April 5, 2007
The idea of a ‘visual assault’ was taken quite literally by an action group who got rid of some of the posters and put up some of their own last night. Here, you can read ‘Amsterdam, free of adverstising’. They claim – as many people already believe, if you ask around – that “the advertising firm in question is working on the further commercialisation of the city, destroying the charactertisitc street image.” Translation: nobody really likes this stunt and everybody thinks it’s ugly.
A Labour Party politican of De Pijp neighbourhood told 24oranges that this entire incident will be discussed in the next city district council meeting.
(Link)
Tags: advertising, Amsterdam, De Pijp, streets
April 4, 2007
Until April 6, the Marie Heinekenplein in Amsterdam will feature a forest of adverts from the firm JC Decaux, which have been placed there for a contest. Nevermind the fact that the neighborhood ‘freaked out’ as soon as they saw this ‘visual assault’ on their otherwise nice square, 24oranges was called up and told to go and see for themselves.
I suppose you too can vote for the best advert in the hopes of winning a trip to Paris.
(Photo: Natasha, Tip: SM)
Tags: advertising, Amsterdam, De Pijp
A woman from Meppel, Drenthe found a Neanderthal hand axe on the street in front of the supermarket and gave it to the Drents Museum in the town of Assen. Street builders probably found the ‘rock’ and unknowingly discarded it. The 80,000 to 55,000 year-old axe broke in two. The woman realised that it was a hand axe and took it home. Even if the axe is broken, the museum claims it is the nicest copy of the Northern Netherlands, which is now on display in the museum. Although Neanderthal hand axes are found only sporadically, finding such a copy in the street is highly unlikely.
(Link, and more here: Link)
Tags: archeology, Drenthe, Meppel, Neanderthals, supermarkets
April 3, 2007
For ‘Ladies Day’ on April 3 during the AutoRAI car show in Amsterdam, sports car manufacturer Burton Car Company from Zutphen has come up with a way to raise proceeds for both the Dutch Cancer Society and Viva la Donna). The Celebrator, an invention of the Burton brothers, is a mini-vibrator modelled after the electric toothbrush.
Tags: dental care, driving, sex, toys, vibrators, women
April 2, 2007
The new Agora Theatre is officially scheduled to open on May 25 in Lelystad, province of Flevoland and plans to feature performances and new media works. The building is the work of UN Studio, an Amsterdam design studio with theatre, museum and art buildings in its portfolio. Even without going to the show, the building itself is apparently worth a visit. It has a cafe open during the day and bright pink, curving staircase walls. The concert hall is red with unusual wall surfaces.
Follow the link for more details and pictures.
(Link: thecoolhunter)
Tags: Flevoland, Lelystad, theatres, UN Studio
March 31, 2007
According to the Beekse Bergen safari park in Noord-Brabant, Thursday, 29 March was the first time eggs have been successfully harvested from a southern white rhino, the one in question weighing 1,900 kilos. The eggs are to be frozen, fertilised and then inseminated into surrogate rhino mothers. These lucky mothers can look forward to an 18-month pregnancy followed by giving birth to a calf weighing about 66 kilos. White rhinos have two horns and are one of world’s largest land animals after elephants. They can grow to around 2730 kilos. Oh, and they are an endangered species.
(Link)
Tags: Beekse Bergen, endangered species, Noord-Brabant, rhinoceroses
March 29, 2007
F-16 pilots were given the order to fly a minimum of three kilometers above the town of Dokkum in order not to disrupt a jubileum performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion in a local church. The local Cantarix choir had been practising for months and found out recently that the Air Force was scheduled to fly right over their church venue during their performance. The Royal Netherlands Air Force is currently stretching its wings for a mission in Afghanistan.
(Link)
Tags: air force, Bach, choirs, churches, classical music, Dokkum, F-16
March 28, 2007
A fisherman in Arnhem convicted of smuggling drugs could deduct the cost of buying and shipping hashish to The Netherlands from his income on his tax return. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported that the smuggler appealed to the Arnhem court after being slapped with a tax bill in the millions of euro. The court ruled that because he had only been convicted of drug running and not trading he could deduct the cost of buying and transporting the drugs on his tax form, which cut his tax bill in about half.
In 2005, judges in the city of Leeuwarden ruled that witches can write off the cost of schooling in witchcraft if it increases the likelihood of employment and personal income.
(Two clichés for the price of one: we’re all on drugs and women have no serious career plans)
(Link)
Tags: Arnhem, courts, drugs, fishing, Leeuwarden, smuggling, taxes, witchcraft, witches
March 27, 2007
The town of Oirschot in the province of Noord Brabant will open the very first four star resort for alcoholics. The hotel, which will be called RoderSana, is scheduled to open in May. According to interim director Van der Meer, regular care facilities are full of drug addicts and there is no room for alcoholics. Moreover, he says that treating alcoholics is totally different than treating drug addicts. This will be the first facility in The Netherlands dedicated to kicking the drinking habit, as alcholics usually have to be treated outside the country.
(Link: fok.nl)
Tags: addicts, alcohol, hotels, Noord-Brabant, Oirschot
March 26, 2007
The Dutch sell the cheapest Big Mac at 2,95 euro. In Belgium it costs 3,40 euro, in Denmark 3,72 euro, and in Germany 2,99 euro. It is the first time since the Big Mac Index was started in 2002 that The Netherlands is the cheapest Big Mac country of Western Europe.
As a comparison, Switzerland is the most expensive at 3,91 euro, while the Ukraine is the cheapest at 1,32 euro (not part of Western Europe according to the index).
(All these food postings!)
(Link)
Tags: junkfood, statistics
