September 6, 2013

Projecting porno onto a church tower irks politicians

Filed under: Art,Film by Orangemaster @ 12:43 pm

As part of the Gogbot festival 2013 that features music and technology revolving around sex in Enschede, female-friendly pornography is to be projected onto a church tower on the Oude Markt (Old Market place). Local politicians of the religious persuasion are not happy about this and have protested.

However, the church is not longer in use as a church, which rules out blasphemy according to the city’s mayor.

The Dutch link to the story (see below) originally said female-unfriendly porno by mistake which I pointed out and they promptly corrected. It’s interesting how ‘ordinary’ porno is automatically female-unfriendly, as female-friendly pornography is surely far from being male-unfriendly. We’ve mentioned some female-friendly porn made in Amsterdam back in 2009.

(Link: www.rtvoost.nl)

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September 5, 2013

Guilt-ridden thief brings back part of his loot

Filed under: Food & Drink,General,Weird by Orangemaster @ 1:07 pm

Thieves are not necessarily the sharpest pencils in the pencil case, but this thief, caught on camera, is slow and a bit daft.

He apparently stole a big television, but came back an hour later and put it back properly, plugging in the cables and all, which took him an hour, according to the restaurant manager.

He also stole two laptops and three bottles of whiskey, which he kept, you know, like a proper thief should.

Nobody knows yet why he brought the telly back. My guesses are:
1. He couldn’t get the drugs or other illegal things for it.
2. He couldn’t sell it.
3. He watched the match and was done with it afterwards.

(Link: www.waarmaarraar.nl, Photo of Whiskey bottles by rickerbh, some rights reserved)

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September 4, 2013

Swimming for kids: sport or safety measure? Or both?

Filed under: Sports by Orangemaster @ 10:47 am

Swimming organisations in the Netherlands are arguing about which stroke should be taught first to children. The organisation responsible for teaching children, the national swimming pool organisation, is a fan of the breast stroke because it can be sustained for longer and is easier to learn. The national swimming organisation is all for the front crawl and the back stroke and plans to introduce their own swimming certificates for children next year. The national swimming pool organisation is not happy about having some competition.

Why are they at odds? The swimming pool peeps believe in teaching children in the event that they fall into a canal, while the national swimming peeps see swimming as a sport. The chances of a child falling into a body of water and having to swim ashore for a long time are not very likely and so the breast stroke make sense. However, if a child wants to learn how to swim as a real skill, then the front crawl is usually a good primer.

As a well-versed swimmer (my butterfly stroke sucks), I can tell you that besides the strokes, staying afloat by treading water or floating on your back is very important for safety. As a child I also learnt how to give mouth to mouth and rescue someone while in the water, skills that people regularly use when you’re a Canadian on a lake in a canoe in the forest in a pre-mobile phone era, not a small child falling into a canal.

Why can’t these organisations coordinate their efforts? Then kids will learn how to excel at swimming and what to do if they or a friend falls into a canal. Only being able to save yourself doesn’t sound very noble.

(Link: www.dutchnews.nl, Photo looking across the nearby Wolderwijd from Harderwijk to Zeewolde, Flevoland, by Sjaak Kempe, some rights reserved)

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September 3, 2013

Moving in Amsterdam, an animated trip

Filed under: Film by Orangemaster @ 4:28 am

“Harry and his huge, oblivious son run a moving company together. When they help a girl move apartments, their dull, tiny lives are disrupted.”

‘Gracht’ (‘Canal’) was made for the Utrecht School of Arts in Hilversum as a graduation project by four students. The process took six months, and the four guys not only graduated but were also honoured with a ‘staff pick’ on Vimeo.

I like the mover’s watch and the somewhat trendy yet anachronistic use of the compact cassette with Dutch gabber music.

Gracht from Gracht2013 on Vimeo.

(Link: www.amsterdamadblog.com)

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August 31, 2013

Fresh couple needed at Castle Loevestein

Filed under: Architecture,General by Orangemaster @ 8:00 am
Loevestein

Back in 2010 Slot Loevestein (‘slot’ means ‘castle’ in Dutch) was looking for new castle watchers, preferably a couple to also run its bed & breakfast. Loevestein is remote, tends to flood in the winter and the right couple is required to stay in the castle à  la The Shining, come hell or high water, quite literally. Loevestein is again looking for a new set of castle watchers and we actually know people who are going to try and get the job.

This 14th century castle used to be a prison, and one of its most famous inmates was lawyer, poet and politician Hugo de Groot (Hugo Grotius) often protrayed as the ‘father of modern international law’. In 1621 Hugo de Groot pulled off a very cool escape in a book chest, an idea he got from his wife, Maria van Reigersberg who was living in the castle, albeit probably not locked up.

Some 400 couples have applied for the job this time around. Another common job opening that has this kind of response is for fort watchers on the artificial island of Pampus where being a couple and staying put is also a requirement.

(Link: www.amsterdamherald.com, Photo of Castle Loevestein by StimpsonJCat, some rights reserved)

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August 30, 2013

Bad haircut shaming: funny or cyberbullying?

Filed under: Fashion,Online by Orangemaster @ 7:00 am

I was on my way to the hairdresser’s once when a Dutch friend warned me as a joke not to get one of those easy to manage short haircuts that tired women over 30 get after they’ve given up on their looks. Today I am pretty sure he meant the ‘daring’ haircuts featured on the Facebook page of Henk’s Fashion.

