They say sitting is the new smoking – but, on Dutch terraces it seems its still preferable to actual smoking. The amount of cafes, bars and restaurants that ban smoking on their terrace areas has risen sharply over the past year.
Roll the crackly black and white footage. Europe was once synonymous with classy European people, in understated but fashionable clothes, drinking espressos in cafes, talking about philosophy, and having a cigarette resting prestigiously between their index and middle fingers.
In modern Netherlands, however, more and more Dutch restaurants are banning smoking on their terraces. While last year 39 terraces were reportedly completely or partially smoke-free, now 113 have banned the act. While there are thousands of terraces across the country, the trend is speaks for itself.
Terraces that have already said ‘nee’ to smoking. Image: Screenshot from Clean Air Nederland.
Who is banning smoking?
The figures come from anti-smoking organisation Clear Air Nederland, who say that establishments banning smoking are, predictably, those more frequented by families with young ‘uns. But, Clean Air Nederland chairman Tom Voeten says there are still improvements to be made.
“What is clearly lagging behind are cafes and bars in entertainment areas where mostly young people come. We hardly see any smoke-free terraces there”, he said to NOS.
What is the governments position?
The Netherlands has a goal to achieve a generation with no smokers at all by 2040, as part of the National Prevention Agreement. One method of achieving this goal was encouraging businesses to ban smoking on their terraces. Smoking areas in restaurants, cafes, and pubs are also running against the ticking clock: they must be removed by 2022.
Should restaurant owners live and let live, or step in to ban smoking on the terraces? Let us know in the comments!
Ride-hailing company Uber has launched a new button in their app. The button lets drivers or passengers who feel discriminated against to launch a formal complaint against the offender.
Two weeks ago, drag queen Jennifer Hopelezz called an Uber. But, upon arrival it left her at the curb. Just two weeks earlier, Uber signed an anti-discrimination declaration in Amsterdam.
“I feel angry, hurt and humiliated,” said Jennifer Hopelezz in a video after the incident.
What Have Uber Done to Fix the Problem?
From today, a new button will be visible in the popular app under the complaints section. While previously people could report discrimination through general complaint sections, the new button draws attention to the issue.
Both drivers and passengers can use the button and if it is a particularly serious complaint a report can be made by email, chat, or telephone.
“You can get a warning, for example, or even be denied access to the app,” said a spokesperson to Nos.nl
Why is this so important?
According to Jennifer Hopelezz, who is also an Ambassador for this weeks Pride Amsterdam, taxi drivers refusing LGBT’s is not an irregular occurrence.
If you were to take a walk through Westerpark in the morning, there would be a categorical “yes” when asking if the side effects of laughing gas are worth it. Hundreds of different coloured balloons are strewn throughout the park and there are even some people sleeping.
It was Milkshake festival over the weekend and people go to the “hill” of the park for good(ish) views and hit a few nossies to end the night. But laughing gas associated problems are on the rise, and health experts are concerned.
What are the health problems caused by laughing gas?
RTL reports that a study conducted by the National Poisons Information Centre (NVIC) showed an increase in the number of laughing gas-related health problems. Side effects included nausea, chest pain, impaired vision, headaches and even anxiety.
Issues are only increasing as in 2015 only 13 laughing gas related health problems were reported but this shot to 54 in 2018. We’re only halfway through 2019 but already over 67 cases have been reported.
Should there be concern?
The NVIC say we should be concerned about this rapid increase even though it is not certain that the health issues are definitively linked to laughing gas. Some doctors say some of the complainants could have a vitamin B12 deficiency.
The long-term effects of laughing gas has not yet been researched.
Source: Pexels for Pixabay
50 balloons in one day?!
The spokesperson for the NVIC, Eric Trinthamer, says it is getting more common for people to binge on the drug and he has seen cases where people inhale around 50 balloons in just a couple of days.
Ferdinand Grapperhaus, the Justice and Security Minister is discussing a possible prohibition on laughing gas. He comments “we have to do something with this” he said “young people just don’t realise how deadly the cocktail of alcohol and laughing gas is.”
Twitter users have picked up their pitchforks after a man advocating for pedophilia attempted to be included in Amsterdam Pride Week. While demonstrating in Amsterdam Vondelpark over the weekend, police confiscated the man’s flyers after the public began to protest.
“Love knows no age and should be celebrated,” is printed on the stacks of flyers. The man represents pedophile organisation “Kinderbevrijdingsfront” which campaigns for pedophilia to be widely accepted and supported.
Not true!!!!! It’s gay-pride. Just one sick pedoperson tries to jump in to propagate his sick seksual preference. People got mad. Police removed the man from the gay-pride. #pedopride is just an one person action.
