The Holland Times August 2012

controlled circulation | postbus 531 | 2150 AM Nieuw-Vennep

AUGUST 2012

SPEAK NO EVIL As elections loom, political parties put their best feet forward but might be ignoring the real issues p6

DUTCH POLICE VIOLATE PRIVACY LAWS p4

CONSUMER SPENDING IS DANGEROUSLY LOW p9

OLYMPIC HOPES LIE IN THE YOUNGER GENERATION p23

AUGUST 2012 | 3

EDITORIAL

CONTENTS

The last month of an all-too-brief, and all-too-rainy, Summer is upon us. The Olympics are here, elections are on their way and nobody seems to know what to do about either.

NATIONAL P4-7 G500 infiltrates politics p5

Over the last few weeks, the major political parties in the Netherlands have been defining their election platforms, making promises to their constituants and generally banging the war drums. The minor parties have been doing it too, but to much less fanfare and sometimes with more extreme plans like taking women out of office. The question is, however, are they actually going to do anything to solve the countries problems when they get in? (p 6) Sure, some of the troublemakers from the last cabinet might not make it back (p 7), but that doesn’t mean all of our problems will be solved. The economy will still be in the toilet, no matter who wins (p 9), and many of the aspects that made the Netherlands what it was are still being continually eroded (p 14–15).

ECONOMICS P9 Consumer spending drops

But if all this is the fault of past leaders, maybe the solution does lie ahead. Not in just a changing of the same old guard, but in new blood that might bring fresh ideas (p 5). And it is as true for our athletes as it is for our politicians. No more than the national football team being exchanged for their younger counterparts, the men and women carrying Dutch hopes in London 2012 are a decidedly young crowd too (p 23).

ARTS & CULTURE P19 Blue House to be repainted

It remains to be seen if, in sport or politics, youth does indeed trump experience.

Have something to say to the editor? Email: editorial@thehollandtimes.nl

FEATURE P14-15 History and future of Dutch tolerance FLASH FICTION P17 Chapter 6: The Glass Wall

REVIEWS P21 Food, Film, Book and Music ratings SPORT P23 Young athletes carry Olympic hopes Cover image: Thijs Hooiveld All images: Creative Commons

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NATIONAL

4 | AUGUST 2012

Dow Chemical on trial

TERNEUZEN | The Public Prosecution

Service (Openbaar Ministerie, OM) is taking legal action against US multinational Dow Chemical over numerous alleged environmental violations, reports Nos.nl. Many incidents involving the release of toxic and explosive gases have been examined. Risks posed by the company’s actions are to both personnel and the environment, according to the prosecution. Local inspectors have had concerns about the actions of Dow for years, and internal documents from the period 2005-2008 make reference to a number of “serious incidents” resulting from “deficiencies in maintenance.”

Police breach privacy laws

Holleeder to repay gains

HAARLEM | A court in Haarlem has ordered notorious Dutch gangster Willem Holleeder to repay almost 18 million euro supposedly obtained as ill-gotten gains from the blackmail of a group of businessmen, reports de Telegraaf. Holleeder’s lawyer, Stijn Franken, has announced that the infamous crime boss will appeal the ruling, on the grounds that the money was in fact paid to a property prospector named Jan Dirk Paarlberg, who is currently serving a 4.5 year jail sentence for the blackmailing.

Syrian defection support

BRUSSELS | Foreign Minister Uri Rosen-

thal (VVD) has issued a call for the EU to encourage and support the defection of members of the Syrian regime currently engaged in a violent conflict in their country, according to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). “The Dutch government, right from the beginning, encouraged defections,” Rosenthal told a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on 23 July, adding that, “we should also take protective measures for the families of those who want to defect.” The Syrian regime has been engaged in conflict with anti-government protestors since March 2011.

Photo: Syria Freedom

New daycare abuse trial

AMSTERDAM | An associate of Robert M., the daycare worker found guilty of abusing dozens of very young children in an Amsterdam nursery, has been jailed for child abuse charges in a related case, reports het Parool. Flóvin O. (38) from Amstelveen reportedly paid Robert M. 50 euro to abuse a baby in the Amsterdam daycare worker’s home.

O. received a jail sentence of 42 months with six suspended for this and charges of possessing child pornography. His partner, Matthijs van der M., received a nine month jail sentence with three suspended for possession of child pornography.

Photo: Roel Wijnants

How safe is the information we give to government officials? JOEP DERKSEN investigates reports of ongoing privacy violations by the Dutch police force.

When somebody breaks the law, he will be arrested by the police and put to trial.

But what happens if the police do not adhere to the law? The privacy watchdog Bits of Freedom (BOF) has discovered that the police often do not conform to the law to protect people’s privacy.

For years, all 25 districts of the national police have continuously and consistently ignored the provisions of the Police Data Act (Wet politiegegevens, Wpg). This act sets out how long the police are allowed to keep data on individuals as well as the types of information allowed to be gathered and in what circumstances. After several warnings, the police force was given a few years to better itself, but to no avail.

In 1996 the Van Traa committee investigated the balance between privacy and crime fighting methods. The conclusion was that these two were off balance a lot of times. “The equilibrium needs to be found over and over again,” said Ulco van de Pol, who was vice chairman of the Chamber for Registration (Registratiekamer) in the 1990s. “The surveillance techniques continue to develop and legal authorities are lagging behind.”

Criminal investigation departments (CIDs) store all data they collect; not only from suspects, but also from inno-

cent civilians. Names, addresses, details of private lives, psychological and physical characteristics and even social security numbers, fingerprints and DNA. A large number of institutions want access to this information. Not only policy and public prosecution institutions, but also organisations such as insurers, bailiffs, housing organisations and social security organisations. Thirteen years ago, Van de Pol informed that the police was providing personal details, “through unofficial channels.”

And it appears that the situation has not improved considerably, according to Tim Toornvliet, communication advisor for BOF. By checking police reports, BOF found out that the police ignore the privacy laws set out in the Wpg on a large scale.

The Royal Military Police (Koninklijke Marechaussee), for instance, violates not less than 80 percent of the privacy norms.

Astoundingly, 12 police departments violate more than 50 percent and only three departments live up to the standards. Two out of these three are the largest police departments of the country (Amsterdam and Rotterdam); they break the rules in only 20 percent of cases.

“The police break the law,” Toornvliet explains, “The protection of personal data

is often way below standards and also the police do not check whether persons are still authorised to have access to data. In addition, information which is no longer allowed to be kept is often not removed.”

In six months, a new evaluation will take place to see whether the police has improved itself on the protection of privacy. If it turns out that the police is consistently breaking the law, Toornvliet insists that consequences must follow. However, the BOF does not expect police officers to write out fines for their colleagues.

“That is why we think that the Ministry should thoroughly check on the police,” Toornvliet continues, “If police departments do not uphold the law imposed on them, the principal persons must be held accountable. Or financial sanctions must follow.”

Is the protection of privacy by the police now better than ten years ago? “I would say no. Information is much easier to collect. We have to watch out on several fronts. The rise of social media, for instance, has made it a lot easier for CIDs to gather information from people.”

It is not blatant disregard for the law that causes the problem however, as researcher Dr. Robert van Kralingen at the Centre for Justice, Governance and Information from the Katholieke Universiteit

Brabant, explains, “It is the complexity of the rule of law that causes the breach of privacy. At the department of Justice for instance, they have to consider several different laws, but also 18 memos regarding the providing of information.”

Yet, he pleads for transparency, drawing attention to the fact that is of the utmost importance for the well functioning of the society that criminal elements are neutralised at an early stage. “Not everybody should be able to look into police and justice records,” Van Kralingen states, “But private information must be shared between the responsible organisations to protect the society. Though privacy is very important, transparency sometimes is even more important.”

And how do the police feel about this situation?

According to Drs. Bernard Welten, police chief of Amsterdam-Amstelland, in a speech on 9 May 2008, “For the government, it is completely clear that safety cannot exist without the protection of privacy. It is the essence of a constitutional state that there is a balance between the protection by the government and the protection against the government. Without the protection of privacy, the government is a potential threat for the rights of each and every one of the civilians.”

NATIONAL

AUGUST 2012 | 5

Dutch youth infiltrate major parties

Image: G500

Young people fighting for political change is a common sight throughout Europe, but only in the Netherlands are they doing it from within the system. JOANNA IOANNIDOU talks to G500 about their plans for a polite revolution.

In these rather turbulent times, young people are actively trying to make a political point all over Europe.

But, whereas in southern countries like Greece and Italy, youngsters take to the streets in an attempt to affect the political establishment, in the Netherlands they are trying to bring about change from the inside.

G500, a group established in April this year, joins political party conventions with the goal of influencing the formation of their policies. Targeting the three parties that have been enjoying the majority in parliament since World War II – the Christian Democrats (Chriselijk Democratische Appèl, CDA), the Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA) and the free-

market People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) – G500 wishes to bring some fresh air and some new ideas into Dutch politics.

