August 31, 2007

The Dutch touch, Bollywood style

Filed under: Dutch first,Film by Orangemaster @ 3:17 pm
Narsingh.jpg

For the first time in the history of Indian film-making, Hindustani-Dutch artists will play a role in an Indian film. Narsingh Balwantsingh (shown here), Fareisa Joemmanbaks and Kiran Sukul will be making their Indian film debut in Saiyaan Chitchor (Eternal Love).

The film in which major Bhojpuri artists Manoj Tiwari and Nagma will be starring is scheduled to start shooting in September 2007 in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar (North India) and the mega filmcity complex in Mumbai. It should be released in December 2007. Eternal Love will be in the Bhojpuri language, spoken by both the Hindustani in the Netherlands and in Suriname.

(Link: wereldjournalisten.nl)

Tags: , ,

August 29, 2007

Make me a Muslim match

Filed under: Dutch first,Religion by Orangemaster @ 8:53 am
muslim dating

There are more and more singles in the Netherlands, and apparently a lot of them are Muslims. Going to a club and hooking up is really not their thing, and so on October 19, anyone fitting the bill can get dressed up for the first-ever Islamic Single Event.

“The days of being matched up and married through contacts is over. Young Muslims want to pick and choose. One wants a career woman, while another wants a woman with the same level of education or maybe not”, says Rachid El Hajoui. This way El Hajoui hopes to build a platform for single Muslims looking for partners. (This sounds like men looking for women and not the other way round, but hey.)

To avoid attracting any ‘players’, the admission fee is € 50.The venue is also quite small and located in a small village. Halal food will be served, chaperonnes are welcome, and there will also be blind speedating and some entertainment. “For people who want to play, they can always go to Ibiza!” Moreover, this event is for Muslims over 25.”

(Link: wereldjournalisten.nl)

Tags: ,

August 24, 2007

Bird friendly lighting at sea

Filed under: Animals,Dutch first by Orangemaster @ 12:12 pm
lamp1.jpg

The Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) and Philips have recently developed a new type of lighting for oil and gas platforms that is ‘bird friendly’. The lights give off a limited part of the colour spectrum, which distract birds less when they fly over the North Sea, making their journey much safer. A platform of the NAM, just off the Dutch coast at the height of the island of Vlieland, is currently testing the new lighting. The primary results are apparently very positive, according to NAM and Philips.

Remember, this is a country that builds bridges for frogs and wildlife.

(Link: De Gelderlander)

Tags: ,

August 13, 2007

New pole-sitting record

Filed under: Dutch first,General by Orangemaster @ 3:19 pm
paal1.jpg

In Kollum, Friesland, Werner Leichtenberg, Sandra Ellens and Wieke Lap have set a new Frisian pole-sitting record. Last weekend, the three spent 60 hours straight (OK, they are allowed to go to the toilet) on a pole in the centre of their village, according to the pole-sitting organisation. The old record was established in Warns at 58 hours. As well, the three decided to get off their pole at the same time, so that they all could share the record together.

This originally Frisian sport has made a serious comeback. The rules are simple: the one who stays the longest wins. The poles are usually in water so that if someone falls asleep, they will not get hurt when they fall.

(Link: nu.nl)

Tags: ,

August 11, 2007

Better late than never for Dutch singer

Filed under: Dutch first,Music by Orangemaster @ 12:51 pm
roelvink1.jpg

After 23 years of professional singing and a few adverts on TV this year alone, 48-year-old singer Dries Roelvink has finally got his first Top 10 hit, with the single “Op weg naar de zon (Route du soleil)” (roughly, “Following the sun (Route du soleil)”, the highway that leads to the South of France). It went from the 25th spot to the 8th. For Dries, who has nine albums and 34 singles, it is a dream come true. “My career has had ups and down, but this is unbelievable”.

