Scenic views, city of Leiden, drone photography and a good amount of sunset shots. Prepare to feast your eyes on some awesome shots by Vincent Mullenders!
As you all know by now, as Dutchreview, we love good photos. Especially if they are photos of the Netherlands. That’s why it is no surprise that when we saw another batch of Vincent’s photos of Leiden taken with his drone, we just had to share it! Drone photography fans, Leiden lovers, gather around for another Dutchreview photo report!
If you follow our Facebook and Instagram accounts, then you probably already came across some of the great photos taken by Vincent. Pretty much like this one:
Liked it? We thought so! So without dragging the subject, take a look at Vincent’s drone photography featuring Leiden from above!
Vincent Mullenders’ drone photos of Leiden
Sunsets over Leiden never disappointsnot a bad scene for an autumn day
The Leiden Observatory, one of the places you should put on your list!Pieterskerk under the evening sun
And Last but Not Least,
Wait there’s more! If you love seeing Leiden, or if you are just into drone photography; you can now get your hands on Vincent’s book ‘Leiden van Boven (Leiden from above)‘. It won’t just look awesome in your bookcase but also makes a great gift as well!
Don’t want to wait till your book arrives? Then you can find Vincent on Instagram or Facebook.
Are you free tonight? This years Eindhoven Glow is running from 11th – 18th November. So I can’t stress enough that if you want to go after seeing this, then go tonight between 18:30 – 24:00 (it’s the last night)!
If you don’t know what I’m yapping on about, then read on…
Eindhoven Glow
Eindhoven Glow is a free event which has taken place since 2006. It is a light festival, which involves innovative projections, animations and sensory experiences, created by artists and designers. This festival takes place in Eindhoven as it is known as the ‘City of Light’. This is due to Eindhoven being the largest producer of matches, due to the tobacco industry (1870). This was later reinforced due to the Philips light bulb factory production (1891).
Every year this light festival takes place outside and follows an alternative ‘walking route’ all through Eindhoven, using techniques such as 3D projection on buildings and laser shows. It’s worth a visit due to how original it is and of course it’s free (so can that really tempt you any further?)
This year’s GLOW
This year the theme is “The Source.” This is referencing the fact that Eindhoven has always been a ‘source of light.’ The route is 6km long, involving 21 different designs to see. This includes: Blob the Bulb, #GLOWING, Falsche Frage / Lux, Sonos Ignitia, Shine Like The Whole World Is Yours, The Origin, Light Over Matter, Windows, Step Into The Light 2.0, Submurged, Elantica, Lichthouders, Atmorama, Gyroglow, Connect, _Root, Story Of Light, Trees of Life, Moving Light, Weltmaschine and For iTernity.
Lets take a look at some of the best bits of this years GLOW. If you want to keep some of the exhibition a surprise, then don’t scroll down any further, my pictures are incoming*
By far the most impressive projection is on the Catharina Church (it looks even better in real life). It transforms into a bright and colourful piece of history. This theme was modelled from the stain glass windows of the church.
Impressive, huh?
Similarly, cool projections are used on trees. These lasers followed the structure of the tree and the branches, hereby creating a blend of nature and technology.
Colourful forest of light
Other projections are created on the futuristic “De Blob” building in Eindhoven. The projections were so good, that it looks real!
Plays tricks with your mind…
If you head to Stadhuisplein, you will find a square of laser beams. These beams continuously change and helps give the illusion that the surrounding space is almost fictional. It highlights the area and the surrounding architecture and looks really cool when you stand (or lie down) in the centre of the square.
Stadhuisplein this week
Moving light is also used to demonstrate how using human movement can make us creative in light. For example, “Moving Light” urges you to jump around under a cube in order to light it up in different ways. This is an interactive art piece.
“Jump for light”
Other places around Eindhoven are lit up for the occasion…
This place looks lit 😉
The use of light is used in simple items such as hula hoops, to create this interesting effect when used.
Where can we buy one of these?!
There are many other uses of light to see, and I don’t want to spoil them all, so if you’re looking for something to do tonight, then head to Eindhoven to see it for yourself.
If you’re unable to make it then don’t panic – Eindhoven GLOW will be returning next year between 10th – 17th November 2018.