Sywert van Lienden, one of the group’s founders, explains how the G500 chose their course of action: “If we had started our own party, younger people would only stand on the sideline. You could have one or two positions in the parliament – and that is if you do really, really well – but still there would be 148 seats to the older generation. So, we thought if instead we became members of the three major parties at once, we can help shape their election programs, and truly rejuvenate the political agenda.”

Van Lienden feels, “young people are not getting the country they actually deserve,” and therefore believes the Dutch political system needs to change.

So, G500 has gotten together 10 policy points that they want to get each of the three parties to adopt, including more money for education, more flexibility in the employment sector, and changing the way people pay for health care and pensions.

Party lines are decided upon during party conferences, so G500’s attendance could in fact make a difference.

“In two weeks we had 500 people, and as you need 1000 people in the party congresses, we thought we could go for the majority at the congresses,” says Van

Lienden on the subject.

“The democratic process is not that difficult,” he states, “you need to engage 500 people and then you can affect politics. Especially now, with social media, it is even easier to reach people and make change happen. And it pays off, because political parties can change their election programs based on just a small number of people.” At the same time though, it is not so easy to really be heard. “The Dutch party system is not very democratic,” van Lienden admits.

“As a member you cannot put anything on the agenda in these congresses, you need to find a deputy or some local representatives that will put your points to the agenda,” he explains, “So, usually you have to contact deputies all over the country. But, if you bet on many horses, you have better chances.”

G500 seem to really be onto something. “We were on Buitenhof, a political TV program, and after it aired we saw that more than 100,000 people visited our website, and we had hundreds of applications. We realised we really touched an issue,” Van Lienden remembers.

But, are they really making a difference? According to Van Lienden, it is not always possible. “The Social Democrats fought us over procedures; they were really closed, so we only got some minor points there,” he says.

However, not all parties are trying to disarm the young upstarts. “The CDA was more open and willing to alter their election program,” claims Van Lienden.

This seems to be in agreement the view of Harry van der Molen, candidate for the 21st position on the CDA list.

“G500 worked closely with the youth wing of the party to push through amendments to the party’s platform. But the members seemed very willing to listen to the arguments anyway. The CDA is a party in the midst of a modernisation. G500 fits in well with the mindset of the current membership.”

Van der Molen does agree with G500’s view on reforming the labour market. “By offering people contracts that are limited to three or five years. Currently, these kinds of contracts have duration of a year.

Which can only be extended three times.

This reform would give young people some well-needed extra security.“ However, Van der Molen does not agree with all of G500’s points. “G500 has an unmistakingly liberal streak,” he says.

“Their suggestion to break up the collective pensions system seems to me to be unwise.

“At the CDA conference they also wanted to add financial considerations to decisions about the end of life. In order to contain the cost of end of life care. To a Christian-democrat, that is blasphemous,” he elaborates.

Given these different reactions from two of the three major parties, it will be interesting to see how G500 will be accepted at the VVD’s conference at the end of summer.

Egyptian Christians refused

CAIRO | Recent reports by a number of Egyptian publications that the Netherlands plans to alter its immigration policies for Egyptian Christians have been proved false by a statement from the Dutch Embassy in Cairo. The Egypt Independent reports that an organisation known as the Dutch Coptic Association had announced on its website that the Netherlands was preparing to grant asylum to Egyptian Christians. However, a statement by the Dutch Embassy clarifies that, “It remains up to each Egyptian Christian individually to demonstrate that he/she is in need of international protection.”

EU condemns Dutch court

STRASBOURG | The European Court of

Human Rights has sternly reprimanded the Netherlands for the conduct of a trial which saw a British man serve four years in prison for what may have been a crime he did not commit, reports Nos.nl. In the trial six years ago, the Briton was sentenced to four years in prison for smuggling ecstasy pills. The conviction was based on the testimony of a witness who refused to answer questions from the defence in court.

The European Court of Human Rights has declared that the man should not have been sentenced based on one statement.

D66 slams NS payment

THE HAGUE | An announcement by the publically-owned rail company NS has drawn criticism from left wing political party D66, reports de Volkskrant. The announcement, that the retail arm of NS would alter its payment schedule on invoices to 90 days as a result of the financial crisis, goes against government policy, according to D66 MP Kees Verhoeven. Parliament recently passed an amendment stating that all government bodies would maintain a 30 day payment period for invoices. The new move by NS, which is 100 percent state owned, goes against this policy.

Photo: Douglas Johnston

Dutch NGO being watched

NEW DELHI | The Dutch Catholic Organisation for Relief and Development (Cordaid), is one of a number of NGOs put on a visa watch list by the Indian government over reports made to the UN that show India in a bad light. The Calcutta-based Telegraph has gained access to government documents that indicate Cordaid and two Danish NGOs are known to have provided “base material” for reports made by UN Special Rapporteurs, operating with a mandate to “examine, monitor, advise and publicly report” on rights violations.

NATIONAL

6 | AUGUST 2012

Weed pass effects studied

THE HAGUE | A study commissioned by the Epicurus foundation The Hague into the effects of the introduction of the weed pass in the south of the Netherlands has been published.

The study is the first to systematically analyse the effects of the new soft drugs policy. Street dealers have become very active in areas with the new rules, with practices such as never carrying more than five grams at a time making them difficult for police to combat. Other effects include nuisance to registered customers as people ask for marijuana to be purchased on their behalf and a rise in nuisance complaints in areas far from coffeeshops.

Healthier healthcare policy needed

Henk and Ingrid kill Turk

ALMELO | A fight between neighbours that lead to a death has given rise to much controversy and debate. The incident in Almelo involved a TurkishDutch man named Aziz Kara and his neighbours, named as Henk and Ingrid W., the same first names as Geert Wilders’ fictional ideal Dutch couple. A long running feud apparently culminated in an row on 23 June during which the 64-year-old Mr. Kara suffered a blow to the head which proved fatal. Turkish groups are calling for an investigation into the incident, focusing on its “social and community aspects,” reports ANP.

Cocaine found in cocoa

AMSTERDAM | Customs officers in the port of Amsterdam have discovered approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine hidden amongst a cargo of cocoa beans, reports het Parool. The street value of the drugs is estimated at 12 million euro. The shipment of beans and cocaine originated in Peru, say customs officials. Speculation is that a criminal organisation was involved in the large scale smuggling attempt and were likely intending to intercept the cargo container.

Image: Truthout.org

Photo: Nestlé

SGP loses rights case

STRASBOURG | A strict Christian political

party, the Reformed Protestant Party (Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij, SGP) has been told by the European Court of Human Rights that they may not restrict women from holding office in the party. An appeal filed with the court by the SGP, after an unsuccessful case with the Dutch Supreme Court, sought to bar women from political office as it is not in line with “the ordinances of God.” The ultra-orthodox SGP holds two seats in the current parliament and is funded by the Dutch government to the tune of 800,000 euro per year.

As political parties gear up for the September elections, stances are taken on almost all the important issues.

ROBERT ZBORAY looks at perhaps the most important and asks, what can any party do to actually solve the problem?

Since the year 2000, healthcare expenses in the Netherlands have doubled, exceeding 90 billion euro in 2011.

If left unchecked, healthcare economists project this number to double again in the coming decades, rising from 13 percent of current GDP to approximately 20-30 percent.

To put this in perspective, this year alone, healthcare costs every person in the Netherlands – man, woman or child – more than 5000 euro, and these costs are expected to rise to 10,000-15,000 euro per person per year.

If this scenario were realised, the added expense to society’s purse, already burdened by the effects of the economic crisis and its ageing population, could

prove calamitous, effectively demanding the nation to pay the equivalent of the entire first Greek bailout package every year, requiring a massive restructuring of the Dutch economy.

Given these figures, the most pressing question to politicians this election should be, “How are we going to pay for our healthcare?”

The essence of the healthcare question is, in effect, its own success. Once-terminal conditions have now been reduced to expensive chronic conditions, the most costly one of which is old age with all its associated infirmities. The Netherlands, like most rich countries, has lopsided demographics, with the post-war baby boom generation making up a relatively large

portion of it. As they start to suffer from diabetes and heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer, they will need a lot of expensive care. Once they start to suffer from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and strokes, they will need even more.

Currently, 1.3 million professional caregivers are employed to meet healthcare needs. This leads to the odd conclusion that healthcare is actually rather cheap, as these 19 percent of the working population have to make do with only 13 percent of GDP while providing us with one of the most important benefits: decent health.

The reason the absolute costs may seem large is that for a long time real wages (after inflation) have stagnated or

even shrank, while productivity and GDP continued to grow, with the generated surplus going to what could arguably be called the economic elite. What is thus shown is not how expensive healthcare is, but how poorly recompensed people are for the wealth they create.