This also means that the Dutch wikipedia article on Roelvink is happily out of date : Dries Roelvink

(Link: rtl.nl)

Tags:

August 9, 2007

Quick weight loss for the obese before surgery

Filed under: Dutch first,Science by Orangemaster @ 11:18 am
obesity1.jpg

The Academisch Ziekenhuis Maastricht (AZM hospital) claims to be the first hospital in Europe to use the EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner, a sleeve-like device that makes obese patients kilos lighter in about three months in order for surgery to be less risky.

Two surgeons and two doctors of the AZM will carry out the first operations in Europe using the device, within the scope of a random study of long-term use and effect of the EndoBarrier. Developed in the US, the EndoBarrier also has more advantages. Apparently, as long as the ‘sleeve’ is in place, the symptoms of diabetes are not present. How that actually works is not yet known and needs to be researched.

(Link: bisnis.nl, News14)

Tags: ,

August 7, 2007

Ostriches born without using an incubator

Filed under: Animals,Dutch first by Orangemaster @ 9:22 am
ostrich1.jpg

For the first time in the Netherlands, ostriches have been born without the help of an incubator, according to ostrich breeder Monnikenwerve from Sluis, Zeeland. The hatching of the eggs was a real team effort, as besides mother Fatima and father Zorro, two other ostriches took turns sitting on the eggs. Last Friday two eggs out of ten were hatched, with the rest expected to hatch any day now. The two chicks now weigh about a kilo, but in a year they will weigh about 100 kilos. The ostrich is the heaviest and biggest bird in the world, and it cannot fly. They are also very tasty with a port sauce.

(Link: nieuws.nl)

Tags: ,

August 6, 2007

Hospital for nailbiters

Filed under: Dutch first,General,Science by Branko Collin @ 10:02 am

The city of Venlo will get a clinic specifically to cure nail biters from their destructive habit, reports daily De Volkskrant (Dutch). A treatment at the so-called O Centrum (Onychophagia Centre) takes two hours. The clinic started last month, and opens its doors officially in September. “Patients” will get to wear a type of mouth guard, the Preventor, that, er, should prevent them from biting their nails.

Tags: ,

August 3, 2007

Astronaut Kuipers gets a planetoid named after him

Filed under: Dutch first,Science by Orangemaster @ 11:07 am
Andre Kuipers

After spending nine days in the International Space Station (ISS) in 2004, Dutch astronaut André Kuipers now has a planetoïd named after him by the International Astronomical Union. The small planet revolves around the sun between the planets Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by a Leiden astronomer couple, the late C.J. van Houten and Ingrid van Houten-Groeneveld on photos that were taken by Dutch astronomer Tom Gehrelsde in the US. The Leiden astronomers had discovered more than 1,000 planetoïds.

(Link: Kennislink)

Tags: ,

July 30, 2007

24 oranges at the Tour finish line!

Filed under: Bicycles,Dutch first,Sports by Orangemaster @ 4:39 pm

While the doping scandals rage on, the show must go on – and it did. Just watching these guys whiz by is enough to make you forget everything and enjoy the colourful peloton being cheered on by all those people in downtown Paris.

It’s slightly OT, but our very own Orangemaster was at the finish line of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées in the pressbox taking pictures and filming! Here is a sample.

A huge thanks to Philippe and Jean Michel, two French radio announcers who made this possible and made me remember what the Tour is really about – cycling.

Oh, and for the Dutch fans, everybody thought it was great to see the rest of the Rabobank team race and not abandon the race for one “bad guy”. In my press guide of the Tour, former cyclist Bernard Hinault was quoted as saying, “every year, I say the same thing: they (Rabobank) have a solid, homogenous team that can score on the straights and in the mountains.”

daniele-bennati2.jpg

Daniele Bennati crossing the finish line, winning the Champs-Élysées stage.

daniel-mangeas2.jpg

“La voix du Tour” (The voice of the Tour) since 1974, Daniel Mangeas, very friendly and took a few minutes to chat.

david-millar2.jpg

Britain’s David Millar, leader of the Saunier Duval-Prodir team giving an interview minutes after the race.

Tags: , , ,