Student housing problems in the Netherlands: they’re still there
In September, we brought you the story of the housing crisis that many students, Dutch and especially internationals are facing. Two months on, how are things looking and what measures are being taken to improve student housing problems in the Netherlands for both current and future students? This article will focus on Groningen as well, but we at the Dutch Review have it on good authority from our lovely readers (shameless flattery!) that these student housing problems in the Netherlands are affecting university cities across the Netherlands.
“Do you have a room for us to crash?”
Student housing problems in the Netherlands: The (temporary) Solution
In September, in response to increasing pressure from unhappy students, the RUG rented out rooms in the former refugee centre in Van Swietenlaan. This offer was take up by many desperate students who had nowhere else to turn. There were also many kind-hearted souls who offered their homes as temporary shelter or just a place to shower, have a cuppa and get some friendly advice. Both were welcome relief to those who had been fast running out of money in hostels and hotels or even camping in the miserable autumn weather.
By mid-September to October it seemed that at the very least everyone had a solid roof over their heads. However, the battle was not over for many with some rooms being so inadequate that the students felt that they could no longer continue with their studies returning to their home countries poor and deflated. A poll was conducted in the Groningen student housing Facebook groups which showed the over whelming majority (around 60%) of students surveyed were not satisfied with the accommodation that they had found.
The results of the survey
There are tons of issues with student housing in the Netherlands. Despite the law, many landlords massively over charge for rooms taking advantage of international students who don’t know their rights. There is also a lot of accommodation that is simply not fit for purpose. It is not uncommon to have problems with vermin, for rooms to be covered with mould or for houses to be stuffed full to capacity with every nook and cranny being deemed a suitable space to rent by unscrupulous landlords. There is also a huge shortage of student housing as municipality rules stipulate that streets and neighbourhoods can only house a certain number of students so as not to disturb local residents. This seems fair but in reality, can lead to a feeling of animosity between locals and students. This all culminated in a protest on the steps of the Academy Building at the RUG. People have simply had enough of the same situation occurring year after year and nothing being done to address these problems.
Student housing problems in the Netherlands: The Long-Term Solution
Part of the student housing problem is that no one is actually willing to take responsibility for the situation. In the Netherlands, it is not the responsibility of universities to provide accommodation for their students. In fact, there are regulations in place which mean that they cannot build university housing. However, they are aware of the housing shortage and still encourage international students to come. In the past 10 years the number of international students in the Netherlands has doubled. This is great for the universities but is it fair to keep bringing new students into an already overcrowded market?
New international students are vulnerable when they arrive in the Netherlands. They often don’t speak the language, don’t know their way around and simply do not have enough information about how to find a house here.
After the protest in Groningen, a meeting was called with the mayor and the aldermen. They decided that the RUG and Hanze do have a responsibility to ensure suitable accommodation for their prospective students. The municipality are also working on building new accommodation specifically for students which is sorely needed. They have also created a plan to finally tackle those immoral, corrupt landlords and agencies who take advantage of internationals.
However…
They have limited possibilities because of national laws. It is still a step in the right direction as there are a large number of people who have had truly terrible experiences and lost a lot of money at the hands of these criminals. There are also a number of organisations that are really starting to take note of the problem and help the situation.
For example, this year a comprehensive website was set up for Groningen which gives accurate information about the housing market and plenty of suggestions for where to find rooms. This was something that had not been done before with many internationals feeling that they weren’t adequately informed about how desperate the current state of affairs actually is before they arrived. Going to university should be a happy, rewarding experience where your main source of stress is finding the right balance of coffee and sleep to make those deadlines, not struggling to actually find a place to sleep.
Everybody just wants a decent clean room like this (by Thomas van den Hecke)
Your Student Housing Experience
Do you have a housing horror story that you would like to share? Or, perhaps you have suggestions for improving the situation? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear from you.
The Dutch and Vaccination – how are the Netherlands doing when it comes to vaccines and vaccination?
Vaccines prevent transmissible, or communicable, illnesses. Some of these illnesses can lead to disability or death, either in susceptible individuals (such as people, including children, who medically cannot take certain vaccines) or even healthy people, depending on the infection. So how are the Netherlands doing on the vaccination front?
