On Thursday morning, fishermen from the Dutch town of Urk rescued a man who was sitting on a buoy in the Channel — he had likely been there for days.
The man went to sea to go kayaking from England on October 15, when his kayak capsized. From then on, he climbed onto a buoy and fought like hell to survive. 🛟
“He said he scraped mussels from the buoy and also ate seaweed and crabs to stay alive”, skipper of fishing cutter Madeleine, Teunis de Boer, told RD.
The magical fishing village of Urk, where the fishermen set sail for England. Image: Depositphotos
A young man’s survival story
The fishing boat sailed into the Channel between France and England at around 11 AM, when the crew suddenly saw a young man in swimming trunks, writes NU.nl.
“I was filling in my electronic logbook and looking for the buoy that marks the bank. I thought: you’re not serious”, Teunis told RD.
In an effort to let the man know the fishermen saw him, the skipper honked the boat’s horn. “I was afraid he would float away if he jumped into the water. So I turned the cutter so that it would float towards us.”
The young man, who had been holding on to the tiny buoy for days on end, subsisting on mussels, seaweed, and crabs, was completely exhausted by the time they pulled him from the water.
A successful rescue
The fishing crew warmed him up and gave him some food and water. They immediately called the French coast guard, after which the man was taken to a hospital by helicopter.
‘Girl with the Pearl Earring’ is now the third culprit of attacks by climate change protestors, joining Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ and Monet’s ‘Les Meules’.
The painting by Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter who lived during the Dutch Golden Age, was smeared Thursday afternoon in the Mauritshuis in The Hague, reports the NOS.
One protestor was recorded glueing his head to the painting, while another activist threw a can of what appears to be canned tomatoes onto the painting.
Just Stop Oil strikes again
Just Stop Oil is a UK-based activism group who are against the production of fossil fuels.
Three activists from the group were arrested after the attack, and the museum is now closed.
As for us, we just hope Vermeer’s painting is safe, but it’s unclear as of now whether or not the painting was protected by glass like the previous culprits of these attacks.
Translation: BREAK – Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer smeared in #Mauritshuis
This attack comes less than two weeks after two activists were also recorded throwing tomato soup at Van Gogh’s famous painting, ‘Sunflowers’ in the National Gallery in London, United Kingdom.
Why bother throwing stuff at famous paintings?
The biggest question now brewing in people’s minds; why would you want to ruin such iconic, beautiful paintings from our past?
The good news for us art enjoyers is that the paintings so far have been encased behind glass, so the most damage that has been caused by activists has been to the frame only. Basically; the paintings are generally safe.
But, the message behind this seemingly odd action is a simple one; Just Stop Oil wants to prevent the UK from investing in any more new licenses for the production of fossil fuels.
And, their way of garnering support; trashing famous paintings in the hopes of grabbing people’s attention.
What do you think of the activist’s methods? Tell us your thoughts in a comment below!
If you’ve ever lived in the Netherlands, you know it’s best not to have a deep connection with your bike, because sooner or later, your beloved fiets will change owner.
And by change, we mean become someone else’s property through a bit of light thievery. But what can you do to prevent your bike from being stolen?
Jonny, a former bike thief, has some heel handig (very handy) tips!
A former bike thief, you say?
Yep, Jonny was once homeless. Now, he is doing organised tours across the less postcard-perfect parts of the Netherlands.
As part of the tour, called Just a cup of coffee, he is selling one of the homeless newspapers called Riepe — he also took a moment to share his experiences as a former thief with Sikkom.
So how much this pro tip will cost me?
We have great news for you! Nothing. Jonny says that the best way to protect your beloved bike is to make sure to place your lock next to the valve.
He explains that this makes it more difficult to steal your bike because the thief risks breaking the valve — and no one wants a broken bike.
This makes sense when you consider the classic techniques of bike thieves in the Netherlands.
“They break down the stand, put it between wheel and lock and break it open. Even expensive locks [will eventually] pop open. [It takes only] one to ten minutes,” Jonny tells Sikkom.
You don’t want to end up like this. Image: Unsplash
Of course, no ultimate method would work all the time, if you have the coolest bike in town, but by having your lock right next to the valve on your wheel, this process becomes much more difficult for thieves — meaning your bike is safe!(er).
Sounds great, right? You don’t need to upgrade your lock or take your bike up to your apartment on your tiny narrow Dutch staircase.
How do you protect your fiets from getting stolen? Tell us your tips in the comments!