Henk’s Fashion has chosen to make fun of Dutch women with certain types of short haircuts that are deemed unflattering at least by the 13,500 people who have liked their Facebook page so far. And then there’s those cockatoo mullets and matching white capri leggings that also fit the bill, style-wise.

While the Facebook page is meant to be funny, it does point fingers at people and has been deemed akin to cyberbullying, even though it is legal to use Facebook photos of others on Facebook according to the social network site’ own terms and conditions. Whether or not the photos used are from Facebook is difficult to check. I would very much like to understand why some women (we could use a page for the men as well) get a haircut that is arguably unflattering, but also a stereotype in gender, age, background and social status.

(Link: nos.nl, Photo of Hair salon by Travel Salem, some rights reserved)

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August 28, 2013

Foreign birds make history upon arrival in the Netherlands

Filed under: Animals,Dutch first by Orangemaster @ 7:00 am

Last May 11 Iago Sparrows flew aboard the MV Plancius on 6 May 2013 from the Cape Verde Islands. In the end, four birds (two male and two female) stayed on board until Hansweert, Zeeland, making them the first known individuals of that species (endemic to the islands off West Africa) to have reached Europe, and therefore writing history.

Once docked in Hansweert on 19 May, the sparrows stayed on board to eat breadcrumbs and hang out with the captain.

All four sparrows were timid and passive, up until the moment I released the male from his confinement on the bridge. The other male then sought the company of the Captain’s sparrow, and the two cocks started a fight. The aggressive display ended in a clear attempt to copulate. One male definitely mounted the other and tried to copulate. The male that was mounted did, however, not assume the classic submissive solicitation posture (crouched, neck drawn in, wings slightly drooped), a posture known from observation of female House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) that solicit copulation.

Please feel free to insert all kinds of good-humoured jokes in the comments.

(Links: www.improbable.com, moeliker.wordpress.com, Photo of Iago Sparrow by Hans Zwitzer, some rights reserved)

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August 22, 2013

Creative camping in fancy design objects

Filed under: Design,Nature by Orangemaster @ 10:47 am

From 16 August to 30 September visitors can stay in one of the ‘creative shelters’ created by contemporary industrial designers. Each of the 15 mobile units on the campground are equipped with a comfortable bed and some of them have a bit more space that doubles as a small living space. The accommodation shown here is ‘Polaris’ designed by Boris Duijnevel of MUD projects.

Prices range from 20 to 80 euro a night, depending on the accommodation, and in the Story Caravan designed by Nancy Wiltink, she’ll throw in a bedtime story for an extra 55 euro between 10-11 pm that is either romantic or filled with horror so you will ‘sleep poor’, most probably no pun intended, just bad English (it should be ‘poorly’, Dutch adjectives and adverbs are often written the same way).

In addition, urban campsite offers guests a zone for campfires, hammocks to relax, a wood-fired sauna, and a picnic spot in front of each installation. the site also provides the visitors with general amenities — a restaurant, a well-stocked shop, laundry and a shower. the creative expression stop stop at the art objects: temporary photo exhibitions will be shown on the grounds, one of the fields will be arranged as a sculpture garden, and the terrain’s decoration will be changed regularly.

(Link: www.designboom.com, Photo of Polaris by MUD projects)

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August 21, 2013

Experts deem Second Coen Tunnel dangerous and even deadly

Filed under: Architecture,Automobiles by Orangemaster @ 1:07 pm

The Coen (pronounced ‘coon’) Tunnel which runs under the North Sea Canal in Amsterdam built in 1966 is currently being fully renovated, a project that should run until 2014. The Second Coen Tunnel (that’s its name) was built from 2009-2013 and has me worried as a passenger when I go through it. I thought it was just me that felt claustrophobic in that tunnel as compared to the first one (shown here), but apparently traffic psychologists aren’t fans of the very narrow tunnel either, calling it names like “crash tunnel” and “death tunnel”.

Since its opening in mid May, there have been 55 accidents in the Second Coen Tunnel (65 according to other sources), which is either way much more than the average of four accidents a week in the first Coen Tunnel. The experts say they are too many red lights (red lights are used to indicate the right-hand side of the road, while white is for the left-hand side), which look like brake lights, no possible place to stop like in the first tunnel and it is very narrow.

First Coen Tunnel (gets full screen near 0:25), with some hip hop music:

Second Coen Tunnel, straight up, no music:

(Link: www.kennislink.nl, Photo of Coen Tunnel by Erik Tjallinks, some rights reserved)

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August 20, 2013

Sotheby’s knowingly sells stolen Dutch work

Filed under: Art by Orangemaster @ 3:40 pm

A work by Dutch artist Jan Schoonhoven stolen from the Museum van Bommel van Dam in Venlo last March was auctioned off by London auction house Sotheby’s in what the Dutch media has called the ‘gaffe of the century’.

Sotheby’s auctioned a white relief made from papier-maché and latex paint for close to 214, 000 euro despite a warning from the Art Loss Register, a London databank of stolen artwork.

And if that isn’t sloppy enough, the Sotheby’s catalogue had the work printed under a false name and the picture of the work was rotated 90 degrees. Two art traders, one British and one Dutch, recognised the stolen work, pointed it out, and only then did Sotheby’s decide to inform the police.

(Link: www.nieuws.nl)

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