The Dutch and Vaccination: Agoraphobic? Another reason to avoid crowds
Recurring news clips appear almost yearly about preventable outbreaks:
In Canada, measles outbreaks have fortunately been few and small, yet public health agency reports suggested that there was a “a sizeable outbreak in a non-immunizing religious community.”
In The Netherlands, measles outbreaks were also problematic in 2013-14 (and earlier as well). Conclusions from those investigations noted that “the vast majority of reported cases were unvaccinated (94%, n = 2,539), mostly for religious reasons (84%, n = 2,135).” In this study on the Dutch and vaccination, it was noted that orthodox Protestants (1% of the Dutch population) made up the majority of those both unvaccinated and affected by the outbreak. On the other hand, a survey of Dutch parents about a new childhood vaccination program suggested that higher education and a lack of religion were among risk factors for fully negative attitudes towards vaccination in the Netherlands.
Interestingly, a global survey of 67 countries showed that the European region has the lowest confidence in vaccination, with the French topping that list. On the opposite end, Bangladesh is the most accepting. The Dutch as a whole ranked reasonably well in this survey regarding confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness, and also ranked among the top European countries that responded that vaccination is compatible with religious beliefs.
Global vaccine confidence in 2016. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27658738
Looking back to 2002, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) reported that the National Immunisation Program (Rijksvaccinatieprogramma, RVP) had a vaccination rate of more than 95%, but this was declining gradually over time. This would seem consistent with the observation that a drop in vaccination and more outbreaks were occurring. After all, the RIVM stated that a rate of vaccination over more than 90% of the population needs to be maintained in order to prevent vaccine-preventable infectious diseases.
Vaccination in the Netherlands – Believe it or not?
And, the controversy will probably never be completely resolved. Why? Because it boils down to a fundamental argument of which is more valuable to someone: individual choice, or benefit for society? Of course, the spectrum of beliefs is neither linear, nor is it black-and-white.
Screenshot from The Lancet
Admittedly, I’m all for vaccination. When it comes to a “quick fix,” I think vaccines qualify. I want to protect myself, my loved ones (including any future hypothetical offspring), and my community from transmissible illnesses. For example, I’m traveling to India this winter, and also visiting my newborn niece in the U.S. Basically if I don’t vaccinate, then either I potentially suffer (just say NO to acute hepatitis or typhoid, thank you very much) or someone else might (I definitely don’t want to give my baby niece the flu or whooping cough, when she is still too young to be vaccinated).
Vaccines for me personally are mandatory, and if the government is willing to provide them at no cost, then all the better. Learn more about the Dutch National Immunisation Program here.
The wonders of Dutch sex education at primary school (Or a lesson in just saying how things are)
Dutch sex education, there is certainly a lot of talking about it. But how is it really different from the rest of the world? Say, British sex education?
My three sons started in a Dutch primary school last year. Call me cruel or a bad mother but they didn’t really speak Dutch. I had spoken Dutch to them when they were very young, but as soon as the English school journey had started, it seemed impossible to keep that up. They were fully integrated in the English way of life, complete with shirt, tie and the most unattractive black all-year-round school shoes. Yes, I was worried when they started at the “basisschool” but the teachers were so relaxed about it. “Don’t worry, we just won’t speak English to them and all will be fine”. I believed them.
I remember the first few days standing in the playground. The boys would run off and we desperately tried to keep an eye on the youngest. But he disappeared in the sea of blond heads. Uncomfortably we stood waiting for the bell to ring. My husband would “guard” the fence, so we wouldn’t lose our baby. It was an impossible task in the scramble of kids walking and cycling in and out. The school playground in the Netherlands is a fairly open affair still and not yet security checked and guarded like a military base.
To make conversation with my husband who was overwhelmed to put it mildly, I pointed out to him the headmaster in the playground. “I don’t know who you mean”, my husband replied, “I only see a guy in faded jeans?!”
The boys, then aged 12, 10 and 4, all loved the freedom and relaxed-ness of Dutch school. The learning curve they were on was more or less vertical, but they enjoyed every minute of it. By Christmas they were –certain verbally- more or less bi-lingual.
