity dent recently suffered by crown prince Willem-Alexander, 43. The monarch plays an important role in Dutch politics by appointing the so-called formateur who explores possibilities for coalition government after general elections, and approves the outcome.
The king or queen also co-signs laws and chairs the Council of State which advises the Dutch government on legislation and is the country's highest administrative court. Widely regarded as humble, serious and a perfectionist, Beatrix has managed in three decades to give the monarchy a modern, hard-working image. "If the Netherlands were to have presidential elections, Beatrix would win easily," said Dutch historian Han van den Horst. Dubbed the "chief executive officer of the Netherlands", she radiates a bourgeois allure in her immaculately pressed, practical dresses and suits and a stiff helmet hairdo that a staggering collection of hats cannot tease out of place.
Read the full article
here
Dutch queen unveils monument to attack victims (Washington Post)
Dutch Queen Beatrix was unveiling a monument Thursday to spectators killed when a depressed loner tried to
slam his car into a bus carrying the royal family during last year's national day celebrations. Security authorities stepped up precautions for the first "Queen's Day" festivities since Karst Tates plowed through a crowd and into a stone monument in Apeldoorn, killing himself and seven bystanders. Beatrix and several members of her family looked on in horror from their open-topped bus, which was Tates' target. Footage of the scene, broadcast repeatedly over the next few days, stunned the nation.
The Apeldoorn attack "taught us we had to tighten things up" for Friday's celebration, said Jan Dalebout, the police chief responsible for Queen's Day security. The monument being unveiled Thursday is a sculpture of a box full of balloons symbolizing vulnerability, festivities and mourning. Security will be tight Friday for the queen's visit to the southern province of Zeeland. Police have been given the power to pat down at random any member of the public and residents near the queen's parade routes must remove garbage bins and other containers.
Read the full article
here
26 April 2010
From
Colombia Reports:
Dozens of Dutch ex-pats took their beloved bicycles to the Bogota streets on Sunday to take part in the Ciclovia Naranja, an event organized by the country's embassy to promote the Netherlands in Colombia. The cyclists - all dressed in the country's quirky national color orange - took advantage of the already existing ciclovia that allows pedestrians and cyclists to exercise on public roads without risking being crashed into by one of the millions of motorized vehicles that usually fill the streets of the Colombian capital. The event is part of a 6-day promotional campaign that ends with the celebration of Queen's Day on April 30th, when Dutch around the world celebrate their monarchy.
Read the article
here
18 April 2010
From
Houma Courier:
When a local levee leader and a U.S. senator travel next month to the Netherlands, the objective will be to gather information on coastal and flood-protection issues from a nation that has made the issues priorities. Terrebonne Levee Director Reggie Dupre and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, will visit Holland’s massive flood-protection projects and, they hope, bring home some of the lessons that nation has learned in its decades-old battle for protection of its people and its environment. “Dealing with environmental issues at the same time as trying to protect people is the main theme of this whole summit,” Dupre said.
Scheduled for May 30-June 3, the trip will focus on the Netherlands’ efforts to do what Louisiana and the U.S. must do here. In Holland, a flood in 1953 flooded 80 percent of the country and forced the issue into the nation’s consciousness. Although recent years have seen increased damage and danger from storms, the U.S. has had nothing on the level of what occurred there. The trip to the Netherlands will give Dupre and Landrieu a great look at what can be accomplished, but the lessons could be wasted unless the U.S. adopts a similar commitment to its coastal residents. Politically, that could be much more difficult here. Most of the Dutch population is in the danger zone of flooding. But relative little of the U.S. is under a similar threat.
Read the full article
here
05 April 2010
During National Museum Weekend, more than 500 museums nationwide throw open their doors to the public free of charge or offer heavily discounted entrance. Hundreds of museums also organise additional activities and events to add the icing to the Museum Weekend cake. This annual event is the perfect opportunity to delve deep into the country's rich cultural heritage, and with more than twenty museums participating in Amsterdam alone, a weekend packed to bursting point is guaranteed!