Meanwhile, it is estimated that to fulfil growing healthcare needs, another 400,000 professionals will be required in the foreseeable future; all requiring salaries. Furthermore, the costs of medicine and technology are expected to rise.

Even if one might consider healthcare cheap for what it delivers, and that is difficult to maintain when one’s purse smarts so acutely, costs will be painfully rising.

But while Dutch healthcare expenses are in line with those of other wealthy European nations, and are significantly smaller than those of the USA, the Japanese only pay half of what the Dutch do, while enjoying a longer life expectancy.

Apparently there remains room for improvement.

Be that as it may, however, the original question remains; what are we going to do?

The choices are in essence threefold: seek to reduce costs per person (efficiency), increase taxes or insurance premiums to pay the extra costs, or slash healthcare and so keep costs down.

In their manifestos all political parties claim to seek greater efficiency, although the measures they endorse show little promise to have a deeply significant impact on spending.

The strongest polling parties, the economic liberals (VVD) and the socialists (SP) mostly seek to improve efficiency through diametrically opposed systems, the former by expanding free market forces in healthcare, the latter by abolishing these same forces.

Neither explains in detail how this would result in reducing costs, although the liberal plan is, in effect an expansion of recent policy that so far has failed abysmally to curtail costs, while providing few if any significant benefits.

If both parties agree on something it is their belief that healthcare costs will rise. Asked how they would deal with that the socialists answered that they would “make the costs to the individual of healthcare dependent on income, on one’s ability to pay, and so keep healthcare accessible to all.”

Although the liberal spokesperson could not or would not answer the question, the VVD’s minister Schippers was interviewed recently by news website Nu.nl, to whom she declared that she envisioned insurance premiums and co-payments would rise, while the healthcare provided would be reduced.

Asked to elaborate Schippers declared, “we have one of the best healthcare systems in the world, but it is too expensive. I envision a system where someone with some illness won’t go bankrupt to pay for treatment, and this not just for us, but for our children as well.”

NATIONAL

AUGUST 2012 | 7

Trouble in the house of Wilders Image: Bert Boerland

A spate of scandals and resignations has put the PVV on the back foot for the upcoming elections. ALICE BURKE looks at what went wrong and how Geert Wilders might turn it around.

Of all of the Dutch political parties, it can be argued that one in particular will be most familiar to an international audience, mainly due to the notoriety of its leader, Geert Wilders, and its right-wing policies. The Freedom Party (Partij voor de Vrijheid, PVV) has made quite a name for itself with its super-conservative stance on immigration and a litany of dramatic announcements by founder and leader Mr. Wilders.

Mr. Wilders is also notorious for his anti-Islam stance and was brought to trial in 2011 on charges of inciting race hatred

against Muslims having compared Islam to Fascism. Mr. Wilders was ultimately acquitted on all charges.

In a statement posted last month on the PVV’s website, a list of questions are posed to the Minister of Social Affairs and the Minister for Immigration, Integration and Asylum on what the PVV terms “Ramadan-proof work.” The questions are based on an article originally published on the news site Nu.nl, and end on an interesting note, asking “Do you [the Ministers] agree that Muslims who love to do Ramadan...would work best to do this in a

Muslim country and not here? If not, why not?”

The Netherlands has a dark history in relation to immigration issues and farright figures. In 2004, the filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered having made the film “Submission” about the suppression of women’s rights in Islam. His killer, Mohammed Bouyeri, had allegedly included Geert Wilders on a hit list.

Aside from the drama associated with their immigration views, the party has also had a strong reaction to EU assistance being given to Greece, recently

posing the question to the prime minister and finance minister: “Why did you give money to a fraudulent country hopelessly behind schedule, unable or unwilling to cut into a deep recession?” and called on financial assistance to be halted immediately. Most recently, Mr. Wilders was highly critical of the city of Amsterdam’s decision to fly the EU flag over the city’s town hall.

The party has a strong history in the Netherlands, with the 3rd highest vote tally in the 2010 elections, but it appears the fire and brimstone approach of Mr. Wilders may not see them sail so smoothly through the upcoming September elections.

Last month, two PVV MPs resigned immediately following the release of the party’s election manifesto. Marcial Hernandez and Wim Kortenoeven announced their resignation, citing Mr. Wilder’s leadership style as the reason for their departure.

“Everything revolves around Geert Wilders,” Mr. Hernandez told a news conference, adding that Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, could learn a thing or two from Mr. Wilder’s media strategy.

And dissent has been visible in the ranks since earlier this year. Another MP, longstanding PVV member Hero Brinkman, resigned in March, citing the party’s “lack of democracy” as his reason for leaving.

Mr. Wilders appeared to have been shocked by the spate of resignations, and following those of Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Kortenoeven told media that he had “never been stabbed in the back so many times.”

In April, Mr. Wilders withdrew the PVV from austerity talks and ended support for the coalition, which led to the collapse of the then government coalition and the need for the upcoming elections, allegedly without consulting fellow party members.

A quote from Mr Hernandez as he resigned sums up what appears to be the main threat to the PVV in the coming months: Mr Wilders’ gung-ho attitude entirely taking over not only party priorities but also his knowledge of what is best for the people of the Netherlands.

Mr Wilder’s frequently refers to “Henk and Ingrid” in speeches; a fictional pairing with a normal income and two kids, designed to represent the average person on the Dutch streets.

“Despite his iron grip on the PVV message, he has no idea who Henk and Ingrid actually are or what they think – except insofar as they suit his interests,” said Mr Hernandez.

A sense of bravado that all is solid in the PVV will not benefit Mr. Wilders when the voters take to the ballot boxes.

The so-called “backstabbing” of 2012 will need to be a lesson that if the party is to survive at its current strength, its leader will need to adapt to serve the politicians who ultimately drive it forward.

Few foreigners in Holland BRUSSELS | Recent figures released

by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, show that the Netherlands has one of the lowest percentages of foreign nationals living within its borders in the EU. Non-EU citizens living in the Netherlands account for 4.1 percent of the population, while EU citizens from another member state make up just 2.5 percent. Comparing this with the percentage of foreign nationals living, for example, in Luxembourg (43.1 percent) and Switzerland (22.4 percent), the Netherlands is seen to have one of the lowest levels of foreign residents of the 27 European states analysed by Eurostat.

Jail for insulting Queen

UTRECHT | A 47-year-old bankrupt

barge operator suffering from a mental handicap has received a 90-day jail sentence and 80 hours of community service for insulting Queen Beatrix and writing to two mayors demanding that they cancel Queen’s Day, reports Nu.nl. The man, who has had 77 days of his sentence suspended, wrote to the Queen in March and April, demanding that the monarchy be abolished. The jail sentence has been described as harsh by some in Dutch politics, including Groen Links MP, Tofik Dibi.

Wood shortage looming

WAGENINGEN | Within a few years, it

is likely that the Netherlands will suffer from a significant shortage of wood, reports de Trouw. Wood is currently the country’s main renewable energy source and an annual shortfall of 20 million cubic meters has been predicted in the Netherlands by 2020. However, forest management organisation Probos, says this might actually happen as soon as 2015, and the Netherlands must urgently respond to the shortage by planting the fast-growing willow.

Photo: _venerdi

Too much English in class

ROTTERDAM | A judgement by a court

in Rotterdam means that elementary schools may not exceed three and three quarter hours per week teaching in English, reports Nos.nl. The case was brought by Language Defence (Taalverdediging), which campaigns against the use of non-Dutch languages in the Netherlands, against 85 public elementary schools in Rotterdam. The schools use a teaching method developed by language consultancy Earlybird , brings children into early contact with the English language through four hours in English teaching per week. This has now been ruled illegal.

economics

AUGUST 2012 | 9

Consumer spending slows down

Amsterdam port gets busy

AMSTERDAM | The port of Amsterdam has had a good first half of the year in terms of throughput despite the ongoing financial crisis, reports NOS. nl. Throughput increased by 1.5 percent compared to same period last year and the port processed a total of 38 million tonnes of goods. These figures do, in fact, point to growth since 2010. The combined throughput of the ports of IJmuiden, Beverwijk, Zaanstadrose and Amsterdam, all of which fall under the umbrella term, “the Ports of Amsterdam,” rose by 0.5 percent to around 46 million tonnes. This growth was entirely attributable to Amsterdam.

No need for Turkish visas

THE HAGUE | Starting from 15 August, Turkish service providers and selfemployed Turks will be able to enter the Netherlands without needing a visa on the condition that they document their status as such, according to Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman. The announcement was part of a letter issued by the Housing, Neighbourhoods and Integration Ministry (Ministerie van Wonen, Wijken en Integratie) on Friday 13 July to the Dutch parliament. This follows an April ruling by the Council of State that Turkish businessmen may stay in the Netherlands for up to three months without a visa or residency permit.

Photo: David King

The Netherlands may have slipped out of recession, but no clear recovery is taking place. ALEXANDER RIEMER explores how low levels of consumer spending continue to affect the Dutch economy.