Then came “Lentekriebels week” (loosely translated to “spring butterflies-in-your-tummy week”). The whole school (and this means everyone from the age of 4 through to the age of 12) was to receive an age appropriate form of dutch sex education. When we read the jolly message which announced this week was coming up (complete with website information point), my husband’s eyebrows raised a little, but we were keen to find out what this meant.
The beginning of this week was a gentle introduction to the wider topic of being nice to and care for other people. The children came home with heart-shaped balloons to which they had attached self-written or drawn caring messages to people they loved. There was a sense of relief in our house, as we looked at each other with that “Aw, that is so cute” kind of look only parents can share.
But the week developed from there and needless to say when you want to introduce sex education, you cannot leave it at writing a caring message to someone. By the time we were at the dinner table on Thursday evening, things had taken a different turn. Our three boys were by chance all sitting in age order and told their story. The youngest began and for the benefit of their Dad, they explained their experiences in English.
Our take on Dutch Sex Education
Our take on Dutch sex education started with a farm story. There was a baby goose in an egg and another baby goose who had already broken out of the egg. And one went tic-tic-tic on the other egg: “Will you come and play?” They had acted out the whole story on stage and there had been other baby animals. The middle boy – then in group 6- laughed and said they had talked about boys and girls. The differences, the similarities, the fact that boys can like girls and vice versa, but also that boys can love boys and girls can love girls. At 10, he said all of this giggling. He didn’t know his classmates that well yet, so it had been challenging on many fronts.
It was the 12-year old’s turn… “Well”, he said, “all the boys went off with meester Menno (you address Dutch teachers by first name) and all the girls went off with juf Roos. They talked about having periods and things, I think….. We were allowed to put all our questions on a piece of paper and throw them at him as if throwing a paper aeroplane…. anything you wanted to ask! About having sex, when you are ready for it and stuff. I learned a whole lot of new words! Natte droom (wet dream), ha, I didn’t know that one, mum. But the boys were really good at helping and translating!! And you know the Dutch word “pijpen” mum, that has nothing to do with a pipe!”
It was a while after the kids had gone to bed, that we were able to laugh our heads of thinking back at the whole dinner experience!
‘You wouldn’t believe what we have learned today!’
The new University Selection Guide has shown that students aren’t always impressed with the language abilities of their docents. In fact, the Universities of Enschede (Overijssel) and Eindhoven (Brabant) score no more than a meager 6,3 for English – making it “barely average” if that.
According to the guide teachers of technical universities especially seem to have, “in many cases quite a bit more of a mathematical talent than a linguistic”. Thankfully it’s not all bad news – universities such as Maastricht (Limburg) and Groningen (Groningen) seem to do significantly better with a 7,4 and a 7,2 – well within desirable margins.
Wageningen University comes out as the best university in the nation, according to the guide, with its talent to manage growing student numbers without dropping in quality. Universities in Leiden, Eindhoven and Rotterdam however are receiving some serious criticism for seemingly focusing on quantity over quality. All of them have grown their numbers by at least 30% over a six-year time span, growing pains inevitable.
Louis van Gaal speaks the best Dunglish:
International Ranking – Quite a Different List.
The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2017 (ARWU)-list shows quite a different pattern however. According to this global institute there are at least four Dutch universities in the World Top 100 – the Universities of Utrecht, Groningen, Erasmus (Rotterdam) and Leiden all rank within the 100 closely followed by Radboud (Nijmegen), UvA & VU (both Amsterdam) and Wageningen within the top 101-150.
Regardless, the Netherlands is a pretty great country to study and most institutions are very open to foreign students, but it never hurts to look into the many guides and maybe practice your “Dunglish” – the cringeworthy Dutch-English hybrid many Dutch tend to throw around at unsuspecting foreigners…
Sometimes you’re so carried away with your smart phone that you forget everything around you, because you’re this close to getting a nude… Yes, we said it – you know you do it too. And that’s all fine and well, power to you! But please be aware there is such a thing as traffic. And though nudes are great, getting knocked over by a little Citroën filled with a mom, two kids and a bunch of groceries is not.
“New Message: Got Hit by Car – Send Help!”
Though traffic accidents had been dropping for a number of years in the Netherlands, the figures began to rise about two years ago. Needless to say this sparked the interest of various (government) institutions, including the police and the traffic safety organization. After doing some investigations they came to an unsettling conclusion – people weren’t watching the road when crossing, they were glued to their smartphone screen. Unfortunately, however, the other traffic was not glued to the road and a number of tragic accidents took a bunch of people ‘offline’ permanently.