From
IAmsterdam
National Museum Weekend 2010 official website, in Dutch. List of participating museums can be found
here.
17 March 2010
From the
Vancouver Sun:
The Dutch have a long love affair with tulips and grow some of the most beautiful in the world. In Amsterdam, the tulip has been a bit of a wallflower lately, perhaps because its bulbs were a food source during the Second World War. A more positive link to those times will be ceremonies this spring to thank the largely Canadian forces who liberated Holland 65 years ago. Festivities run from April 29 to May 10 and include memorial services at several Canadian war cemeteries. The glorious tulip will be celebrated with the inauguration of
Amsterdam Tulip Days, April 24 and 25. Gardens around the city will show off their blooms on a self-guided tour organized by
Van Loon art museum and landscape gardener Saskia Albrecht.
Running until June, the
Rijksmuseum's exhibition of prints and drawings from the 17th and 18th centuries features individual tulips, bouquet tulips, garden tulips, silver ornament tulips and tulips in allegorical paintings. The unique and rarely exhibited Jacob Marrel 17th-century catalogue features nearly 80 pages of tulips, mostly images of the then-popular style of variegated white or yellow bases and red or purple leaf tops. The Rijksmuseum offers a joint ticket to itself and to the
Keukenhof, a world known spring garden.
Read the full article
here
10 March 2010
From
Keukenhof.nl:
On 17 March 2010 Mrs Svetlana Medvedeva will open the Keukenhof International Flower Exhibition in Lisse in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of the Netherlands. ‘From Russia with Love’ is the challenging theme for Keukenhof 2010.
The flower exhibition in Lisse is using this theme to appeal to a country that will bring forth an important stream of tourists in the coming years and that is a potential export country for Dutch flower bulbs. Russia is enormous, beautiful and mysterious, a special state with a special history. It is these aspects in particular that Keukenhof aims to highlight in its exhibition. Russian landscapes, a Russian inspirational garden, Russian wildlife in the children’s play area and, of course, the inevitable dacha and matryoshka dolls. Naturally, one of the inspirational gardens will be in Russian style. Pièce de résistance will be an enormous mosaic of the famous Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow.
The official opening of Keukenhof will take place on 17 March. The park will be open to the public from Thursday 18 March to Sunday 16 May 2010.
Much more information can be found at
Keukenhof.nl
08 March 2010
From the
New York Times:
The opening lines of the satirical novel “Max Havelaar” are so well-known in Dutch that even a relatively new arrival to the Netherlands, with scant knowledge of the country’s literary tradition, can recite them by memory: “Ik ben makelaar in koffie, en woon op de Lauriergracht, no. 37.” Translation: “I am a coffee broker, and live at No. 37 Lauriergracht.” A simple declarative statement to open up one of the first works in any language to bring an exploitative colonial system under moral scrutiny; the novel has since become a cornerstone of the literary tradition of the Netherlands. Eduard Douwes Dekker, or Multatuli as he is known, finished writing the book 150 years ago. This year, a couple of events mark that anniversary.
Most accessible to those of us without a grounding in Dutch literature is an exhibition devoted to the novel at the University of Amsterdam’s Bijzondere Collecties special collection (129 Oude Turfmarkt). It runs through May 16. The show places the book and its author in the context of the colonization process that had overtaken what is now Indonesia. Some of the rooms feature artifacts from 19th-century Indonesia (then called the Dutch East Indies), breathing life into the characters that inspired the writer. Though the displays and accompanying text are all in Dutch, the exhibition is a fascinating one for visitors: an invitation into the conscience of a former colonial power, still sifting through a murky past, via the pen of one of its most acclaimed writers.
Read the full article
here
04 February 2010
Anyone who has been to Holland knows it is the perfect place to just be amazed, just be relaxed and just be yourself! That’s why the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC) is launching its newest marketing campaign on February 4th in North America: “Just be. In Holland.” to appeal to every type of traveler. Whether your style is classic or contemporary, Holland has something for everyone, from iconic Dutch canals and windmills to innovative design shops and cutting-edge fashion. To mark the launch of this new year-long campaign, NBTC will test potential travelers’ knowledge of Holland through a series of contests on
www.holland.com. A new contest will be posted every Thursday in February. Each correct online entry will be entered into a weekly drawing for a chance to win an incredible prize that highlights a different aspect of Holland’s unique style.