Revised data recently released by the Central Bureau of Statistics (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, CBS) shows that the Netherlands is officially no longer in a recession, as the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2012, compared to the previous quarter. The CBS warned, however, at the same time that, “no clear recovery is taking place,” according to spokesman Peter Hein van Mulligen.

“Technically the Netherlands is no longer in a recession because the contraction stopped. But if you look at the broader picture – consumption, job growth, unemployment and consumer confidence – we are in a downturn. It is very precarious,” Van Mulligen expands. He adds that long-term recovery would primarily need to come from an increase in consumer spending.

While the Netherlands, the eurozone’s fifth-largest economy, continues to hold the top credit rating of triple-A and is one of the strongest and most stable members of the eurozone, the country’s consumer spending has long been extremely weak, especially since the start of the economic crisis in 2008.

“In the last ten years, no other country in the eurozone had, on average, such a weak growth in consumption as the Netherlands,” the Dutch Central Bank (De

Nederlandsche Bank, DNB) reported earlier this year.

Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor gave an even more sober summary of the situation: “Now growth in private consumption in the Netherlands looks like that of a country on the eurozone’s periphery, rather than that of a country at the core.”

The rate of Dutch consumer spending is currently even worse than during the serious economic crisis at the beginning of the 1980s. The recovery in this area from the financial crisis since 2008 has also been slower in the Netherlands than in the eurozone on average. While the average consumer spending in the eurozone has almost returned to its 2008 level, Dutch consumption is still three percent lower than in 2008.

The low private-sector consumption in the Netherlands over the last ten years is especially remarkable due to the fact that the country had one of the highest consumption rates of the eurozone in the 1990s. However, after the turn of the millennium this trend reversed completely.

“The relatively sharp reversal in Dutch consumption since then is first of all the result of a considerably less flourishing labour market,” the DNB explains. Due to a tight labour market in the 1990s, employers were forced to offer higher

compensations to attract the desired personnel. As a result, the inflation-adjusted salary increased on average by 3.2 percent per year during the period from 1992 to 2001. As the labour market cooled down afterwards, Dutch salaries decreased in real terms by an average of 0.7 percent per year from 2002 to 2011.

Another important factor that contributed to low consumer spending was the rising pension premiums that Dutch employees were forced to pay.

While high stock gains allowed Dutch pension funds to lower their premiums in the second part of the 1990s, premiums had to be raised again when they no longer covered costs after the turn of the century. This further decreased the disposable income of the Dutch workforce, especially in comparison to other European countries where collective pension savings do not play an important role.

The often-discussed housing market also directly and significantly influenced consumer spending in the Netherlands.

In the period from 1995 to 2001, house prices in the Netherlands doubled.

“Dutch home owners felt richer during that time due to the higher surplus value of their houses and took up additional mortgages. Recent graduates took out bigger loans, also because banks liberalised their lending requirements. The increase

of house prices therefore gave a large momentum to the private sector consumption,” claims the DNB. Since reaching their highest levels about ten years ago, Dutch housing prices have decreased by more than 10 percent.

The decline has been particularly significant since the start of the economic crisis in 2008.

The decrease in the price of their property is generally seen as motivation for homeowners to save additional money or repay their debt ahead of time, since their initial mortgage debt is often higher than the current value of their homes. This additionally saved money is therefore not used for consumption or any other active spending.

Recent news gives little hope that consumer spending, and with it the economy in general, will improve significantly in the short-term. Consumer confidence, generally seen as a key indicator for short-term consumer spending, was recently reported at its lowest level since 2003.

The DNB predicted earlier this year that the lowest point of Dutch consumer spending will not be reached before the end of 2012.

The European Commission currently forecasts that the entire Dutch economy will shrink 0.9 percent in 2012.

Photo: Michał Dubrawski

Bankruptcy runs rampant

AMSTERDAM | A large increase in the number of bankruptcies has affected almost 28,500 people in the first half of this year, according to figures release by the Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel, KvK). In the first half of 2012, a total of 4,112 companies declared bankruptcy, marking an increase of 26 percent over the same period last year. A large number of the bankrupt companies are small, single person ventures, but larger companies have not proved immune. A total of 69 companies with over 50 employees filed for bankruptcy in the first half of 2012.

Electricity exports fail

ARNHEM | Figures released by crossborder electricity transmission organisation TenneT show that the Netherlands has become a net importer of electric power, while the country’s aim was initially to be an exporter, reports Nos.nl.

According to TenneT, the Netherlands imported an average of 24,019 gigawatt hours this year; more than twice as much as the measured quantity of exported electricity: 11,576. The report also says that the Netherlands should be in a good position to export power.

Innovation in Amsterdam

MUSTAFA TANRIVERDI of Amsterdam inbusiness is guest editor for the Holland Times economics column.

The Netherlands is on the move, and business is still going strong in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. Despite the doom and gloom warnings of the financial crisis, innovation leaders and top international companies continue to do what they do best; adapt, survive and flourish.

The most resilient sector, as well as the most responsive and therefore successful, has been the ICT sector. Comprising creative, financial and corporate services, the companies involved in ICT are no strangers to finding new ways to do things and this has led to continued growth.

During 2011, a total of 118 international companies established new offices in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area.

The majority of these new companies are

active in the ICT sector.

During this same period, Amsterdam was also ranked the fourth best European city for business in the European Cities Monitor, an independent ranking of the business potential and delivery of European cities carried out on behalf of global real estate brokers Cushman & Wakefield.

One of the new companies that has decided to call Amsterdam its home is SoftLayer, an on-demand hosting and IT solutions provider that likes the creative atmosphere Amsterdam has to offer.

“The Dutch people are historically innovators, Amsterdam in particular,” managing director Jonathan Wistler explains, “Part of innovation is creativity, in Amsterdam there’s a vibrant creative network, a vibrant financial network and

a vibrant technology community.”

But while adaptation on behalf of a company is a strong sign of potential success, for a country it can be more of a hindrance. That is why the Netherlands’ political climate draws so many businesses here. It may seem like tumultuous times right now, but one budget-related government collapse is not enough to shake up the well-established business practices of the mercantile Dutch.

Wistler, and SoftLayer, agree, “Relative to other places, the political system is stable and predictable, the relative level of uncertainty is much lower than in other countries.”

And this stability looks set to keep the Amsterdam area looking attractive for both new companies on the rise, and established firms looking for a new home.

Photo: Ian Britton

TNT takeover investigated

BRUSSELS | The European Commission

is to launch an investigation into the takeover of Dutch postal company TNT

by US delivery giant UPC. The Commission’s interest stems from the fact that TNT and UPC are considered two of the four major players in the European parcel market, making a union of the two a serious concern for those bodies tasked with safeguarding competition in the free market over a number of industries. “Parcel delivery companies are of great strategic importance to many other industries in Europe,” European Commissioner for Competition, Joaquín Almunia told Nos.nl.

feature

14 | AUGUST 2012

The Netherlands: losing tolerance Everybody knows about the Dutch reputation as a tolerant people. But where did this come from, and what has it meant for the Netherlands?

MIKOŁAJ MALINOWSKI looks at the history and possible future of Dutch tolerance policies.

Why are some countries rich and others poor? This is one of the most important questions asked by economists as well as members of various other social sciences.

For the past 500 years the Low Countries were very prosperous in comparison to other parts of the world, including their European neighbours.

Scholars propose many possible explanations of this phenomenon. Some point at the favourable geographical position; access to the sea and location in the centre of Europe predestined the Dutch to be “traders and carriers of the world” as Daniel Defoe put it in the 18th century.

Even in modern times, shipping is a great part of Dutch economic success, with the biggest European port in Rotterdam as its finest example. Others prize the role of institutions in the country. Low corruption, secure property taxes, precise regulations all make a favourable environment for economic growth as, thanks to well defined rules of the game, people can plan their actions ahead and thus prosper.

This links up to yet other aspect which is often associated with the Netherlands: tolerance. Gay marriage, liberal drug policies, a high percentage of foreigners, all these features comprise the unique image of the Netherlands abroad. But where does this famous tolerance come from? Is it just a myth or one of the fundaments of Dutch culture? And finally, how did the country profit from its tolerant policies?

A History of Tolerance The story of Dutch tolerance begins in the 16th century, when the country was under the rule of the Catholic Spanish Habsburgs. Critique of the Catholic Church and the revolutionary ideas of Martin Luther and John Calvin were well received in the Low Countries. Many people wanted to convert to the new religion for social and political reasons. The Spanish authorities fought this heresy with all its might; renouncing Catholicism was punishable by death. This gradually led to the outburst of the famous Dutch revolt in 1566. The Spaniards retaliated to this insubordination with a series of bloodbaths.