Source: Gemeente Bodegraven
Meet +Lichtlijn – An LED Strip on the Pavement
After attempting to address the problem a number of times, police and other organizations found that most of these “smartphone zombies” would grunt and message a friend “Don’t use your phone while crossing the r-” before being run over by a slow passing bus. Realizing that this wasn’t going to work, one small municipality thought of something else – it’s all about the angle. People are keeping their heads at an angle that stops them from seeing ahead, including the traffic lights that are signifying if they may cross, which was a big cause of accidents. And so a new idea was born – why not add a new “traffic light” on the pavement?
By adding a color changing LED strip on the pavement, which changes color in sync with the regular light, people would always be able to spot the right signal at some point before actually crossing the street.
It’s #6 in this awesome new Dutch video on cycling innovation:
The town of Bodegraven-Reeuwijk has run its tests and is now implementing the lights in town, which is said to be an effective and economically friendly solution. Yet the Dutch Traffic Safety Organization (VVN) is a little less enthusiastic – according to their views this is a reward to people ignoring traffic rules, everyone should pay attention while crossing the road regardless of there being a stripe or not.
Frankly, we can’t entirely disagree with that view – but if it saves lives, who are we to judge? As it stands there’s even international attention for the “LED Strip Light” (aka +Lichtlijn), so there must be some merit to it?
Either way – we hope you all put your phones down, or even off, when participating in traffic in extremely traffic dense Holland. You don’t want your last message to be one about a Snapchat Hot Dog-meme…
Put yourself in the shoes of my children who were brought up in the UK the first stretch of their lives before moving to the Netherlands. As a Dutch mother, I insisted they would understand all there is to know about Dutch life and so this would include the somewhat limited Dutch cuisine. I am considered a little bit of a “food-nazi” in our house, but this experience did in my opinion quite easily fall under “cultural education”. For that reason, it had little to do with health or nutrition. (Thank heaven for that!)
So, even if I am one of those mums who would insist on drinking water and milk only, healthy snacks and nutritious home-made meals, this became a whole new project. And autumn is the perfect time to give your children this educational experience, just as the seasonal festivities get underway. Look at it this way, if your children haven’t experienced any of the below often, then they are just missing out socially in a big way. I would go as far as to say, they might struggle settling into the Netherlands full stop.
1- Pepernoten – and everything else that tastes of cinnamon
And these are the renowned PEPERNOTEN
Whilst living in the UK we would –once a year- receive a package from the Dutch family that was filled with bags of pepernoten. Small, round, cinnamon biscuits that are dangerously moreish and fit perfectly into any lunchbox as a treat. But be aware these small biscuits are also designed to throw around, as you will find out when “Sinterklaas & Piet” enter the country in the middle of November. Needless to say, my children’s delight that those devil biscuits are in the store here from September and we have already consumed a few years’ worth to make up for not living here.
To keep within the festivities, you will see chocolate letters appears everywhere in the shops. It is cruel not to get your child at least one letter (normally the first letter for their name) in either white, milk, milk with hazelnuts or dark (called puur) chocolate. You could splash out of course and do their whole name or, if you cannot find the right letter just settle for the S (Sinterklaas) or the P (Piet).
3- Kroket, Frikandel and Bitterballen – The Dutch and their love for frying
Can’t have a borrel without these bad boys
The Dutch like a snack. A deep fried one especially. And without knowing (ever) what is really in a kroket, my children have decided this is brilliant. Great for an afternoon little treat if it’s too early to eat dinner, or great as a quick meal when there is nothing fresh in the house. The Bitterbal –which isn’t bitter- is equally popular. Best described as the round version of the kroket. Now, I told my kids that I would draw the line at a “frikandel”, so they never had this in my presence. Of course it turns out they have had plenty of these at kids parties!
4- Stammpot – Most Important part of the Dutch culinary
Stamppot with kale and a rookworst.
A classic winter dish and a umbrella term for all winter vegetables that you can mash up with lots of potatoes and then cover in gravy with a sausage on top. I had an all male household and they cheer every time “Stamppot” is (for educational reasons!) on the menu.