Nee hoor, that’s not a typo! The far right overwhelmingly support alternative truths, with the FVD making up the bulk of believers in conspiracy theories.
The infamous Donald Trump may have publicised the concept of “alternative facts”, but conspiracy theories have been lurking in the shadows for millennia.
Just this week, Hart van Nederland reported that populist party FVD leader Thierry Baudet announced his coming out — as a complotdenker (conspiracy thinker).
Follow the leader, says the FVD
To no one’s surprise, it is FVD supporters that are most open to alternative facts.
A whopping 94% of these voters say that one or more existing conspiracy theory is likely to be true.
About 45% of them believe that the September 11 attacks were faked, and 83% claim that the media is in cahoots with the government.
Weerman: "In de nacht van zaterdag op zondag schakelen we over naar het winteruur. Vergeet niet je uurwerk terug te draaien!"
Complotdenker: "De TIRANNIEKE ROVERHEID legt mijn horloge een GREAT RESET op 😡 #ikweiger" *bonkt een uur voor openingstijd op schuifdeur Albert Heijn*
Translation: Weatherman: “In the night from Saturday to Sunday we switch to winter time. Don’t forget to turn back your clock!” Conspiracy theorist: “The TYRANNIC GOVERNMENT puts a GREAT RESET on my watch 😡 #Irejectit” *bangs on sliding door of Albert Heijn an hour before opening time*
Surely some of them believe the moon landing was faked, we hear you ask. Oh, ja — 23% think that NASA was playing a cheeky hoax on all of us.
(Oh, we do love those funny pranksters at NASA!)
Education and spirituality play major roles
There seems to be a relationship between the level of education one receives, and how open they are to conspiracy theories.
About 79% of those with no education, or only primary school education, seem to believe in the possibility of alternative facts.
Similarly, people that are more spiritually inclined are about 60% more likely to drink at the tap of conspiracy theories.
As does our good friend social media
The widespread reach of social media has helped users find groups of like-minded people.
However, this has also resulted in echo chambers being formed, where (according to Hart van Nederland) people become “convinced of their own rightness”.
What do you think of this finding? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
The number of new inhabitants in the Netherlands has doubled since 2021, causing the Dutch population to skyrocket.
Since the beginning of 2022, 191,000 new inhabitants have made the Netherlands their home, according to figures published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
Dutch population reaches what now?
At the start of October, the Dutch population had risen to an astounding 17.8 million.
Yep, you heard that right; 17.8 million. That’s a lot of people, and, in true Dutch style, there’s due to be a lot of bikes to go along with them.
During the first three months of 2022 alone, a massive 318,000 people came to the Netherlands.
Not even a third of these new immigrants would fit in the biggest Dutch stadium, which holds a meagre 54,000 people.
One of the characteristics of a war economy is a disruption of supply chains (which happened, in Europe). Another is massive dislocation of people (which happened, in Europe). As a result, population growth in the Netherlands reached a record level. pic.twitter.com/DwVQH9lBDT
However, though the Netherlands greeted more than a quarter of a million new faces in the past nine months, due to emigration from the country as well as deaths, the population has grown by 191,000.
No more pandemic babies
The coronavirus baby boom saw more babies born in 2021 than the Netherlands had seen in ten years.
The new Call of Duty game features our dreamy capital city in a totally lifelike manner, but there’s just one problem: the storyline involves shooting up the Conservatorium Hotel, and its owners are not happy. 😬
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will officially be released on October 28 (aka, tomorrow), but many impatient fans have already pre-ordered the single-player campaign of the game.
After one fan uploaded a brief video to show off the game’s impressive graphics and vivid depiction of Amsterdam, the game’s mission spread like wildfire on the internet. 🎮
One particular part of the video showed the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam being destroyed by guns. The only problem? The videogame makers failed to consult the hotel’s manager first.
The game’s mission and its controversy
The storyline follows the hero or heroine wandering around the Dutch capital and its canals, where non-playable characters can be seen sitting on terrasjes drinking Groeneveld Lager. 🍺
Gamers make their way into an alley in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, where a shooting spree begins, and troopers take out a group of terrorists and drug criminals.
Once they reach the cultural heart of the city, the Conservatorium Hotel is then shown being shot to pieces by heavily armed commandos.
Amsterdam in the upcoming Call of Duty is just insane and 99% the real deal, just misses the classic cyclist who calls you a 'teringleier' if you get in their waypic.twitter.com/SKxeBJeP6v
As a result, a large hole forms in front of the building’s facade, where a burning car and abandoned fire trucks can also be seen.