According to Marten Prak, a specialist on the Dutch Golden Age from Utrecht University, “The Dutch only by accident discovered that tolerance does not distort the social order.” This pragmatic view of the Dutch protestant minority was inspired by the behaviour of their Spanish enemy and religious disunity. William of Orange, known as the father of the nation who led the Dutch against the Spaniards, is regarded as a symbol of a new way of thinking. Instead of focusing on how the country should look like ideally, he searched for political solutions to the problems at hand. When in 1579 the Union of Utrecht – a quasi constitution – was signed, due to religious disunity in the young republic, the rule of tolerance was set in stone in order to ensure some balance. In particular, even though the primacy of Protestantism was established, the law did not force anyone to adhere to it. This was exceptional for the standards of early modern Europe.

Amsterdam, the finest and, to some extent, a unique example of Dutch tolerance, managed to seize the moment around the time of the revolt and make use of the changing political situation, also partly thanks to its practical attitude.

When, as a result of military actions, Antwerp, the former centre of the inter-

national markets, was cut off from trade routes, Amsterdam invited its rich Jewish community to live in the city, which greatly boosted its trade. This was, at the time, a very controversial move due to the paramount importance of Christianity in the public life of Europeans. At that very moment, the Dutch showed their unique approach towards resolving controversial issues. When the Jews came to Amsterdam, they were asked not to show their different religious practices in public, even though everyone knew that they were not Christian. The same was the case with the Catholics who were officially forbidden to follow their religion. Despite this fact they organised domestic churches, the whereabouts of which were known to anyone; with Our Lord in the Attic located right under the rooftops of several neighbouring buildings as the most famous example. When a member of the court of the Pope of Rome travelled to Amsterdam in the middle of the 17th century, he described the Catholic oppressed minority as a “Rose blooming between spikes.”

Modern Tolerance The 20th century brought about different problems than the ones faced by the Dutch 500 years before. According to Martin Prak, inthe first half of that century, “Dutch history shows no national quality of tolerance. The period between the wars and the 1950s were stages of intolerance, conservativeness and even wars against deviant behaviour.” Only in the 1960s can we see beginnings of the famous policy of tolerance. It is, however, still a mystery of Dutch history why exactly this happened.

According to Gerson van Eck, a coowner of two gay venues in Amsterdam, in the 1980s and 1990s Amsterdam was the gay capital of the world mostly thanks to the attitude of the people. Gay men and women were coming to Amsterdam to experience the feeling of freedom and walk hand-in-hand without being scared.

At that time gay bars and clubs mushroomed and the gay pride celebrations of Amsterdam became a world famous event attracting countless visitors up to this day.

The pinnacle of those developments was the introduction of gay marriage in 2001, which confirmed the reputation of a tolerant state that the Netherlands had enjoyed among the world’s public.

The tolerant attitude and policies of the Dutch were not simply beneficial for the country because of the money spent on drinks and clean beds by the tourists. Those were stimuli for the economy due to a phenomenon which nowadays is gradually regarded by the scholars as something more important than the money itself: human capital.

A tolerant environment allows one to develop without fear of losing the fruits of one’s work in the future; tolerance also allows for focusing on refining those more controversial of the talents that one may have. For example, all the famous drag queens, camp photographers and other artists and designers related to gay culture, could not have developed their proficiency if they had to hide the fruits of their work at home. Furthermore, the tolerant policies invited foreign specialists to live and work in the Netherlands.

Deirdre McCloskey, nowadays a well renowned economist, is a perfect example of this phenomenon. She, when she was still a man, came to the Netherlands in the 1990s in order to undergo gender re-

Photo: J.E. Theriot assignment. According to her experience, she felt embraced as a cross gender person in the Netherlands and, as someone coming from the USA, regards the Dutch by comparison as a very tolerant nation.

As Ms. McCloskey says, “tolerance to the Dutch is like liberty to the Americans, it is a national religion.”

But in the eyes of many people, this idyllic image of Amsterdam, and the

Netherlands in general, is slowly decomposing. According to Gerson van Eck, the glorious change in the 1960s was not due to policies of the government. In fact, it was a lack of regulations that attracted people to Amsterdam and made it an exceptional place in terms of creativity, night life and diversity. The tolerant policies followed later and merely sanctioned what was already happening.

The world has changed since then; even though in one of Mr. Van Eck’s more successful bars there are still 200 customers a week and 15 percent of them are tourists, the business is not going as well as it used to.

“If I pick a holiday destination I want to feel safe and have things to do,” the bar co-owner explains, “Those are the issues that are under pressure now in Amster-

feature

AUGUST 2012 | 15

Photo: Wiki Commons Spanish atrocities committed in the 16th century were the catalyst for the beginning of the Dutch attitude of tolerance.

Photo: Gerson van Eck

Photo: Gerson van Eck dam.”

He further points at several reasons for the decline; firstly, the generation that made the vibrant club nights of Amsterdam possible in the 1980s and 1990s grew older and shifted its priorities towards family and career, this generation was not replaced by new youth because of the sky-high housing prices which keep students and artists out of the city centre.

The aging population living in the centre (the same one that partied hard in the 80s and 90s) now has a different idea as to what it wants from its city. Need for peace and quiet forces politicians to impose regulations hampering the night life.

“The laws around everything became so strict that you cannot do anything any longer in Amsterdam,” Gerson van Eck summarises, “It changes into an open-air

museum like Venice with nothing to do.”

There is also yet another problem that the city needs to face in order to keep its tolerant character.

Mr. Van Eck confesses, “I do not feel comfortable to walk hand-in-hand with my boyfriend any longer, whereas it was no problem 10 years ago. Every two weeks I need to report some homophobic incident around the bar to the police.”

Van Eck also points out that the majority of these assaults are made by Muslim immigrants. This stems from the cultural clash investigated by Pim Fortuyn over ten years ago, who bluntly stated, “I am against Islam, because it does not allow me to be openly gay.”

According to Van Eck, “Amsterdam and the Netherlands are trying to protect tolerance with laws, but the Islamic culture that has grown in Holland has a different background... one cannot change people over one generation.”

This shows that the Dutch face new challenges to protect the image of tolerance from which they profited so greatly in their history.

This is especially relevant in framing the current debate surrounding the restriction of access to soft drugs in the

Netherlands.

The way of thinking started by William of Orange almost 500 years ago, that laws and rules should not be made according to some fixed ideal vision of how the world should be, but rather respond to real problems, led to the establishment of the famous coffeshops.

Next to gay tourism, drug tourism formed the second leg of Amsterdam’s economy and yet another example of how tolerance can make one competitive on the international market.

It is arguable that current moves to abolish these developments, limiting access to the coffeshops and letting Amsterdam become less gay friendly, may lead the city to the same fate as Venice: a beautiful but empty symbol of the glorious past.

FLASH FICTION

AUGUST 2012 | 17

The New World The Holland Times presents its second Flash Ficiton series. With an experimental approach, each month a new writer will pick up their pen and contribute a chapter to our ongoing and highly unpredictable tale. The story continues with Tiffany Jansen’s Chapter 6: The Glass Wall

Image: Sarah Roche

The ancient Maya were right. Not about the end of the world, but about the dawn of a new way of life. In the year 1, electricity is a thing of the past and anarchy reigns. Struggling to survive and build a safe future, the fate of civilisation is left in the hands of a remaining few.

Never in her life had Patience run harder or faster.

Her heart thudded against her ribs, feet pounding the asphalt. Her every instinct told her to flee to the shed where Aaron had found her not even an hour ago and look for a way out.

But twelve-year-olds seldom pay attention to things like their surroundings, and Patience had been no exception.

She had followed Aaron and Bebé with the blind trust and innocence of pre-adolescence.

If I keep running straight ahead, Patience reasoned, I’m bound to reach the border of town. And a way out.

Her blood ran cold as she recalled the once beautiful faces of Gloria and Rhuma. The now grotesque, lifeless stares that made her wretch and sent her fleeing.

A haze of hot tears blurred her vision as she ran blindly onward. The scene in the barn ran reruns in her head as she tried to make sense of what she had heard and seen.

She knew how it worked. At least one schoolmate conducted the experiment for the science fair held each year.

But where they had used a potato half to bring to life a single light bulb, Aaron was using humans to power this Eden of power and electricity.

The most recent sacrifices were her friends and companions.

Patience had narrowly escaped upon learning the horrible secret. A swift kick to the groin brought Bebé to his knees, preventing him from stopping her. He never saw it coming.

But Aaron had done nothing to stop her. He had simply let her go. Why? Before Patience could honour this puzzle with a guess, she collided with something cold and hard.

The impact threw her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her. She caught her breath and picked herself up.

She examined the space in front of her for the offending structure. Seeing nothing, she pressed forward. Again she was confronted with an invisible barrier. She reached out a tentative hand.

The surface that met the palm of her hand was smooth and clear. Glass.

Patience pressed onto her toes and reached her arm as high as she could.

Then, she trailed her hand down as she

bent to the ground.

Dragging her hand along the glass, she began to run the perimeter of the town.

