That’s the way it is….
Posted by: Icarus on: July 18, 2009
- Image by Renegade98 via Flickr
Yesterday America’s most important journalist Walter Cronkite died at the age of 92 by complications from dementia.
For many years he has been the anchorman of CBS news. He had Dutch ancestors, the surname Krankheyt became Croncite. Walter Croncite was a well respected journalist inside and outside the USA. May he rest in peace.
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Pennsylvania Dutch
Posted by: Icarus on: July 17, 2009
I’ve been alw
ays intrigued when I hear about Pennsylvania Dutch. It is all very confusing. Many people in US think it has to do with Dutch people but in fact the Pennsylvania Dutch are the descendants of Germanic peoples who immigrated to the United States. Pennsylvania Dutch are a people of various religious affiliations, most of them Lutheran or Reformed, but many Anabaptists as well. They live primarily in southeastern Pennsylvania in the area stretching in an arc from Bethlehem and Allentown through Reading, Lebanon, and Lancaster to York and Chambersburg. Pennsylvania Dutch also seems to be a language, spoken in certain areas in USA (Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, enz.) and in Canada (Ontario), it’s a german dialect (and NOT dutch!). This language is spoken by the Amish and Mennonite (….sp?) community. These communities are from Switzerland and Paltz originally. I often get a lot of information from Wikipedia, to my big surprise I discovered there is also a Pennsylvania Dutch Wikipedia!!
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Amsterdam parking fees highest in world
Posted by: Icarus on: July 17, 2009
- In: Actuality| Bizar| Remarkable
- 2 Comments
Creative Parking in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has the most expensive daily parking rate in the world, according to a survey by real estate consultants Colliers International. The survey shows it costs the equivalent of $70.77 to park a car all day in central Amsterdam. Number two on the list is London’s City area at $56.68. The Hague is joint third with Vienna at $56.62.
Amsterdam also has the third highest monthly parking rate in the world at $805.36, behind London’s City and London’s West End.
An Amsterdam city council spokesman told the newspaper that charges are high ‘to keep the city clean’. I’m sorry but Amsterdam is the dirtiest city of the Netherlands, just take a look at their canals, the reputation of the hotels are bad, but they are also one of the most expensive. To me it is still a miracle that Amsterdam has so many tourists, while Rotterdam has so much more to offer; a better nightlife, beautiful architecture and so much more! I must admit I’m a little biased, I’m from the Rotterdam area 
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Lord of the Rings admits cocaine use
Posted by: Icarus on: July 15, 2009
- In: Actuality| Bizar| Humor| Music| Remarkable| Sport
- 2 Comments
Top Dutch gymnast Yuri van Gelder faces a two year ban after admitting he took cocaine three days before the national championships in Rotterdam three weeks ago. The European and world champion on the rings knew the drugs test taken during the championship would prove positive. He had already told the Dutch drugs testing agency about his drugs use, newspapers said.
Everyone’s gay in Amsterdam
Posted by: Icarus on: July 15, 2009
A Dutch tourist board has launched a new advertising campaign in North America with the tag line ‘everyone’s gay in Amsterdam‘.
The new campaign, featuring posters of smiling people and animals, is designed to capture the ‘all-inclusive and welcoming vibe’ of the city, rather than focusing on gay stereotypes or sexualized images, according to travel industry website travelpulse.com.
The Dutch tourist board NBTC was one of the first destination marketing organisations to target the lesbian and gay market in 1993. They think gay people have more to spend because most of them do not have children……..
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Writer Simon Vinkenoog dies age 80
Posted by: Icarus on: July 12, 2009
A week before his 81st birthday, writer Simon Vinkenoog died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Amsterdam last night. Vinkenoog was a poet, a writer of novels, and a strong proponent of the legalization of soft drugs. In 2004, when poet laureate Gerrit Komrij prematurely handed in his resignation, Vinkenoog was elected to serve the interim, until Driek van Wissen could take over.
Bird crashing into window
Posted by: Icarus on: July 10, 2009
Rotterdam unveils plans for biggest building
Posted by: Icarus on: July 10, 2009
Plans to build the biggest building in the Netherlands – a 160,000 square metre complex on the banks of the Maas river – were unveiled in Rotterdam today.
Designed by Rem Koolhaas, the building is known as De Rotterdam and consists of three 150 metre towers, with a hotel, shops, offices and restaurants as well as residential property.
The design is actually 10 years old, but the property developer told the plan could now go ahead because the recession has forced down prices.
Coca leaf liqueur causes a buzz abroad
Posted by: Icarus on: July 8, 2009
- In: Remarkable
- 1 Comment
According to Dutch television program Editie NL, this new coca leaf liqueur made in Amsterdam has caused quite a stir in Taiwan and even Germany. Since it is made from coca leaf extract, it has trace amounts of cocaine in it, although the company claims it does not, much like Coca Cola.
Agwa de Bolivia, a kryptonite green, 30% alcohol drink, gives you an uppity kick and is apparently all the rage in the Dutch party scene as an alternative to energy drinks which usually contain caffeine or guarana, the latter containing twice the amount of caffeine usually found in coffee. Agwa de Bolivia was confiscated in Taiwan because it contains cocaine, as if the bottle was full of it and if their Taiwanese television report was properly subtitled. An expert on television said you’d have to drink 100 bottles to get the minimum effect of 10 mg of cocaine and of course nobody can drink that. Germany is trying to ban the drink ‘because it contains cocaine’, which is again not quite true, another odd response for a drink that is perfectly legal throughout the EU and even the US. I say ‘even’ because the war on drugs in the US is a total and utter failure and cocaine is all the rage. I’ve been asking about this drink at a few local liquer stores, but they never heard of it and have no idea where to buy it.
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Writing pad sheets optimized for making paper balls
Posted by: Icarus on: July 8, 2009
This pad comes with ready-made sheets for creating paper balls, whether thrown away in frustration or just to tease the teacher. The pad was created by Trapped in Suburbia who are operating from the old Caballero cigarette factory in The Hague and describe it as follows:
Play More More More is a note book that encourages clients to play at their work. Every sheet has its own ball print.
(Link. Via Bright. Photos: Trapped in Suburbia.)
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- Icarus: I agree.. as you can see 2 Dutch cities (The Hague and Amsterdam) are in the top 3 of having the most expensive parking fees in the WORLD!! Probably
- aliciajennifer: I had to park in Zwolle a few weeks ago and the parking rates there were higher than the highest rates in the city centre of Rotterdam! Ridiculous.
- Icarus: Yes, he was very popular. Now he lost his job at the army and is he is banned for two years. A fallen star....
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