5- Pancakes – a.k.a Pannenkoeken
Tasty sweet AND savoury
No Dutch household in complete with the occasional pancake meal. The English limit it to Shrove’s Tuesday once a year, but the Dutch can think of a Pancake occasion for anything. Birthdays, family parties, the sun is shining, the sun isn’t shining, we are hungry now. Also, brilliantly enjoyed at one of the many Pancake restaurants all over Holland. There are better savoury options, but who wants those if you can smother your pancake in “stroop (syrup) and poedersuiker (powdered sugar)”?
6- Oliebollen and Appelflappen
You don’t have to eat it only around the New Years!
These are generally enjoyed around New Year, but the Dutch commercial attitude makes the most of these “delicacies” all through the year, at markets or stalls near big stores. The word “Oliebollen” translates to “oil balls” and that says it all. You can best compare them with doughnuts. You can choose with or without raisins, but you are generally expected to cover them in more poedersuiker (see above). “Appelflappen” (like apple beignets) are again high calorie fold over cake-like treats filled with gooey apple.
How Dutchies celebrate New Year’s Eve:
So, all in all…
Don’t sell your children short, even if you have to bite your tongue and keep yourself from butting in and commenting. This is part of Dutch life and without experiencing this, they might suffer real psychological or emotional damage!
Sometimes people get a little ahead of themselves, which can be understandable when dealing with a high profile disaster that is deeply emotionally charged. Hiring and dictating a fake witness into a stellar Hollywood-performance by text message is something entirely else.
MH-17 the Crash and Investigation.
In July 2014 a code-shared flight (MH17) of Malaysia Airlines filled with many KLM passengers met its demise over the Eastern Ukraine. Approximately three hundred people lost their lives, including almost an entire convention full of AIDS/HIV researchers on their way to Australia for an international conference. Two hundred of the people aboard were Dutch, from young to old – sending shock waves through the country.
It soon became clear, from eyewitnesses and evidence, that the disaster was not any kind of accident but a deliberate attack. Both from the countless bodies recovered down to aircraft wreckage itself evidence surfaced that this was a missile attack. At the time however it was extremely difficult to recover anything from war-torn Eastern Ukraine, then heavily fighting for and against independence and seeking to join Russia – which Crimea actually did.
The Dutch took a massive gamble by dispatching “Marrechaussee”-agents and troops (Royal Military Constabulary) directly into rebel-controlled areas to protect and escort investigators. There were multiple times the investigation teams had to scramble to hide from attacks going back and forth between the Ukrainian government forces and rebel on the other side – some have seen it on video from a Dutch news crew as mortar rounds flew over their positions.
After enough was recovered a painstaking investigation began to the cause of this event – one that was politically, judicially and technically exceedingly complex and difficult. As part of the process a number of Dutch members of parliament were appointed to oversee matters as well as to stay in contact with the countless loved ones struggling to find answers. One of those people involved was CDA parliament member Pieter Omtzigt.
Russian Fake News in the Netherlands and a Personal Obsession.
The still on-going conflict in Ukraine has been a showcase example of the new kind of warfare, one that largely evolves around a media- and cultural war. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin, himself an ex-KGB officer, has a knack for understanding media – or better said propaganda – wars and heavily applied his skills in the Ukrainian conflict. Russia Today, Russia’s international news channel, and many other sources bombarded Western media with ‘alternative facts’ and botnets flood the comment sections on popular social media to swing views towards Russian ‘facts’ or simply to sow confusion.
As the investigation soon revealed the missile fired at the plane was a BUK-missile, a surface-to-air weapon, in service with Russia specifically and known to be active in Eastern Ukraine rebel controlled territory at the time. Previously a Ukrainian transport plane full of paratroopers was downed by a BUK missile, also from Eastern Ukraine. Many intelligence services globally then released their evidence, or gave tips, about the Russian government’s direct involvement – by dispatching troops and units into the conflict area, as they had openly done in Crimea, and now including BUK-missile launchers. The BUK-system is too advanced and logistically complex to be handled by anybody but a well-trained crew with heavy support from others.
