October 7, 2007

World’s biggest croquette gets a party

Filed under: Dutch first,Food & Drink by Orangemaster @ 6:37 pm
kroket1.jpg

Croquette company Van Dobben has announced that it is going to make the world’s biggest croquette. The snack producer has also asked fans what they wanted as filling in it on their site grootstecroquet.nl. The 1,3-meter-long croquette weighs almost 250 kilos and has a circumference of more than 1,5 metres. It will be unveiled on Saturday 27 October, on the Thorbeckeplein in Amsterdam. Guess who will be giving a special performance for the occasion? Dries Roelvink of course!

Have a look at the making of as well.

(Link: vleesmagazine.nl)

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September 29, 2007

Colour code your first aid kit

Filed under: Dutch first,General,Science by Orangemaster @ 10:45 am
first aid

How does that Dutch advert go, “but the answer is allllllways simple?” Two entrepreneurs from Roosendaal and Oudenbosch came up with a colour-coded first aid kit. The code list describes what stuff is used for what. Simple. For the photo of the real thing, follow the link.

The inventors Dick van ‘t Hoff and Ronald Cleijsen have asked for a patent on the idea. They have also found a manufacturer ready to go to the market with them. The ESE in Veldhoven (aka buyers) will be buying their first aid kits. I love a good business story.

(Link: Omroep Brabant)

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September 26, 2007

Reality show going to the dogs

Filed under: Animals,Dutch first by Orangemaster @ 10:08 am
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Totally fed up of seeing famous Dutch people (who nobody knows outside the country) ballroom dance, teenagers singing in English in the hopes of becoming American singers (they know what their chances are if they sing in Dutch) or cameras following backpackers in China trying to hitch a ride with no money? There’s something new coming up: Holland’s Next Dog Model. Look, the name is in English – again.

People are passé, dogs are the new people. The only creatures cuter are babies (debatable), and that would surely open a legal can of worms.

(Link: Spunk.nl)

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September 21, 2007

Good vibrations to go

Filed under: Automobiles,Dutch first,Weird by Orangemaster @ 8:30 am
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This week, Texaco filling station ‘Nard Thijs’ in Bakel, Noord-Brabant started selling vibrators, kinky handcuffs, condoms and other sex toys. They are probably the only filling station in the Netherlands to do so. The vibrators are discretely wrapped and come in all shapes and sizes.

“Since the price of pertrol is going up again, it’s good to be creative as an entrepreneur.” Right on, dude.

Apparently, Texaco in the US is not amused. Prudes. Selling porno mags is fine, oddly enough. And last time I checked, condoms were not sex toys.

(Link: De Telegraaf)

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September 18, 2007

First-ever addiction study for Dutch doctors

Filed under: Dutch first,Science by Orangemaster @ 8:44 am
RU

The Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen has started an addiction study programme for doctors, the first specialised study option of its kind in the country. Some 18 general practitioners have been accepted and six more are on a waiting list. The addiction doctor study option is a two-year post-doctorate study. Institutions in the addiction care sector have pushed for this study. Some time next year, psychologists who work with addicts can specialise in addiction, as now many of them do not have the medical background to treat people with addictions to alcohol, drugs, medication and gambling.

(Link: De Gelderlander)

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September 16, 2007

Rotterdam nails world record jumpstyle dancing

Filed under: Dutch first,General,Music by Orangemaster @ 7:08 pm
jumpstyle dancing

Today the official world record jumpstyle dancing was improved upon with 749 people dancing on the Coolsingel street downtown Rotterdam for five minuntes to the new hit single from the house duo, Jeckyll & Hyde. The Guinness Book of Records watched on and approved. Yet 60 participants couldn’t keep going for 5 minutes. Yes, it can be tough.

Follow this previous posting and have a look at the explanatory video on Jumpstyle.

(Link: nu.nl)

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September 15, 2007

World record cola fountains in Breda

Filed under: Dutch first,Food & Drink,Science,Weird by Orangemaster @ 8:38 pm

(Promotional video that lead up to the event)

Today the city of Breda, Brabant has broken the world record Mentos Geyser, according to the spokeswoman of the organiser, sweets manufacturer Perfetti Van Melle of Breda who makes Mentos. Some 850 participants on the Kasteelplein with their ready to blow cola bottles plonked their five Mentos sweets at 2:30 pm in their cola bottles. The result was a lot of four to five-meter high fountains. And voilà , the home of Mentos entered into the World Guinness Book of Records.

Thanks to the artistic group the Eepybirds, the Mentos Geyser has become very popular around the world. The Eepybirds were also in Breda for the joyous occasion.

(Link: omroep Brabant)

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September 11, 2007

First ‘non-American’ to win science award

Filed under: Dutch first,Science by Orangemaster @ 10:05 am

Kessels

Erwin Kessels from Tilburg, Brabant, researcher at the Technische Universiteit in Eindhoven (TU/e) is the first non-American to win the American Peter Mark Award of the AVS Science & Technology Society. The 34-year-old Kessels currently holds a tenured Assistant Professorship in the Department of Applied Physics and researches solar cells.

The Peter Mark Memorial Award was established in 1979 in memory of Dr. Peter Mark who served as Editor of the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology from 1975 to 1979. The award is presented to a young scientist or engineer (35 years of age or under) for outstanding theoretical or experimental work, at least some of which must have been published in JVST. The award consists of a cash award, a certificate, and an honorary lectureship at a regular session of the International Symposium.

The award amounts to US$ 6,500 (EUR 4,712). Kessels will speak at the international AVS symposium, which will be held from 15 to 19 October in Seattle.

(Link: omproep brabant)

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September 10, 2007

First-ever grape harvest in Amstelveen

Filed under: Dutch first,Food & Drink by Orangemaster @ 9:07 am
amsteltuin1.jpg

There is only one vineyard in Amstelveen, the town next to Amsterdam and that is De Amsteltuin. “Hopefully next year,” says owner Jan Schake, “the first real Amsteltuin wine will be served. We’re really looking forward to it”. The vineyard offers tons of wine-related activities and a chance to learn about grapes and wine in general. This year’s harvest will be experimented with to see what kind of wine can be made from it.

Dutch wine is made in many parts of the country and is not very well known. The only one that comes to mind is Apostelhoeve from Maastricht, available in major wine shops, which is still very expensive and according to a wine-tasting test earlier this year, not special enough.

Let us remember that there are tons of Dutch people making wine in France.

(Photo: De Amsteltuin, link: De Pers)

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September 6, 2007

Five-star dog hotel to open

Filed under: Animals,Dutch first by Orangemaster @ 10:03 am
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Gilze-Rijen, Noord-Brabant has a Dutch first in their midst: the first dog resort of Europe. Owners can leave they holiday guilt at the door instead of their family pet, according to Dutch paper De Telegraaf. The dogs get their own room and much space, and can use the pool and the doggy park.

Hotel owner Ad van der Valk (our Dutch Hilton man) took this initiative together with a group of entrepreneurs who experience this guilt with their furry friends. The luxury dog resort represents an investment of about EUR 3,5 million.

(Link: zibb)

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