April 6, 2017

Dutch drugstore peddles colouring book with Hitler

Filed under: Art,History,Weird by Orangemaster @ 8:21 pm

mein-kampf-adam-jones

Ah yes, it’s truly springtime for Hitler.

A colouring book from Dutch drugstore chain Kruidvat, handed out with a specific condom brand, contains an image of Hitler making a Nazi salute and wearing a Swastika armband, in what has to be one of the oddest sentences I’ve written in a while, with the exception of the title of this posting.

The story started making the rounds after it hit Dutch social media and was quickly removed after being on sale for half a day by the chain, followed by some apologising and refunds. The colouring book also includes other historical figures such as Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein and Abraham Lincoln.

Why a condom manufacturer is handing out colouring book is beyond me. The book was printed in India, which incidentally is where the original symbol of the Swastika comes from, but how that connects in any way, shape or form to a dictator in a colouring book offered by a condom company remains a mystery.

Links: waarmaarraar.nl, bbc.com, Photo by Adam Jones, some rights reserved)

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April 4, 2017

British film about Amsterdam films in Leiden

Filed under: Art,Film by Orangemaster @ 10:26 pm

Many people thought British actor Emma Watson would be in the Netherlands to film ‘The Miniaturist’, based on a book by Jessie Burton. The story is set in Amsterdam in 1686-1687, inspired by Petronella Oortman’s doll’s house on display at the Rijksmuseum. The more precise setting of the story is on the ‘Golden Bend’, what used to be the richest part of Amsterdam, depicted here around 1672 in a painting by Gerrit Adriaensz Berckheyde. Read up on the painting, it has quite a story to tell.

The funny thing is the few days of filming that took place in the Netherlands were done in Leiden, 45 kilometres down the road, and not in Amsterdam, which for anyone living in the capital is a bit odd. As far as the rest of the movie goes, it was mostly filmed in a studio in the United Kingdom.

According to the city of Leiden, Emma Watson was also in Leiden for the film, but production company Topkapi Films says that’s not the case, although the Dutch media still went with spreading rumours.

(Link: nieuws.nl, Photo: Rijksmuseum website)

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April 3, 2017

Why is there a lamppost in the middle of a bike path?

Filed under: Bicycles,Weird by Orangemaster @ 10:43 pm
Pink bike

Back in 2015 we told you about a woman who got a lamppost on the head while cycling in Zoetemeer. This time around, almost two years after this incident, the city of Schiedam has placed a lamppost right in the middle of a bike path (see pic).

The story goes that the bike path used to be a foot path, so it made sense to have a lamppost there. However, now the lamppost is waiting for a cyclist to crash into it. “Something went wrong in the planning”, said a spokesperson – well duh. Apparently the lamppost has a fence around it and will be moved, so that’s good news.

It just goes to show you that even in our ‘bicycle monarchy’, things sometimes go wrong.

(Link: ad.nl)

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March 31, 2017

Five legged lamb born in Zeeland

Filed under: Animals,Weird by Orangemaster @ 8:16 am

It’s that time of year again when cute baby animals are born with newsworthy physical defects.

Here’s a five legged lamb, born in Sint-Jansteen, Zeeland to farmer Bertus. Bertus is not going to have the leg removed because he says the smell of humans and product could cause the mother to reject her lamb. As you can see in the video below, the lamb is able to function on four legs while dragging the fifth one.

The lamb was born on 21 January 2017, the same day Dutch actor Adèle Bloemendaal died, who also starred in a 1960 Dutch television show called ‘The sheep with five legs’ (‘t Schaep met de 5 pooten).

Back in 2014 the cops actually ‘arrested’ a sheep on the run‘, which made for a very funny tweet.

(Link: waarmaarraar)

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March 29, 2017

Laughing gas is a thing in the Netherlands

Filed under: General,Health by Orangemaster @ 11:50 am

Laughing gas-FB

I’m sure we’re a bit late on the scene, but after tripping on so many empty cartridges of nitrous oxide aka laughing gas, it was time to find out what the fuss was all about.

For starters, there is a difference between nitrous oxide used as an anaesthetic for medical uses, like when I had my wisdom teeth pulled out, and the nitrous oxide for recreational use, according to a Dutch website on drugs. The latter is not mixed with oxygen and is meant for industrial use, which means it does not have to meet the requirements for recreational use and is relatively stronger.

Laughing gas is usually inhaled after filling a balloon with it and its effects are immediate, making it popular with young people. I wonder how parents are dealing with it. Since July 2016 laughing gas falls under the Commodities Act instead of the Medicines Act, making it easily and legally available, even on Facebook (see screenshot). Of course there are risks involved with inhaling too much of it, doing it too often or doing using it incorrectly that would permanently mess up your brain, but it’s legal and popular, and the Dutch government is apparently not too worried.