No door, no window, no hole, no break, no way out. A glass wall. A barrier keeping those on the inside in, and those on the outside, out.

In a burst of fury, Patience kicked, punched, beat, and tackled, but the glass proved thick and relentless.

Exhausted and bruised, she pressed her back against the coolness and slid down the wall to the ground, a puddle of bones and skin.

And she cried. With her glutinous tears, she drowned her parents, her homeland, the life she knew. She flooded the memories of Jackson and Gloria and Rhuma.

The horror, the fear, the sorrow and the hatred came pouring out of the corners of her eyes.

It felt like hours before the tears finally dried up. A chill telling her she was not alone ran up her spine, urging her eyes open. The pair of worn boots before her belonged to Bebé.

“I see you found the wall,” said Bebé.

“It surrounds the entire town. Though

by the looks of you, I’ll wager you figured that out already.”

Patience said nothing as she watched the shadows of the night dance on the boots, unable to meet the eyes of their owner.

“You were actually asleep for three days, you know.” he continued, shifting his weight from dust-crusted boot to dust-crusted boot.

“I thought it might be easier for you to accept all this if you thought you’d only been out for twelve hours. Guess I was wrong.” He chuckled nervously at his failed attempt at a joke.

When she didn’t respond, he babbled on uncomfortably, “I know what you’re thinking, kid. You think I’m a monster.”

He crouched down to her level. His voice softened. “There’s a lot you don’t know, kid.”

Patience looked up, desperate for a glimpse of her old friend. The kind man who had taken her under his wing and promised to keep her safe. Instead, she saw a sad, frightened man she no longer knew.

Bebé placed a tender hand on her bony shoulder.

“Don’t you see, kid,” he soothed,

“it’s for the greater good. We’re safe. We have electricity, food, fresh water. We’re not alone. Gloria and Rhuma would have wanted it this way. This is what we all wanted. What we left Europe behind and came here for. All we have to do is cooperate with Aaron and we can have everything we want, kid. You and me.”

An uneasy feeling tightened its grip on Patience’s gut as she studied Bebé’s face.

She searched deeply, beyond the glossy eyes and plastic smile, for some hint of the man who discovered her stowed away on his boat months before.

But this man crouched on his haunches in front of her was a stranger.

“Where are the others?” she asked, slowly, deliberately.

It felt as though the words were passing through another pair of lips.

“The others. Jackson, the other passengers... where are they?”

Bebé’s cartoon smile darkened into a flat line and his eyes clouded over.

The hand on her shoulder tightened, the fingers digging into her flesh.

“Patience,” Bebé murmured, “I think you’d better come with me.”

ARTS & CULTURE

AUGUST 2012 | 19

Monet’s Blue House to be restored

Images: Monet in Zaandam Foundation

A gable wall and a bucket of paint are all that is needed to bring an important piece of Dutch history back to life. MAGGIE HOLMAN talks about just what is to be done with Monet’s Blue House in Zaandam.

In 1870, Claude Monet left Paris during the Franco-Prussian War to avoid the advancing Prussian army.

He spent a short time in London and then travelled to Zaandam to explore the particular light across the river Zaan, which had been described to him by his mentor, the Dutch painter Johan Jongkind.

Many people may not be aware of the importance of Monet’s time in Zaandam

and the surrounding Zaanse area, and now a group of local volunteers have formed the Monet in Zaandam Foundation. Their aim is to raise awareness about the influence of the town on Monet’s later work.

“You don’t know Monet if you don’t know about Zaandam,” says Jacob Reitsma, a founding member of the Foundation. “He spent only five months here but he painted 25 paintings. These paintings

have preserved the Zaandam of the preindustrial revolution period.”

Formed in 2010, the Monet in Zaandam Foundation already has an impressive list of achievements.

They have forged links with Moestuin Monet, a local kitchen garden project which promotes Monet’s original recipes.

They offer a detailed Monet walking tour, have installed pavement tiles and wall plaques to mark places of interest

and written a book, Monet Zaandam, which links the walking tour to each of Monet’s Zaandam paintings.

Now, the Foundation’s latest challenge involves the original Blue House, which still exists today.

The Blue House at Zaandam was one of Monet’s favourite works. The painting depicts a house with a view of a blue side wall.

“There is a possibility the ‘Blue House’ was actually green,” says Jacob. “Houses in the area were usually green, but if richer people bought better paint which contained copper, the air would gradually change the green to blue.”

The house, at Hogendijk 87, is still a family home, and the Foundation has the blessing of the current owners as they plan to repaint the side wall back to the blue colour of Monet’s painting.

“The first step was a paint analysis,” explains Jacob. This is where Frits Schuster, also local to Zaandam, joined the story.

“I was on the walking tour,” Frits says, “and when we were told about the Blue House, I said I could do the paint analysis.

It’s my job. I research old paint.”

To support the project, Frits carried out his analysis for free. The results revealed that there were 54 layers of paint on the wall.

The exciting news was that the original “Monet blue” could be seen under the other layers.

“The paint is so old it’s fossilised,” continues Frits, “so we will have to repaint the wall, rather than strip it back to the original layer.”

The house is also a registered monument, so the Foundation has to seek permission from the local town hall (ge-

meentehuis) to carry out their plan.

“This should not be a problem,” says Jacob. “A bigger problem is that there is another house standing right up against the side wall, which makes access to the wall difficult.”

Monet’s painting depicts a blue-fenced garden next to the house, but this land was later sold and then this second house was built on it in 1910.

“The side wall is important not only because of the Monet link, but as an example of an original gable from the period,” continues Jacob.

“An ideal plan would be to be able to buy this second house and then have it knocked down, so the side wall could be in full view.”

If all the access and permission can be obtained, the cost of repainting the side wall is estimated to be between 3,500– 5,000 euro. The Foundation is currently exploring ways to raise this finance.

Jacob Reitsma’s final point is about the newly-built complex in Zaandam centre.

“When architects Soeters and van Eldonk designed the new complex in Zaandam, they created a pattern of green gables on the exterior walls – except for one gable, which is blue. This blue gable is deliberately placed to line up with the gable of Monet’s house at Hogendijk 87.”

This deliberate reference to an old master by modern architects pays homage to Monet’s contribution to Zaandam, and is a fitting link between its past and present.

For those who want to know more, updates on the project and more detailed information about Monet and the time he spent in Zaandam can be found on the website of the Monet in Zaandam Foundation at www.monetinzaandam.nl.

REVIEWS

AUGUST 2012 | 21

FOOD

film

Ethiopian endeavours

Les Infidèles

the slightly more confusing one of incense more associated with Catholic Mass than cuisine by an uneducated Northern European. But just up the street can be found Addis Ababa, not as quiet on the outside but just as welcoming inside.

On the corner between the two, Abysinnia’s large windows are almost always filled with people sitting around wicker table-baskets sharing meals with the traditional injera pancake or enjoying a bottle of Hakim stout; a crisper and lighter alternative to the heavy Irish Guinness variety, appropriate for an Ethiopian brewery that quite recently became part of the Heineken family. And family, or at least the feeling of closeness, is an indelible part of the Ethiopian dining experience.

Sitting around a communal dish, using the pancake to ensnare mouthfuls of spiced lamb, butPhoto: Malingering tery spinach and lentils, sharing is a must and eating tidily is the domain of the experienced or the There is an area in Amsterdam where Ethiopian superhumanly fastidious; don’t bring a first date restaurants cluster thick and heavy; not a district here unless you’re more confident than most. or a number of streets with restaurants dotted (DECLAN AYLWARD) here and there, but the intersection between the Overtoom and Jan Pieter Heijestraat where at each Lalibela point you turn, Ethiopia is right in front of you in Eerste Helmersstraat 249 the form of wicker baskets, spicy meat and some +31 (0)20 683 8332 Addis Ababa surprisingly good stout.

Of course, the first Ethiopian restaurant to Overtoom 337 open in the Netherlands is widely regarded to +31 (0)20 618 4472 be the quietly understated Lalibela; with its fam- Abyssinia ily atmosphere and cosy café-style interior where Jan Pieter Heijestraat 190 the pleasant smell of roasting beans mixes with +31 (0)20 683 0792

Married men cheating on their wives, that is the subject of the seven short films strung together in the humoristic omnibus film Les Infidèles.

In the prologue we see the friends Fred and Greg, two unrepentant skirt-chasers who go out womanising together, and give each other alibis to mislead their spouses. It bothers Greg that his wife argues with him because he, as she puts it, “is out every night and receives emails from some kind of slut.” Greg does not like conflict. Strolling through Paris on their way to a café, the two friends manage to put their existence of cheating and lying, and the occasional feelings of ensuing guilt, into

music

book

There’s no place like (Ziggo) Dome

Savage Continent

Photo: Franklin Heijnen

cert promotions company in the world, Live Nation Entertainment, sold out performances are stretching well into the rest of the year, and figures are showing positive results.