The flyers say that Pride Amsterdam “should welcome all sexual minorities” including “nepiophiles, pedophiles, hebephiles and ephebofiles.” (We would normally link to definitions of all these, but decided to let you guys contaminate your own web history instead.)
Pride Amsterdam were approached by the activist group to join in on the Pride festivities. However, Pride Amsterdam declined. “They are not part of Pride Amsterdam. We do not want our name to be associated with this”, a Pride spokesperson confirmed to Het Parool.
The man was not arrested but police confiscated the flyers to maintain public order after passerby’s began to protest. The man left of his own accord after the confiscation and is able to pick up the flyers from the police station.
He had received permission to demonstrate in Vondelpark in advance from the Public Prosecution Service, the police and the mayor.
“This man has indicated in advance that he wants to demonstrate in the Vondelpark,” Mayor Halsema’s spokesperson told NOS. “We find his message morally reprehensible, but we do not decide on the content.”
The Twitter account @pedopride has since been suspended. Pride Amsterdam is continuing its week-long celebrations.
Three foreigners were, ironically, arrested near Rotterdam over the weekend after being caught impersonating police officers and demanding cash from tourists on the A16. The alleged offenders would demand identification papers, then charge the tourists with a fine to be paid on the spot in cash.
When a less-gullible tourist didn’t trust the English-speaking officers and called the actual police the men knew the jig was up. They attempted escape by driving away quickly in the direction of Rotterdam.
“We, the real police, found the car and the 3 men on the A16 near Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht,” Dordrecht Police said in a statement on Facebook.
What did the police find?
After searching the car, the police found a replica police uniform and various foreign cash. The police knew these weren’t pulled from a costume-box for make-believe at play-time.
Image: Politie Dordrecht – Facebook
The three males, a 28-year-old Pakistani and 35-year-old and 36-year-old Iranians, were arrested. Upon checking the status of the individuals they found that a 28-year-old Pakistani male was illegally in the Netherlands. Not an upstanding citizen at all, hey?
If the fake cash found is anything to go by, victims may include Australians, Italians, Norwegians, Brits, Poles and a lot of Americans.
The driver received three tickets for traffic violations, had his car impounded, the foreign money was confiscated, and the Pakistani male will be sent back to his country of entry.
Are fake police a real problem?
The real police warn that foreign gangs do actively target highways leading to other countries in the Netherlands.
Image: Politie Dordrecht – Facebook
Tourists are approached at gas stations and parking lots and given fake fines. The victims have to hand over cash to pay the fines immediately.
How can you avoid being scammed?
The number one clue that the police officers are not legit is the demand that the fine must be paid in cash upfront. If you are not an EU citizen and have committed a traffic violation the fine is paid at the police station.
If you are unsure, contact the local police station. If you are an unfortunate victim, write down the license place and call 112 straight away!
Are you going to be taking the train today for work or otherwise? We have some important news for you. There will be fewer trains running today due to defects caused by the heatwave in the Netherlands. Only half of the trains on the timetable will be running on selected routes, reports NU.nl.
Which routes are affected?
Do you need to be in Amsterdam, or are you going to be taking the train from the capital? Be sure to check the schedule because they will be running only half of the trains on the timetable. These are the routes affected: Amsterdam – Rotterdam, Amsterdam – The Hague, Amsterdam – Alkmaar, and Amsterdam Duivendrecht – Lelystad. Additionally, there will be four trains instead of six in an hour between Amsterdam and Eindhoven.
Only four trains per hour will be deployed between Schiphol and Nijmegen. Of these four journeys, two will entail a transfer at Utrecht. Trains between Eindhoven and Sittard are also reduced to only two per hour.
Vandaag rijden er op enkele trajecten minder Intercity's door beperkingen in de materieelinzet. Plan je reis voor vertrek in de reisplanner. https://t.co/axyyfHaEPO
A spokesperson said to NU.nl that “the heat causes the vehicles to overheat and cause defects”. This extreme heat has dire consequences to the technology. As they fix the trains, there are always new defects to be repaired in other trains.
New defects may arise, which will change your scheduled train journey. The spokesperson, therefore, advises you to check the NS app or website for the latest on the timetables. They have currently deployed 250 engineers to resolve any problems that arise with train defects.
And still, don’t forget to take your water bottles! The temperatures might cool down, but they are still on the high. This could be the last day of the heatwave, so let’s soldier on today! With the defects happening, we don’t know when the air conditioning on the train will break down.
The Netherlands broke the 40°C barrier yesterday in the small town of Gilze en Reijen. Overnight, De Bilt failed to drop below 25°C making the Netherlands heatwave official. The mercury has also reached 30°C around the country for five days in a row.
Sleep well? We’re guessing probably not, with the lowest temperature recorded around the country over night still a balmy 20°C. We all wanted to work on our tans, but come on Holland, this is getting ridiculous.