If only users could pick up after themselves, as I see tons of these cartridges littering the streets of Amsterdam. Parents, you could at least remind your kids to pick up after themselves.

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March 27, 2017

Top 15 richest Dutch artists are all men

Filed under: General,Music by Orangemaster @ 8:20 pm

Dutch magazine Quote’s list of 15 richest Dutch artists are all men, and with the exception of Afrojack having one Surinamese parent, they are all white. Six of them are DJs, five of them are Dutch-language singers, two of which are gay (one of them is a bit racist). The rest of these artists work in the classic music industry, with one in popular music.

The kicker is explaining the success factor of these artists, according to ING bank economist Marten van Garderen. “An important success factor is having good role models to follow. The world’s best football players like Messi and Neymar inspire children to play football. It’s like that as well in the world of dance music. Children grow up with Tiësto and want to be like him”.

Girls need role models as well, but this economist painfully points out that they are none at the top of the entertainment business in this country. Girls don’t usually grow up or aspire to be male professional football players, dude. Basically Van Garderen has confirmed to half the country’s population that girls have no role models to follow and because of it won’t make this list any time soon. That also goes for anyone who’s not white apparently.

15. Jaap van Zweden (conductor)
14. John Ewbank (composer)
13. Gordon (singer)
12. Ferry Corsten (DJ)
11. Hardwell (DJ)
10. Gerard Joling (singer)
9. René Froger (singer)
8. Jan Smit (singer)
7. Martin Garrix (DJ)
6. Afrojack (DJ)
5. Frans Bauer (singer)
4. Wessel van Diepen (radio host)
3. André Rieu (conductor)
2. Armin van Buuren (DJ)
1. Tiësto (DJ)

Last year, Quote’s top 15 was ever so slightly more diverse, while the first woman at 21 was paired up with a man. Quote’s 2015 list of Richest Women on Earth basically says women luck out with a good marriage or an inheritance in a tone that implies that’s all they can do.

(Link: deondernemer.nl)

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March 24, 2017

The Dutch Royal family and cycling

Filed under: Bicycles by Orangemaster @ 10:05 pm

Dutch people cycle mainly as a mode of transportation. The Dutch Royal family enjoys doing normal Dutch things, and one of them is cycling. A quick Google search tells me that the British press coined the term ‘Bicycle monarchies’, making a link between less ceremonials monarchies like the Dutch one as if that was a bad thing.

Watch this film from 2013 as generations of Dutch royals take to cycling and even some racing. Enjoy the funny moment when one of the members of the Royal family gives a lift to a stranger and find out why royals used to be banned from cycling.

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March 22, 2017

Vote for your favourite ugly public art

Filed under: Art by Orangemaster @ 9:46 am
Photo by Peter Cox

Photo by Peter Cox

Dutch radio station 538 is asking their listeners to vote on the ‘Ugliest artwork of the Netherlands’. The nine nominees include a ‘pooping skater’ in Pijnacker, the awkward arch in Amstelveen and something I actually like, the ‘Big Funnelman’ (their spelling, not mine) in Breda.

Click here to vote!

(Link: amstelveenz.nl, Photo of ‘Big Funnelman’ by Peter Cox)

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March 21, 2017

Spring is here, tulips from Amsterdam

Filed under: Music by Orangemaster @ 11:49 am

tulips-PK

It’s spring in the polder and sometimes it’s good to stop and admire the tulips. Well, mostly daffodils at the moment on the side of the road, but you get the idea.

You may know the song ‘Tulips from Amsterdam’ made popular by Max Bygraves in the UK in 1958, but maybe you didn’t know it was a translation of a German song. According to Wikipedia, the song was first written in 1953 as ‘Tulpen aus Amsterdam’ by German singer, songwriter and entertainer Klaus-Günter Neumann, after he had performed at the Tuschinski theatre in Amsterdam and visited the tulip fields at Keukenhof.

Here’s Max’s version and of course a Dutch version by Herman Emmink.

And here’s a classic performance in the 1928 Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam not far from 24oranges HQ by Dutch pop singer Wilma Landkroon when she was a little girl.

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March 19, 2017

Big anti-drone competition coming this winter

Filed under: Dutch first,Technology by Orangemaster @ 12:22 pm

In December this year, Delft University of Technology will be hosting ‘DroneClash’, the first ever Dutch anti-drone competition. At this competition participants will use their own drones to take down as many other drones as possible and also avoid a series of anti-drone obstacles.

“Drones can fly into our lives, but we need to be able to take them out again if necessary”, says Bart Remes of the TU Delft Micro Air Vehicle Lab. The goal of the competition is to generate new ideas for the drone and anti-drone industry. A year ago we also told you about the Dutch police training eagles to attack drones.

Watch the video and follow the link to sign up for DroneClash if that’s your thing.

(Link: tudelft.nl, Photo of Drone by Karen Axelrad, some rights reserved)

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