But what makes a music monstrosity high end for a venue? For starters, Ziggo concert prices hover between 50 euro for The Black Keys in December to 100 euro for Lady Gaga. Ziggo Club membership can be purchased for just under 4,000 euro per year, which means admission to 12 events, house seats, parking, skipping queues and sipping bubbly in the “Members Only” lounge.

Reviews by concertgoers so far point to positive: they dig the slightly slanted floor, the sound quality, and the overall layout of convenience.

Rarely do attendees find themselves waiting for beer tokens, coat check-ins and toilets – everything seems spread out and plentiful at Ziggo Dome.

The real wonder is in how far will Ziggo be a magnet for bands teetering on the ever-running issue of value and mind over money. Paradiso could see a dip in multi-day bookings from artists sacrificing a large crowd (and payout) for an intimate session surrounded by beautiful design and dedicated fans.

But in a time where album sales are nothing and ticket sales are everything for the music industry, Ziggo Dome couldn’t have come at a better time. Move over Ahoy, Amsterdam’s taking the lead as Holland’s No. 1 high-profile venue hotspot.

(AUDREY SYKES)

What sends bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Coldplay to venues in unsuspecting cities like Rotterdam and Eindhoven? Size. Amsterdam has lacked a venue bigger than 5500 capacity Heineken Music hall but smaller than the mega Amstel ArenA (packing between 35,000 to 50,000 concertgoers).

The middle ground has opened doors this year as the Ziggo Dome: a black box shaped 30 meters high with enough room for 15,600 fans. Its acoustics are specifically designed for music, and are rumoured to be the best. While the walls are insulated to reduce reverb, its ceiling is so strong you can apparently hang a truck from it.

July’s Pearl Jam proved Ziggo’s super strength in holding an audience at maximum capacity, as will upcoming Autumn gigs like Radiohead, Muse, and Madonna. With backing from the largest con- Read more at www.MokumGroupie.com

perspective. “Women have changed. They are our equals now. Before you know it, it is us being faithful, and we will be cheated on.” Love is also a matter of eating, or being eaten.

The dialogues between the friends, discussing their lives as womanisers, are somewhat cliché, but funny nonetheless. Fred says there is cheating and cheating. “I never have a relationship on the side. Thus, no deceit. In essence, I am a feelings person.”

The short films making up Les Infidèles have been shot by different directors, and in doing so the bond between the stories is limited to the theme.

It does not make much of a difference that the characters from the separate parts are brought together in a sex addiction clinic. The prologue is funny; the other parts vary from tragic-comedy to cheesy, Benny Hill type humour, to miniatures of more serious relationship drama.

The seven films could have had more differing perspectives on the phenomenon of adultery, instead of repeating the idea that men cannot help themselves, because evolution has determined their plight for them. (PHILIP HOFMAN)

Directors: Emmanuelle Bercot, Fred Cavayé, Alexandre Courtès, Jean Dujardin, Michel Hazanavicius, Jan Kounen, Eric Lartigau, Gilles Lellouche Starring: Jean Dujardin, Gilles Lellouche, Guillaume Canet

munists were killing capitalists and royalists in France, Italy, and Greece, and everyone in a uniform seemed to consider rape a right.

So much for “The European Miracle.” Four decades later, the Soviets were still in Poland, Lithuania and Estonia. Waves of anti-semitism in Hungary and anti-Gypsy riots in Bulgaria were front page news just last year, and the engineers of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans are still being brought to justice. Now more than ever we need Lowe’s reminder of the importance of the kinds of trustworthy international organisations that eventually started maintaining Europe’s borders, policing human rights, regulating and stimulating economies and making sure national governments had what it took to get the lights working and the water running, to pave roads and repair train lines, to re-open schools and hospitals and to institute courts that could put the bad guys behind bars.

He also warns us about the dangers of appealing to national unity, which is currently a favoured tactic of the European right when it comes to everything from “The Immigrant Problem” to the European financial crisis. Some of the worst atrocities of the post-war period were committed in the name of such myths. Indeed, Lowe explains tepid efforts at punishing war collaborators as the consequence of efforts to maintain national unity. All medicines, we should remember as we prescribe austerity for Greece, are potential poisons.

(JONATHAN GILL)

The Germans called it Zero Hour, that moment in mid-1945 when Europe rebooted. Yet even as that American sailor planted a victory kiss on that girl in Times Square, across the Atlantic ocean national, ethnic, religious and class conflicts were threatening the remains of a continent without electricity, water, sewage or transportation. It is one of the many surprises of Keith Lowe’s agonising history of Europe in the immediate post-war period that the end of something bad seems like the beginning of something even worse.

The displacement of 40 million people and the death of 40 million more in World War II were followed by a situation that makes Afghanistan look like a swoop-and-scoop operation. With the ashes of Berlin still smoking, Bulgarians were killing Greeks, Hungarians were killing Serbs, Ukrainians were killing Poles, Poles were killing Jews, com- Available at the American Book Center

Borscht and the universe: Sink or swim Il Pacifico Back in the 1970s in the Connecticut suburbs, there was tuna in a can, fish sticks from the freezer, and gefilte fish from a jar, and that was it, except for lobsters in Maine in August.

Big Al, we were told, didn’t like fish if it was too fishy, which always struck me as, well, fishy. So I didn’t really eat much fish until She Good Woman came to New York and started bringing it home and serving it fried, with lots of butter. Fish got to swim, she taught me.

When we moved to Amsterdam we ended up near the Albert Cuyp Market, so in principle we could eat any kind of fish we wanted six days a week, from cod and salmon to more exotic offerings.

It might have been expensive, but it was fresh, and what a show! Gorgeous, repulsive, fascinating and delicious.

Then I learned how the big fishing operations operate, and it turned out that there really is no way to buy fresh fish. It’s all been frozen.

So there’s not much compromise in buying bags of filets available from any of the supermarket freezers. Then again, industrial-scale fishing, no matter where it happens, is looking

more and more like the new strip-mining. In the end, if you didn’t catch it yourself, it’s not sustainable, but if hunger is the best sauce, guilt runs a close second.

Number One Son loves viskoek, and Number Two Son will eat anything as long as it can be made into a broodtje.

Best Friend Butzie points out to me that this recipe is more or less the same as gefilte fish, except it’s fried and not boiled.

And forget all that fuss about the proper proportions of carp, whitefish, and pike.

Any mild freshwater fish will do, chopped up with onion, dill, egg, salt, and pepper, plus some corn meal or flour, and fried in olive oil.

Make it with plain rice and a sauce of yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and pepper.

For a salad, try thinly sliced cucumbers and onions in plain vinegar with salt and sugar.

A big Turkish bread (anyone who starts making a whole wheat version will make plenty of money) is good for sopping it all up.

Photo: Elana’s Pantry

FAMILY

22 | AUGUST 2012

Child care with a difference: de Witte Vlinder

In the first part of our family special, Lila Martis, founder of De Witte Vlinder child care centre talks children, the Kaleidoscope teaching method and healthy development.

“I came up with the idea for De Witte Vlinder during my own pregnancy, when I became especially aware of the need for important things like proper hygiene and good food for young children,” begins Lila Martis, founder and operator of this very special child care centre.

De Witte Vlinder (The White Butterfly) offers parents in Amsterdam and the surrounding region a place to take their children where they are sure to find the highest standards of care and of development aid.

Through Kaleidoscope, a system of early childhood education programs, children at De Witte Vlinder are helped to develop on a broad level, with special attention paid to language skills. Indeed, there

is even the option, should a parent wish, of paying particular care to ensuring a child is raised in a bilingual environment with both English and Dutch spoken.

Kaleidoscope assumes that children acquire knowledge and develop skills through active involvement with people, materials, events and ideas. The ethos of De Witte Vlinder is therefore to ensure that children are actively involved and stimulated to learn.

“We engage with the kids,” Ms. Martis explains, “and practice things with them such as yoga and special programs aimed at getting them ready for preschool.”

Materials in the library, atelier or music corners serve to expose children to a wide range of creative

influences, challenging them to play and encouraging the development of teamwork as they experience thing together.

While the Kaleidoscope program feeds the children’s hungry minds, Ms. Martis knows that growing children need more literal nourishment as well.

The kitchen at De Witte Vlinder serves only organic food, selected to give growing children the best possible meal to aid their physical as well as mental development.

A hot meal is served at noon and the children are taught to distinguish between mealtimes as opposed to continual or unstructured eating; an approach designed to aid in the building of a healthy diet. Special dietary requirements are, of course, also taken into

account for each child.

So through Kaleidoscope, active attention and healthy eating, the children at De Witte Vlinder are well cared for. But what about the parents?

“As I said, I developed the idea from being a parent myself,” Ms. Martis laughs when asked, “We are open from 7am to 7pm, so longer open than most.

Many parents are working in offices and do not finish work until six, which is when most child care centres close.”