The country now, according to real-life scientists, qualifies as being in a heatwave. Are congratulations in order? Nah, let’s remember this climate crisis is a real thing – good thing there’s a plan in the country to counteract it!
What can we expect over coming days?
Well folks, today the heatwave just ain’t over yet. We’re talking forecasts in the 30°C region in Zeeland and we could even hit 40°C again in the east. But, thankfully a sea-breeze this evening may just cool things off a bit – maybe.
Goedemorgen, nog een beetje kunnen slapen? De landelijke hittegolf is een feit, vannacht was het nog lang boven 25 graden. Vandaag weer tropisch heet. Morgen (grote) verschillen in het land. https://t.co/ohFRW0Woqjpic.twitter.com/HzlPEQ5PI9
We’re super relieved because it may just be the last day of the heatwave for most parts of the country. We’ll see some cloud tonight and the middle and south may just receive a thunderstorm.
Tomorrow is when the country splits in two (nah, not Nexit, just weather-wise). The north and north-east remains sunny and tropical with temperatures in the low 30’s. However, a chance of heavy thunderstorms and local rain gives a chance of floods! What a world.
Areas further south will see significantly lower temperatures, as low as 22°C in Zeeland and 26°C in the middle. What a relief!
How did you cope with the heatwave? What was your highest temperature? Let us know in the comments below!
Sweltering temperatures in the European heatwave have caused the Netherlands to break the hottest temperature on record two days in a row. The temperature maxed out at 39.1°C yesterday, but reached 39.5°C today.
Yesterday the record for the Netherlands hottest day ever on record was smashed when the small town of Gilze en Rijen recorded a staggering 39.1°C. However, today it got even hotter when the same town beat out the record by an additional .4°C.
Who said that climate change wasn’t real? The stale heat outside and menacing temperatures over the past few days have confined all the Netherlands to their homes, canals, and local swimming pools. We’re half-expecting a tumbleweed to drift by any minute now.
Het meetstation #Deelen staat even in de schaamhoek. Maar op vliegbasis #GilzeRijen is zojuist 39,5 graden gehaald, dat is een nieuw #hitterecord waar dus géén twijfel over bestaat.
The media went crazy this afternoon when the small village of Deelen in the country’s central east recorded temperatures of 40°C and 42°C. However, the weather bureau ruled the temperatures invalid. We’re sure the citizens of Deelen don’t mind that!
Weerplaza noted that in the twenty minutes after the initial recording the temperature rose as high as 42.9°C. In a tweet they said that the rises were physically not possible.
Meetstation Deelen, op de Veluwe, meet zojuist 40,8 graden. We hebben onze twijfels want er kwam in 10 minuten twee graden bij en dat kan eigenlijk niet. Wat ons betreft is het dus nog verre van zeker dat we de 1e 40'er hebben.
Amsterdam Pride Week 2019 is coming up, and we could not be more excited for a weekend full of glitter and fun! We’re talking wearing as many colours as possible, dancing in the streets, sparkling costumes, incredible parades, and partying for seven days straight!
While most areas contain their pride activities to a day, come on, this is Amsterdam. Seven days is what it takes to celebrate this much pride in one place! There’s a lot happening, so see below for our full guide to Amsterdam Pride Week!
What is Amsterdam Pride Week?
During Amsterdam Pride Week dozens of events take place all over the city, from street parties to the very famous canal parade. While it’s called a week and starts July 27th, most of the events will take place between 2nd and 4th of August, thus during the weekend.
Amsterdam Pride Week is here! source:giphy
Why in August?
Yes, it’s a bit of a weird one. While June is pride month in the rest of the world, Amsterdam has decided to throw its own party in August. At the end of the day, it is the gay capital of Europe, so it makes sense to stand out. Bonus points – it usually means more sunshine! (but don’t quote us on that, this is the Netherlands.)
Amsterdam Pride – gearing up for a week
Pride week will kick off on the 27th of July with Pride Walk, starting at the homomonument. This event mainly aims to raise awareness of countries where homosexuality is included in the penal code. It ends at Vondelpark, followed by an opening party – Pride Park. Expect speeches, acts, performances and of course some DJs to get the spirits going.
Also on the 27th, Milkshake festival starts. It’s described as a “very open minded festival”, and it attracts members of the LGBTQ community from all over the world. This will take place in Westerpark, it has 6 stages and hosts hundreds of DJs. Cool fact – you can actually (and legally) get married at Milkshake festival! Well, that makes for a pretty good story!
However, remember the main festivities will start the following weekend!