Just Be. In Holland
Source: The Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions
30 November 2009
From the
New York Times:
Some things seem doomed in the digital age, and the atlas is one. Who needs to plow through a book to track down a map, when you can call it up within seconds on Google Maps? An online map is also likelier to be up-to-date than the printed one, which could have been published years ago. Put like that, the prognosis doesn’t look great, but that’s for traditional atlases, not the new ones developed by Joost Grootens, a Dutch designer. By reassessing the type of information we might like to find in an atlas, and experimenting with different ways of depicting it, Mr. Grootens has created a beautiful series of books that give us a richer, clearer picture of the places we are looking up than we ever could hope to find on the Internet. Thanks to his latest book, the Vinex Atlas, Mr. Grootens on Sunday was awarded the Netherlands’ most prestigious design award, the Rotterdam Design Prize.
Historically, [The Netherlands] has excelled in graphic design, and continues to do so thanks to Mr. Grootens and his peers, like Experimental Jetset, Mevis & Van Deursen and Irma Boom. Recently it has emerged as a force in product design too, helped by Eindhoven, Droog and the rest of the design system. If you compiled a checklist of the things that are likely to foster a healthy design culture, the Netherlands would be one of the few countries to tick every box. Government grants for young designers. Cheap studios. Great design collections in museums, like the Boijmans in Rotterdam and Stedelijk in Amsterdam. Enlightened manufacturers, such as Royal Tichelaar Makkum (another Rotterdam prize nominee) and Moooi, the furniture company launched by Philippe Starck’s Dutch understudy, Marcel Wanders. All of this has created a vibrant design scene that has enabled Dutch designers to thrive and attracted talented foreigners.
There are concerns that the Netherlands is ill-equipped to adapt to the changes now sweeping through design. This is a global issue. Designers everywhere are struggling to redefine their role as the environmental and economic crises deepen, but that process need not necessarily be negative. Another issue is whether the Dutch will be as adept at the new design disciplines, such as service design and social design, which apply the principles of design thinking to a range of problems, as at they have been at the traditional process of creating beautiful objects and imagery. In principle there is no reason why they shouldn’t, but the United States has taken the lead in service design, and Britain and Scandinavia in social design. Despite the gloom inside the Netherlands, outsiders are more optimistic about the prospects for Dutch design. “Crisis? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Paola Antonelli, senior curator of design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, said laughing. “They should get over themselves, although I guess it’s the self-criticism that makes them so good.”
Read the full article
here
25 November 2009
From
BBC News:
Rotterdam does not feature highly on lists of must-see sites in the Netherlands. Heavily bombed by the Germans during World War II, Europe's busiest port lacks the rustic charm of Amsterdam. But city authorities are aiming to turn it into an international showcase for water management, making a virtue out of what was once its biggest threat. Although the story of Hans Brinker shoving his finger in the dyke to stop it from bursting is a myth, Dutch expertise in this field is not in doubt. With much of its land mass below sea-level, the country has been battling the sea for centuries, using dykes and windmills to control the flow of water. The Netherlands has established a plan to bolster its flood protection system by making it:
* Bigger, with higher sea barriers
* More natural, through schemes to widen rivers, reinforce the coastline with sand and start building floating homes
* Smarter, using technology to provide an early warning system and evacuation plan
Rising sea levels are not the only problem facing the country. Increased urbanisation is putting pressure on sewage systems and increasing the risk of flooding, and the country is subsiding at an even faster rate than the sea level is increasing. "We're getting more water out of Germany from the river Rhine, more from heaven, water out of the sea and out of the soil, so water's coming from four sides and we have to have answers for all four aspects," says Rotterdam's Vice-Mayor Lucas Bolsius.