Being open that little bit later may seem a very simple idea, but it is the effectiveness of simple ideas like active engagement and healthy eating that has built De Witte Vlinder into one of Amsterdam’s most unique and forward-thinking child care centres.

Banzai Kidz: Hollywood design in Amsterdam BanzaiKidz, founded by Raquel Brown and Erol Ugrasiz, brings the work of famous US designers to the Netherlands for a taste of celebrity luxury.

Walking into the BanzaiKidz store on the first floor of the Magna Plaza, the first thing that hits you is a familiar smell. This is one of the only places in Amsterdam, or even the Netherlands, that you can buy Yankee Candles and the distinctive honey jar forms emit a scent that calls any expat home.

But of course, this is not a candle store. BanzaiKidz is an exclusive children’s furniture and accessories shop that specialises in providing stylish, elegant and, above all, unique environments for your bundles of joy.

“We give limited a new meaning,” explains owner operator Erol Ugrasiz, beaming with justifiable pride about how special a BanzaiKidz nursery can be, “The only constraint is the imagination of the customer.”

The team provides delivery and installation at any time to suit their customers, and any amount of customisation is possible to make sure that your child’s nursery is the only one of its kind.

For those willing to pay the price, these purveyors of personalisation can even provide a custom bed set; handmade and with a certificate to prove that is the only one of its kind.

BanzaiKidz carries work by US designers that cannot be found anywhere else in the Netherlands; designers such as the godmother of baby couture, Nava Writz, who provides baby bedding and nursery accessories to well known figures such as Jennifer Lopez, Sir Paul McCartney and the Obama family.

Indeed, celebrity and BanzaiKidz are never far from one another, and many Dutch celebrities have had a baby shower organized by the team.

To complete the feeling of elegance, the store even has access to a Swarovski designer, able to complete custom jobs in crystal such as made to order inlays or even initials for your children’s doors and off course the famous Swarovski pacifiers of the highest quality.

It is not all exclusivity and wealth at BanzaiKidz, however. As any company that deals with the next generation should be, BanzaiKidz is very environmentally aware and all the furniture is made from sustainably sourced and fair trade materials.

Part of what keeps a company like this fresh is its dedication to always providing the latest in trends, fashion and gadgets. This is something Erol Ugrasiz takes pride in, and he can always be found at the newest trade fair, making sure that the freshest gifts and gadgets can be found in BanzaiKidz before anywhere else.

One of the innovations provided is the lifetime crib, which starts as a crib and expands into a child’s

and even a full size bed as your child matures. And not only can you get this installed for free, but Erol and his nursery engineers will come back and make the adjustments when it is time to transform the bed into its new form.

BanzaiKidz has been active in Amsterdam since

2010, and in the Magna Plaza since December 2011.

They have since become synonymous with style, customisation and personal service. If you want access to the hottest trends and designers in children’s goods, all with the personal care and attention of a family business, BanzaiKidz is where you need to be.

SPORTS

AUGUST 2012 | 23

Dutch youngsters go for Olympic gold

De Boer angers LGBT group

AMSTERDAM | Ajax trainer Frank de Boer is in hot water after comments he made in an interview with broadcaster BNN as part of a TV special on homosexuality in football according to het Parool. De Boer commented that, in his opinion, gay men and straight men have different motor skills, indicating that this could be one reason why there are less gay than straight men in professional football. The comments were greeted with anger by gay rights groups, including COC, who claim that De Boer’s comments serve to reinforce harmful stereotypes.

No breaks for Terpstra

POLAND | Dutch cycling champion Niki

Terpstra has suffered no breaks or other serious injuries that would prevent his participation in upcoming Olympic events as a result of a fall during the Tour of Poland. “There is nothing broken or torn,” de Volkskrant quotes Omega Pharma-QuickStep coach Leo van Vliet as saying. A statement on the athlete’s official website, however, makes mention of, “a deep wound in [Terpstra’s] knee.” Terpstra represents the Netherlands’ Olympic hopes in both individual time trial cycling and the road race.

Photo: Petit Brun

Vlaar hits out at Villa

ROTTERDAM | Ron Vlaar, the 26-year-old

Photos: London 2012

As the Olympics in London continue, MARIA ROSARIA DI LECCE talks to an Olympic Committee spokesperson about what we can expect to see from the Dutch this time around.

The Olympics are finally here. London is ready and the participants are hoping to win as many gold medals as possible.

The Netherlands is attending the Games as well, hoping for a better result than the last international sports event in Ukraine.

Compared to Beijing 2008, when Holland attended the Games with 243 athletes, there will be only 178 Dutch athletes in London and they will compete in 18 different sports.

Cycling and Field Hockey (eight Olympic medals, for the men’s team and a gold medal for the women’s team in Beijing 2008) are known to be the strongest disciplines for the Orange athletes, but a spokesman for the Dutch Olympic Committee (Nederlands Olympisch Comité, NOC), Geert Slot, added, “In the (recent) past most of the Olympic medals were won in swimming, judo, sailing, equestrian, and rowing. Of course we hope that we will succeed [in these sports] again.

And that others disciplines will add themselves to this list as well.”

And how did the athletes feel in the run-up to the Games? They may have been nervous, yet excited, but there was no time for emotions.

In fact, as the Chef de Mission Maurits Hendriks explained just prior to the official start, “In these last weeks the team is defending its opportunities for the outstanding performances they trained for in the last years.”

Everyone is expecting so much from this team – maybe also because they need to help the nation forget what happened at Euro 2012 – and it looks like every athlete will try his or her best to not let sport fans down.

However, this year there is a special focus on young athletes. No, not only because of the latest argument over sport and education and about whether it is fair or not for young athletes to pay extra fees just because they are behind with their studies; but also because London is calling on future generations and the Dutch team has very young people competing in different sports.

The youngest of all Dutch participants is Celine van Gerner, who is just 18 and competes in Gymnastics-Artistic, attending the Olympics for the first time in her career.

But according to NOC spokesman Mr. Slot, Dutch people sitting at home will almost certainly be paying a lot of attention to the performance of “Epke Zonderland, 26-years-old, and going for his first Olympics on the horizontal bar.” Another debut that hopefully could add a medal to the final toll.

While London 2012 tries its best to catch the attention of the next generation, one of the hopes of the Dutch team is that “London will inspire a generation all over the world,” and that the team can actually be part of this wish, says Slot.

Consulting the Dutch Olympics website at www.nocnsf.nl, it is possible to find a personal description of all the athletes attending the Olympics; among the data there is even a link to the Twitter page of the athlete you want to know more about.

Why is this? Because London 2012 takes place in a social media world. Geert Slot expects that we will find ourselves watching the real first “Social Media Games,” and adds, “nobody knows exactly what the impact of social media will be.

It’s nice and challenging to be a part of this development.” Surely nowadays there is no need to watch a match or an event on TV, as the so-called Trending Topics in Twitter give a live coverage of any kind of event or happening.

When asked for some advice as to how to feel involved in the Games if we are simply sitting at home, the spokesman says, “Our advice is not only to watch the sports, but also to enjoy the Games themselves. London 2012 will be an inspiring Games. They are very strongly connected with London and its inhabitants, but also with the youth all over the world.”

Alright then, if you are staying home for this event, get your remote, a nice drink and let London 2012 inspire you... after all it will take another four years before the next Olympics.

Feyenoord centre-half set to move to Aston Villa, has called off the deal and accused the British Premiership side of “messing him about,” reports Britain’s Express news site. “The chance that I will now sign for Aston Villa is almost zero... You can write down that this transfer is now off,” said Vlaar, who has believed the deal to be done after being shown around Villa Park in July. Feyenoord managing director, Eric Gudde, has backed up the player, saying, “Vlaar is a player of high calibre and we will be very happy to keep him.”

Football drugs scandal

AMSTERDAM | Amsterdam football side, FC Chabab is undergoing scandal as news emerges that Mohamed el Y. (51), operator of the team’s shirt sponsor Walima Catering has been convicted of major offences related to the smuggling and distribution of hashish, reports het Parool. El Y., has been sentenced to three years in prison. This could seriously affect FC Chabab, as the municipality has made it clear that it will provide no facilities to clubs linked to criminal elements.

Photo: Edo

British Open goes Dutch

NOTTINGHAM | The British Open wheelchair tennis championship has concluded in Nottingham with a final showdown in the women’s singles between two Dutch stars, Aniek van Koot and world number one Esther Vergeer, reports BBC Sport. A 6-2 6-0 victory for Vergeer marked her 12th British Open wheelchair tennis title. The Dutch champion now has an unbeaten run of 465 matches under her belt. Dutchman and world number four, Ronald Vink almost made the men’s singles finals, but a 6-3 6-2 defeat by British number one Gordon Reid dashed these hopes.

Vergeer, Van Koot and Vink are all set to compete in the Paralympic Games in London, beginning on 29 August.