In order to divert allegations the Russian government went on the attack and insisted that the Ukraine had deliberately downed the plane using a specific type of jet, which was later officially directly denied as ‘implausible and impossible’ by the actual manufacturer of the fighter jet in an embarrassing moment for Moscow. However, by keeping up the pressure and running 24/7 multi-media operations the Russian government managed to sow doubt with many.
Pieter Omtzigt, the Dutch politician, became deeper and deeper personally involved with the investigation – constantly reminding Prime-Minister Mark Rutte that he had promised answers, leaving no stone unturned, that those guilty of the crime would face the consequences. This went to a point where Rutte and Omtzigt openly sparred in cabinet, the Prime-Minister accusing the latter of playing a political game.
Where it went Wrong – Omtzigt in Trouble.
Omtzigt, in his role as spokesman for the MH17 Investigation, attended a gathering to inform and update both press and loved ones about the on-going investigation. At the time however, it was already becoming clear that the BUK-scenario was the only real, plausible scenario. But Omtzigt, a little too enthusiastic about keeping all options open, took things a little far.
Omtzigt
Omtzigt came into contact with a Ukrainian man who had recently been refused asylum in the Netherlands, the politician then suggested he come visit the meeting at Amsterdams “Vrije Universiteit” and help him form a ‘plausible scenario’ regarding the, what has been dubbed, “Russian Theory” of Ukrainian jet fighters downing the plane. Omtzigt even went as far as dictating the man, and a translator, a whole text by WhatsApp in which the man stated to be an eyewitness and saw fighter planes active around the area during the crash, and that he needed help because he feared for his life. None of which turns out to be true. None at all.
Only a few days ago did it become clear that Omtzigt had simply set matters up, leading to much anger and embarrassment both against him and the CDA party he belongs to. Omtzigt publicly expressed his regret this Monday and CDA-leader Siebrand Buma has taken away his spokesman function – “temporarily” but likely permanently. Though he is allowed to stay in function as a member of parliament it appears that his image will have permanent dents, if not severe damage.
The new Minister of Interior Affairs, Swedish born Kaisa Ollongren
Fake News in the Netherlands: A Threat
Needless to say the matter is a set back for everyone involved, in an on-going media war you need to stick with the truth at all times if you want to beat propaganda. That Omtzigt didn’t is of course hard to swallow. But he has not been the only successful target of Russian fake news.
The new Minister of Interior Affairs, Swedish born Kaisa Ollongren, wrote in a letter to the House of Representatives that the nation finds itself directly in the crosshairs of Russian (counter-)intelligence. Though she has also stated that Russia is not the only nation who actively pursues such activities.
As a result the Netherlands’ new government will be spending an additional 95 million Euros on top of current cyber budgets, in order to recognize, fight off and if necessary counter-attack against intelligence services from other countries. What the future of cyber- and media-warfare holds nobody knows, but everyone knows that it is more important than ever. Especially in a super-digitized country like the Netherlands.
The number of international students in the Netherlands doing a full study here has doubled over the past 10 years. In 2016-2017 there were over 80,000 international students in the Netherlands, with up to 164 different nationalities says the Nuffic.
Some stats:
Source: Nuffic
Where are all these international students in the Netherlands located?
Amsterdam and Maastricht have the largest number of international students: 10,000. In relative terms, the picture looks a bit different. In Maastricht, international students form more than half of the total student population. In Amsterdam, that is only 10%. In The Hague, Delft and Wageningen, it is around 20%. How many are there in your region, where do they come from and what are they studying? Check it right here
After graduation, 25% stays in the Netherlands for, what is more or less, a lifetime. In the 4 major cities (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht) there is a good chance that international students will not be leaving after completing their studies for 5 to 7 years. With many of them deciding to remain here permanently, buying a house and raising their kids here.How all of this is in your area can be seen in this overview. (nice work Nuffic!)
Where are the international students in the Netherlands from?
The Nuffic also shows that there are more and more British students registering at Dutch uni’s and applied colleges (aka Hoge Scholen) since 2011, this may have something to do with the sharp rise in British tuition fees a few years ago (or because of the looming #Brexit, or because DutchReview is so awesome – yeah that’s it!). Ironically European studies is a popular choice of field for British students. Germany remains by far the biggest supplier of international students in the Netherlands.