Rotterdam's ultimate goal is to make itself climate-proof - able to withstand whatever the weather throws at it - by 2025. In addition to hi-tech water management systems, the city is also exploiting "soft technology" such as water plazas, green roofs and multi-purpose storage facilities. More ambitiously, it plans to develop a 50-hectare (120-acre) floating housing development, with a neighbourhood of environmentally friendly houseboats. The showcase for this development is a floating pavilion under construction that will be completed in time for the start of the Tour de France in Rotterdam next July. Rotterdam hopes to share its knowledge, exchanging ideas on low-cost methods of flood protection with both developed delta cities and developing countries - like Mozambique - that face a similar threat from water.
Read the article
here
30 September 2009
From
CBS News:
"You can’t really have reform without a public option," former governor Howard Dean, a prominent public-option advocate, said recently. "If you really want to fix the health care system, you’ve got to give the public the choice of having such an option." Promising as this sounds, it seems increasingly likely that the public option will be a liberal dream deferred. Republicans and conservative Democrats, panicked that the government plan will squash competition and the medical industry as we know it, are slowly killing the idea. Even President Obama, who has endorsed the idea unambiguously, has indicated a willingness to compromise on the issue.
Liberals, understandably, are in agony. But they can take at least some comfort in looking overseas--where one tiny country has managed to build a popular and successful universal health care program based entirely on private insurance. That country is the Netherlands, which several years ago overhauled its health care system and achieved most of the goals the liberal reform movement holds dear: near-universal coverage, affordable insurance, and quality health care. Under the new system, the Dutch government has required that everybody gets insurance; in return, it makes sure insurance is available to everybody, regardless of pre-existing medical conditions or income. Although the government finances long-term care through a public program, it has turned over the job of providing basic medical coverage exclusively to private insurers, including some for-profit companies.
But the real secret to success is what happens behind the scenes, in the way government watches and regulates the insurers. The big worry with private insurance is always that carriers, eager to make a profit, will try to avoid paying the large medical bills that people with serious health problems inevitably generate. And the main way insurers do that is by avoiding such people altogether--a practice known as "cherry-picking"--which can ultimately destabilize the entire insurance system. The Dutch government prohibits cherry-picking. Insurers cannot turn away applicants, or charge them more, because of pre-existing medical conditions or risk of illness.
Read the entire article
here
31 July 2009
From
Ars Technica:
An Amsterdam court has ordered The Pirate Bay to block all Dutch visitors to its website, threatening the site administrators with daily fines for noncompliance. Dutch antipiracy group Stichting BREIN, whose website is still down from an extended denial of service attack, filed a suit against the three Pirate Bay administrators who were found guilty earlier this year of aiding copyright infringement in Sweden—despite the fact that the three claim not to own the site. (They say it is owned by a Seychelles company called Reservella.)
None of the men showed up in the Dutch court, claiming they had heard nothing of the lawsuit (BREIN says that it contacted them through mail, e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook). Peter Sunde, The Pirate Bay's most public face, also announced that he was filing a defamation suit (in Sweden) against Tim Kuik, BREIN's chief. The court's injunction is preliminary—BREIN will need to apply for a permanent injunction before this one expires in two months. Sunde and his two co-defendants are ordered to block all Dutch traffic to their site and face a €30,000 fine per day for noncompliance.
Read the entire
here
30 July 2009
From
BikeRadar:
The Netherlands has increased its lead as Europe's biggest bicycle maker, raising its share of production from 20 to 30 percent in four years, Dutch statistics agency CBS says. "Bicycles worth a total of 1.9 billion euros were produced in the European Union in 2008," the agency said in a statement. "Of that, more than 30 percent were from the Netherlands." The value-share of Dutch bike production in Europe grew by about 10 percent from a fifth in 2004, said the statement.
The Dutch travelled 14.2 billion kilometres by bike in 2007, compared to 21.5bn with public transport and 97.5bn by car.
Read the entire article
here.