The Conservatorium Hotel responds with dismay
After the luxurious building’s untimely destruction in the game was brought to the attention of the hotel manager, they publicly stated that they plan to take necessary steps to ensure the hotel’s name remains intact.
‘We have taken note of the fact that the Conservatorium Hotel is undesirably the scene of the new Call of Duty. More generally, we don’t support games that seem to encourage the use of violence.”
“The game in no way reflects our core values, and we regret our apparent and unwanted involvement. The hotel is still considering possible steps,” hotel manager, Roy Tomassen, tells De Volkskrant.
What do you think about the Conservatorium Hotel’s response? Tell us in the comments below! 👇
Following the increased risk that independent news broadcasters face in Russia, many journalists have sought safer conditions elsewhere. Now, the Russian TV channel “TV Rain” has settled in (rainy) Amsterdam.
As Putin’s regime in Russia started prosecuting journalists opposing his war of aggression against Ukraine, freedom of speech and press has dwindled rapidly.
TV Regen komt naar Amsterdam!
Couldn't think of a more suitable place for the independent Russian TV station Dozhd/Дождь @tvrain, which was shut down in Russia, than Amsterdam – where it rains even now as I am tweeting this. https://t.co/SqRe1yShsH
For a while already, but increasingly so after the invasion, the term “independent journalism” has become synonymous with “anti-Russia propaganda” in Putin’s regime.
For TV Rain, this meant being blocked completely by the Russian state as part of an attempt to silence all opposition.
A popular alternative
The independent broadcaster has grown in popularity since its establishment more than 10 years ago, writes the NOS.
TV Rain provides a unique source of independent journalism for Russians in and outside of Russia, with the main goal of showing viewers what is really happening in Ukraine.
With more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube, and a few million visitors every day, the platform has gained traction as the situation in Russia and Ukraine has worsened.
Times are changing
The new location also means new practices for the Russian broadcaster, who has had to change their main sources of information ever since the invasion of Ukraine.
TV Rain has always been an independent actor in Russia, but the changed circumstances have forced the broadcaster to rely on anonymous journalists and informants to report on the Kremlin’s movements.
Despite significantly reduced access to information, TV Rain hopes its new base in Amsterdam will make for safer working conditions for its staff.
When you think of innovation, do the Dutch come to your mind? With inventions like mobile apps that can detect skin cancer, to bicycles that purify the air around them, we wouldn’t be surprised if you answered yes to that question.
But what if we ask you about innovative sustainable development? Do the Dutch come to your mind, then? If not, let us change your outlook with these handpicked seven Dutch projects you may or may not have heard of!
The Dutch are innovative — but are they sustainable?
Right now, everyone would agree that combating climate change needs to be prioritised high. Every year, people turn up for climate strikes in The Hague and Amsterdam and a lot more people are becoming aware of climate change and its effects.
Of course, we can all take steps individually but to truly slow it down (reversing it is out of the question for now), we need large-scale change that has to come from the top.
So, where do the Dutch rank on the sustainability front? As the fifth richest country in Europe, and a continual front-runner on happiness indexes, you would expect the Netherlands would also rank highly on the sustainability index. However, that’s not always the case.
In 2014, CBS, the national statistics office, showed that only 5.5% of all the energy used comes from renewable sources. A report from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency in 2017 also showed us that the country’s then climate policies were not adequate to reach its targets according to the Paris Accord.
However, since then, climate policies and lobbying have frequently come up on the political agenda. And thus, the Dutch Climate Agreement was born. It has set out (ambitious) goals to reduce “the Netherlands’ greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels”.
Needless to say, thinking of ways to combat the climate crisis is high on the Dutch agenda. So will their ambitious goals be met? That is certainly up for debate. Environmental agencies like Greenpeace and Milieudefensie are very sceptical of the Dutch government’s plans and describe them as too vague. However, they’re still making valiant efforts.
Alright, there’s room for improvement — so what’s next?
Let’s look at a few of the innovative projects for sustainable development that are picking up the slack!
From creating hemp houses which could possibly be a solution to the housing crisis to manufacturing fake meat which looks and tastes like the real thing, here are our picks for seven incredible projects the Dutchies have been working on!
How high can you go? The first prefab hemp house was built in the Netherlands!
The Dutch and innovative use of cannabis — they might not be the first or the only ones, but they are doing it well! The Dun Agro Hemp Group has come up with a way to use hemp to make a prefab for a hemp house. They claim this to be sturdier than traditional building materials (being able to withstand earthquakes), and more affordable!