Amsterdam Pride weekend events
On the 2nd of August, the parties will start all around Amsterdam. Head to Reguliersdwarsstraat on Friday or Saturday for a good time, but keep in mind it will be really busy. Prikis also a popular choice, being known as “the best gay club of Amsterdam”. Crash is a new one on the party list – a fetish street party taking place at Beursplein.
Dam, Rembrandtplein and Amstelveld also host parties during the weekend, but these are mostly attended by tourists or spectators of the parade.
Time to party! source:giphy
One event you cannot miss is the Pride Drag Queen Olympics at Homomonument. it’s exactly what it sounds like – a gathering of fabulous drag queens that compete in hilarious challenges. Think “who can throw their purse the furthest”, stiletto sprints (hell, I would have zero chances at this) or tug-of-war. It start at 17:00 and if you can, be there. It’s just one of those “only in Amsterdam” things.
Drag Queen Olympics. Source: dragqueenolympics.nl
The Amsterdam Pride Canal Parade
This is for sure the highlight of the weekend and the Pride Week’s biggest event. You know what that means – Amsterdam will be packed, especially around Prinsengracht, the canal on which the parade takes place. I’m saying King’s Day packed, in case you needed a reference.
The parade is an amazing show to see, filled with music, dances, glitter, confetti and just overall happiness. Having a good observing spot is great but it’s no easy work. You’d have to wake up early and guard the little piece of land you find with your life. Besides the canal itself, the Magere Brug and Eenhoornsluis are also popular viewing spots.
The boats start at 12:30 PM from Scheepvaart museum (Oosterdok), and make their way down Amstel river and Prinsengracht all the way to Westerdok (around 17:00 PM).
Pride Parade
Joining the Pride Canal Parade on the water
To have a boat participate in the Parade you need to join months before, and a draw decides on 80 boats! Being on one of these boats is not very common, unless you are part of an organization that participates and will take you! Lucky!
The main squares of Amsterdam will have after Parade parties, and there will be random smaller stages throughout the city. Inside parties and dance events will also take place, a good example being FunHouse XXL – the Pride editionat GasHouder.
Closing Party
On the 4th of August, Amsterdam Pride Week will end with…you guessed it, a party! This will take place at Dam Square. Usually, many Dutch artists as well as international ones come together to celebrate yet another successful and full of love Pride Week!
source:giphy
Amsterdam Pride Week is an amazing event that shouldn’t be missed. Let’s take this time to be grateful we live in a country where this can take place, but don’t forget, the fight is not over for many members of the LGBTQ community around the world.
Will you attend Amsterdam Pride Week 2019? Let us know in the comments below!
Travellers arriving at Schiphol Airport yesterday were greeted by chaotic scenes when 300 flights were cancelled. Around 1300 travellers had already passed through security and were waiting for flights to depart when a fuelling malfunction was discovered, grounding hundreds of scheduled departures.
The effects flowed on today where over 60 flights have already been cancelled by KLM. The cancellations affect both departing and arriving flights, grounding potential passengers in all over Europe with no room for their aircraft to land at Schiphol. That’s a lot of planes waiting!
Scenes at the airport are chaotic. Last night, hundreds of camp-beds were set up for waiting passengers, many of whom say they have received little or no information about what is going on. Passengers weren’t too happy with their impromptu sleepover, it seemed. Other passengers returned home, or were accommodated in nearby hotels.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Update 21:00 CET 254 flights cancelled 446 flights delayed 3 take offs last hour pic.twitter.com/c3e6Dg0tqf
A Schiphol spokesperson told NOS.nl that many passengers were busy trying to book flights now, but it was difficult as many were full due to the holidays.
Some travellers scheduled to fly today have had no issues, walking past travellers who have been waiting almost 24-hours and slept in the airport overnight. We all know how comfortable those airport chairs are, right?
Will there be compensation for travellers?
Even worse, those who were victims of the delay are unlikely to receive to any compensation, says claim organisation AirHelp to Nu.nl. It’s expected the fuel delays will be considered ‘extraordinary circumstances,’ so the airlines had no ability to fly. However, KLM has announced some expenses such as hotels, food, beverages, and transportation will be covered for some passengers.
This is the only parting message from KLM prior to me scrambling around the country for a reasonably priced bed. A vague, cryptic message to which we still have no idea what is happening with a future flight. Other lines of @KLM enquiry churn out auto bot messages #Schipholpic.twitter.com/7mVSg5NcAB
Regardless of compensation packages, airlines still hold the responsibility of delivering the passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible.
What happened at Schiphol to cause the issue?
The outage occurred yesterday at 13:00 when the company responsible for refuelling the planes suffered an unknown malfunction. Pretty glad we’re not that company right now! Only planes that had already refuelled were able to take off afterwards, and the remainder were cancelled.
Have you been affected by the delays at Schiphol? Or experienced similar airport havoc? Let us know in the comments below!