28 June 2009
From the
New York Times
Of all things, historical and cultural, that link Amsterdam to New York, there is a particular bond that strikes a personal chord with Carolien Gehrels. Mrs. Gehrels, the deputy mayor of Amsterdam, will be among a delegation of officials from the Netherlands who are flying to New York this weekend to attend gay pride celebrations and to embrace efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in New York State. “We talk about the shared DNA of the two cities, the legacy of tolerance, the openness and the international orientation,” Mrs. Gehrels said in an interview, “and that’s exactly what we celebrate this year.” Mrs. Gehrels brings a personal perspective to the issue: she is married to a woman. She said that while the approval of gay marriage in the Netherlands that took effect in 2001 was “a milestone in equal rights,” even eight years later “equality and freedom are never self-evident.” Same-sex partnerships were legalized in 1998.
She said the legislation pending in Albany deserved a full debate. “This is exactly what happened in the Netherlands before the legalization of same-sex marriage,” she said. “The debate as well as the legal recognition meant an enormous step forward in the acceptance of homosexuality in Dutch society.” On Friday, she is expected to join advocates for gays and lesbians at New York University to mark the Stonewall uprising, which helped inspire the gay rights movement, and to endorse equality for gays and lesbians, including the same-sex marriage legislation.
Her visit this weekend reflects a broader collaboration between the two cities as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of the arrival in New York in September 1609 of Henry Hudson, an English explorer commissioned by the Dutch East India Company. “Amsterdam, like New York, is more progressive than the rest of the country,” Mrs. Gehrels said, “and Amsterdam, like New York, is a gay capital. It’s a key part of the policy of the city, though not every citizen likes it. There’s always a struggle when you are a minority, but Amsterdam has a history as a city of minorities and in Amsterdam almost everyone is a minority.”
Read the entire article
here.
11 June 2009
From
The Chronicle:
This is the Holland of picture postcards. Charming small farming towns dot a landscape crisscrossed by canals, and between the canals, seemingly on every spare plot, at every house door, are tulips. The fields of color are so intense that from afar they look fake. But they are indeed fields of flowers, planted so closely together their leaves are hidden by perfect tulip bowls of red, yellow, white or orange and grape hyacinths in blue. Any springtime trip to the Duin-en Bollenstreek (meaning “dunes and flower region” in Dutch) should include its three major attractions: Keukenhof Gardens, Aalsmeer Flower Market and the Bloemencorso (flower parade). All are just southwest of Amsterdam.
If you’ve ever seen a picture from Holland, chances are good it was taken at Keukenhof Gardens. It claims to be the most photographed spot on Earth, and one trip there makes you believe that’s true. Keukenhof, which means “kitchen garden,” originated in the 15th century as the herb and vegetable patch for a castle near what is now the town of Lisse. Local flower growers took over the 79-acre grounds in 1949 to showcase their products. Now it’s ground zero for all things beautiful and floral.
Read the entire article
here.
26 May 2009
From the
Associated Press:
The U.S.' chief environmental official said Tuesday that America can learn much from the way the Dutch manage water — focusing more on living with it than on trying to control it at every turn. "As climate changes and we start seeing more and more rain we have to stop fighting it," said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said. "There's not enough energy in the world to fight it." Jackson is accompanied on the weeklong visit to the Netherlands by a delegation from Louisiana — a low-lying area, like the Netherlands. Louisiana officials turned to the Netherlands for inspiration in redesigning the state's water defenses after Hurricane Katrina caused levies to fail, flooding New Orleans.
Recently, policy makers here have adopted a philosophy they term "living with water" — which means working with nature whenever possible and accepting that simply building dikes higher and hire will lead to disaster. New techniques include pumping sand into strategic offshore locations where currents in the North Sea sweep them into place, bulking up dunes; re-establishing minor waterways and removing pavement to allow the country to absorb sudden influxes of water; and designating zones for intentional flooding in an emergency. Last year the Netherlands announced more than euro 100 billion (US$140 billion) in new spending through the year 2100 to prepare for the effects of global warming. Jackson said she was most impressed by "the idea that when it rains, the rush is not to pump out, but to be able to hold an amount of water."
Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat, was visiting the Netherlands for the third time since Katrina struck. She said her focus this time is on the organizational side, learning how Dutch water districts raise money and work with other governmental bodies and the citizenry to reach consensus on what should be done. "The Dutch approach ... is a more integrated approach. Our approach is very stove-piped in a sense," she said.
Read the entire article
here.
27 April 2009
From
NRC International:
Dutch crown prince Willem-Alexander turns 42 this Monday; the same age his mother Beatrix had when she ascended the throne in 1980. The queen is now 71 and many are asking when she will retire and let her son, his Argentinian wife Máxima and their three daughters move into the Huis ten Bosch palace in The Hague. Rumours about queen Beatrix' abdication typically surface in the month of April, when crown prince Willem-Alexander has his birthday on the 27th and the Dutch celebrate Queen's Day on the 30th. But they have been particularly persistent this year, with many media speculating that a succession is imminent. Unlike some European monarchs, the Dutch royals tend to make room for their successors well ahead of their own death.
"It is the third time in the past four months that there’s been such a hype," a spokesperson for the government information service RVD told reporters. "But there is nothing to announce."
The rumours have also fueled the debate about what kind of king Willem-Alexander will be. The Netherlands has been a monarchy under the house of Orange-Nassau since the French were driven out of the United Netherlands in 1815, but royal powers were limited to a parliamentary constitutional monarchy in the 1848 constitution. Still, queen Beatrix has been deeply involved with the running of government. Constitutionally, she chairs the council of state, the government's most important advisory body that scrutinises legislation before it is proposed to parliament. She also appoints the formateur, the politician whose job it is to form a coalition government after general elections. And she holds weekly meetings with the prime minister - currently Jan Peter Balkenende, the fourth in Beatrix' 29-year reign. When Willem-Alexander ascends the throne, he will inherit all these responsibilities.
In the past decade, Willem-Alexander has succeeded in completely turning around his image. He has made an international name for himself as an expert on water management, and his marriage to the glamorous Máxima Zorreguieta did wonders for the popularity of the Dutch royal family in the eye of the public. After initial controversy about Máxima's father's role in the Jorge Videla junta, where he served as deputy minister of agriculture, the charismatic princess has stolen the hearts of many Dutch people. She is part of the reason why the monarchy can boast a 85 percent approval rating today.
Read the entire article
here.
18 March 2009
From
AFP:
As stereotypically Dutch as windmills and tulips, the wooden clog is not just a modern-day tourist souvenir. It is still worn by thousands of farmers and factory workers. In use for at least 800 years in more or less its modern-day shape, the clog, though shunned as outmoded by city folk, makes up an enduring part of rural life in the Netherlands. "Some 350,000 pairs of working clogs are manufactured in the Netherlands every year," said Paul Nijhuis, 56, owner of the Nijhuis clog factory in the small eastern town of Beltrum, which claims to produce 90 percent of the world's "klompen" from poplar and willow trees. "I go through about three pairs a year," said 77-year-old pig farmer Theo Startelder, spotted riding his bicycle on streets of Beltrum in a bulky pair of well-worn, unpainted clogs.
Many children still wear clogs. Once they grew out of a pair, it is common practice to hammer the tiny shoes to an outside wall as plant holders. "Clogs are very versatile," she said with a smile. "Young people also drink beer out of them." Clogs, mentioned in age old proverbs, form an intrinsic part of the culture of the Dutch who are sometimes derisively referred to by outsiders as "cloggies". One of the world's oldest specimens, dated to 1270, was dug up by archaeologists in Rotterdam in 1990.
Today, about 10 clog makers remain in the Netherlands, one in Spain, and a tiny number in France, Germany and Belgium, said Nijhuis who himself wore no other shoes until the age of eight. Describing clog making as his life's work, Nijhuis proudly showed off his factory and the machinery that he designed himself. From 6,000 trees a year, some 120 workers make 2,000 pairs of clogs every day.