Klaar voor de opening van het eerste prefab #hennephuis ter wereld. Ontwikkeld door Dun Agro en klaar voor op grote schaal bouwen van aardbevingsbestendige en klimaatvriendelijke woningen! Rechts in aanbouw, links al klaar: pic.twitter.com/1ibvoyaBPh
They make the houses using hemp to make “hempcrete”. It’s a strain of cannabis that is a whole lot tougher than we thought. It’s already used to make other things like clothes and biofuel, so why not a whole house?
It is also a “carbon-negative” material: it absorbs 13,500 kilograms of CO2 while it grows, and does not emit even close to that number back into the atmosphere! This CO2 that is built up in the plant is then used to make the hempcrete. This would be sustainable development at its finest if these houses are made on a large scale.
But sorry to disappoint anyone who thought they could get a lifetime supply of weed — there’s no tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in hemp, the element in cannabis that gets you high. So how high can you actually go? Not that high, I’m afraid.
Food Valley in the Netherlands is trying to find ways to feed 11 billion people
If you haven’t heard about Food Valley, then get reading! It is a collective that is established in the university town of Wageningen that is working towards the ambitious goal of providing “food-related solutions” to end the food crisis and help combat climate change.
Over 8000 scientists and 1800 agrifood companies have come together to work on multiple projects like creating fake meat which looks and tastes like the real thing, bringing insect-based diets into the mainstream, genome mapping, and more. We’ve got the scoop on how Food Valley is innovating food-growing, or you can check out their website!
The Netherlands is home to the largest and most powerful offshore wind turbine in the world
The world’s largest and most powerful offshore wind turbine has been installed in Rotterdam and is being tested out until 2024, after which it’ll go into 15 years of regular service. The Haliade-X 12 MW is designed to be set up at sea, where the winds are stronger and blows more often.
In general, larger wind turbines create higher energy at lower costs as compared to the ones that are extensively used right now. This testing period will also help TNO research on how to build more of these large turbines.
Innovative Dutch projects: Is that a bus stop? Nope, that’s a bee stop!
Utrecht city turned 316 bus stops into something a whole lot more special — they made the roofs of the bus stops green so that bees can find a cosy temporary home while they’re busy making their pollination rounds. The roofs have been planted with wildflowers and grass so that different kinds of bees will be attracted.
They might sting, but they’re an integral part of the ecosystem so feign your fear here, folks! Because these roofs are not just for them, but for you too — they store rainwater, catch some fine dust, and helps in cooling down the bus shelter.
Bus stops in Utrecht are saving the bees! Image: Samantha Dixon/Supplied
The world’s most sustainable building: the Rhenus warehouse
Could a warehouse distribution centre ever be newsworthy? This one sure can!
The Rhenus warehouse building in Tilburg opened in 2019 and could be the most sustainable building in the world. It has 13,000 solar panels on the roof to power the centre, and large triple-glazed windows, they use rainwater to flush the toilets and are attempting to re-establish the local flora through landscape design.
This warehouse will act as a distribution centre for Rhenus logistics and is located at ‘Het Laar’, the industrial area in Tilburg.
Who knew a warehouse could look so cool! Image: Rhenus B.V./Supplied
Solar-powered bus station? Yep, that’s an innovative Dutch project too!
Apparently, transforming bus stations is where it’s at in the Netherlands! This one is a completely solar-powered bus station in the city of Tilburg. It’s an architectural marvel to behold as well.
Built by Cepezed Architects, they went for a more minimalistic design with a triangular shape and open space in the middle. It also has an awning covering it to protect you from the harmful UV rays emitted by the sun. The solar panels, which span 250 m2, are placed on top of this awning.
Innovative Dutch projects: a completely solar-powered bus station in Tilburg. Image: Lucas van der Wee/cepezed/Supplied
They have solar-powered train stations too!
There’s something about the Dutch, solar energy (even though it’s cloudy and raining all the time), and public transport stations. Their very first solar-powered train station is in Delft.
They started constructing this in January 2019, and is scheduled to be finished by next year. They will be transforming Delft Zuid into Delft Campus.
It will cost a total of 2.4 million euros, of which 1.8 million euros will be funded by the municipality of Delft. The national government will be investing the rest of the money.
First fully solar-powered train station at Delft Zuid. Image: ProRail
Lots of exciting innovative Dutch projects happening in the Netherlands! As you can see, they are not yet implemented on a larger scale.