About six million souvenir clogs are produced in the Netherlands annually, ranging from key holders and money boxes to life-sized, wearable ones. "The clog will never disappear, even if it survives just for the tourist market," said Nijhuis. Extolling the virtues of the clog, he explained that the wood absorbs sweat and isolates the foot from cold in winter and heat in summer. "With steel-nosed safety shoes, if you drop a block of wood on the bridge of your foot, you will have a very bruised foot," said 34-year-old Jeffry Voortman, a factory worker who swears by clogs. "The clog protects your entire foot." Added Nijhuis: "You can drive over a clogged foot with a car - I've done it myself."
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24 February 2009
From
GQ:
Thursday in NYC, Dutch design collective Droog will open its first U.S. store, following earlier shops in Tokyo and Amsterdam. The space is huge—5,000 square feet—and has a striking centerpiece: the House of Blue, a mostly foam structure created by Rotterdam architecture firm Studio Makkink & Bey. It's both a showroom and a model; interested parties can purchase the design and have it customized from whatever materials they choose. (Price, of course, will vary.) For those in search of humbler (or at least smaller) offerings, there are also coffee-table books, Chris Kabel's witty Sticky Lamps, and the last edition of Mario Minale's Red-blue Lego chair. The space will also host events, including a fashion show in September.
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21 February 2009
From
Worldchanging.com:
The Netherlands has been regarded as the cycling nation since before World War II. In a 1938 newspaper article, the bicycle was dubbed "the most Dutch of all vehicles." Decades since, bike infatuation still appears to be on the rise. In Amsterdam, residents now choose bicycles rather than automobiles for more of their trips, according to a recent study. Between 2005 and 2007, Amsterdam residents rode their bicycle 0.87 times a day on average, compared to 0.84 trips by automobile.
The high level of cycling is an accomplishment for the Dutch capital, but not a great surprise considering Amsterdam's long-held love affair with bicycles, said Ralph Buehler, an international urban affairs professor at Virginia Tech University. "It's the result of the policies they have implemented over the past 30 years to make bicycle use more attractive and safe, etc, while also implementing policies for car use in the city to be more inconvenient, stressful, and less attractive," Buehler said. "Even the queen bicycles." Among Western nations, cycling is most popular in the Netherlands. Nearly 30 percent of Dutch commuters always travel by bicycle, and an additional 40 percent sometimes bike to work.
The high level of bicycle ridership in Amsterdam is due to a variety of bike-friendly transportation policies. The city boasts an extensive system of bicycle paths that allow riders to bypass traffic signals and shortcut through neighborhoods. Residential neighborhoods restrict speed limits to 30 kilometers per hour to improve safety. Bike parking facilities are located citywide, while vehicle parking downtown is highly restricted. The Netherlands plans to spend about 70 million Euros on bicycling projects in Amsterdam between 2007 and 2010 - an average of 13 Euros per city resident.
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20 February 2009
From
Radio Netherlands>:
This weekend sees carnival celebrations in many countries all over the world. The scenes of scantily clad female dancers and drum bands in the streets of Rio de Janeiro are perhaps the most recognisable images of the more exotic carnival celebrations. In The Netherlands, the carnival traditions are somewhat different. Despite the credit crisis, the party spirit is stronger than ever.
In The Netherlands, carnival is celebrated most in the southern provinces of Limburg and Brabant, which are mostly Catholic. Children and adults walk around in fancy dress, taking part in street parades with floats of abundantly decorated trucks and obeying to the rules by the local Prince Carnival and his ‘Raad van Elf' (‘Council of Eleven'). The number of councillors refers to the tradition that eleven is the number of foolishness. Most cities are temporarily given obscure names, often taken from old dialects. Den Bosch, the largest city of Brabant for instance, is known as Oeteldonk during carnival season, meaning ‘swamp' in old Brabants. Once it is renamed, the city gives itself over to an anything-goes atmosphere.
Carnival celebrations also mean happy times for many café and bar owners, as beer consumption spirals. However, a request from the Dutch society of bar and café owners to relax the much talked about smoking ban over carnival, has fallen on deaf ears by the Dutch Ministry of Health. In fact, the Food and Consumer Products Safety Authority has announced its inspectors will dress up as carnival goers to check whether cafes and bars adhere to the ban.
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