What do you think the Dutch government can do? Are there any projects you’d like to see added to this list? Tell us in the comments below!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in September 2019, but was fully updated in October 2022 for your reading pleasure.
At least two Chinese police forces have been illegally active in both Rotterdam and Amsterdam since 2018.
As China failed to inform the Dutch government about the existence of the police stations, they acted against the law. As a result, they were ordered to shut both precincts down effective immediately.
Why do these exist? The cabinet doesn’t know
“The cabinet must get to the bottom of this, call the Chinese ambassador to account and close these outposts. This is yet another example of how China is infiltrating the Netherlands”, Dutch politician, Ruben Brekelmans, tells RTL Nieuws.
Those with Dutch-Chinese nationality are allowed to go to the police stations for administrative matters, such as renewing their driver’s licenses.
However, a recent investigation uncovered that the two police forces are collecting information and putting pressure on Chinese folks who currently reside in the Netherlands.
“Now that it is clear that these two secret police stations operate illegally here, we can hardly wait a day. These activities must be stopped as soon as possible, and the stations must be closed,” Dutch politician of the D66 party, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, tells RTL Nieuws.
China’s attempt to seep into Dutch soil
Currently, there are about 36 Chinese police stations across Europe. Two of them have been active in the Netherlands, and most of the employees are ex-servicemen and former staff members of intelligence services, writes NU.nl.
For some time now, there have been indications of illegal activity taking place behind the stations’ closed doors — the main one being that they’re used to threaten Chinese refugees in the Netherlands.
“It is really completely unacceptable that the Chinese government thinks that they can secretly intimidate dissidents here and also get away with it. This shows that Beijing’s long arm is much longer than we feared,” Sjoerdsma tells RTL Nieuws.
“China is trying to let Chinese laws speak here on Dutch soil. That is really an extremely undesirable form of interference. We must not give them an inch.”
What do you think about this situation? Tell us in the comments below! 👇
What’s the newest trend, you ask? Well, climate activists have the answers; glueing oneself to walls (and now tables!)
Following the footsteps of two activists who recently threw a can of soup a Vincent Van Gogh painting, and then proceeded to glue themselves to the wall of the museum, climate activist Jelle de Graaf glued himself to the table of the popular Dutch program, Jinek, reports RTL Nieuws.
People are dying, Beau
During the show, the environmental activist, who is from Extinction Rebellion, climbed onto the table and glued the palms of his hands to the wood.
Once safely and securely glued to the table, he began to speak about his cause. “I’m stuck here on a live program, and I’m going to talk about the climate and the ecological crisis,” De Graaf said.
Translation: Activist Jelle de Graaf sticks to #jinek.
Extinction Rebellion is a cause that hopes to prevent further climate change, or at least, garner the attention of those important enough to do something about it.
De Graaf accuses the RTL show of not fulfilling its duty of reporting honestly about the climate crisis.
His planned course of action? To glue himself to the table, of course!
And, much like in the words of our beloved Kim Kardashian when she lost her diamond earring, de Graaf said; “People are dying, and you’re talking about Donald Duck.”
Glue slid right off
The good news for the Jinek program is that once De Graaf was escorted off the set (while still stuck to the table), his glue quickly dislodged, and he was able to jump right off the prop.
Once off the set, Beau asked audience members what they thought of his stunt, one viewer saying, “this is necessary to keep the conversation going. Having a conversation at the table is possible, but I think people will remember the content less.”
But why bother?
In the same way that it feels ridiculous to throw soup at a painting in the hopes of spreading the word about fossil fuel issues, it feels doubly ridiculous to glue oneself to a table on a tv show and then talk about climate change.
Hoe het afliep met vastgelijmde Jelle bij #Jinek#Beau (tijdens de reclame).
Translation: How it ended with glued Jelle at #Jinek #Beau (during the commercial). The glue wasn’t that strong… 😬
But, the major thing that actions such as these do is get a conversation going.
We’ll be loling about de Graaf’s Donald the Duck comment for the next few days — but it’s also true. Real people are being affected by the climate change crisis.
By making a bit of a fool of himself on national television, now Dutch (and international) people across the country will be talking about his stunt, debating whether it was a good decision or not, and finally, thinking about the cause that he was protesting for.
At the end of the day, all media is good media, as they say! 😉
What do you think of de Graaf’s activism? Tell us your thoughts in a comment below! 👇
