It’s been almost two weeks since Anne Faber was missing, today the case came to an expected but still very sad end. The body of the 25-year-old Anne from Utrecht was found in Zeewolde.
Rutger Jeuken, the deputy chief prosecutor, brought the bad news during a press conference. It is not yet known how Anne, who has been missing for thirteen days, has died. Her body has now been moved from the site and will be transported for research to the Dutch Forensic Institute in The Hague. Then it will be transferred to her family as soon as possible, says Jeuken. The area is reopened after the forensic investigation.
The press conference:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcZTLfIid0c[/embedyt]
The Anne Faber case earlier today
The police searched for a “specific place” in the vicinity of the Nulderpad for Anne’s body on Thursday because there was a suspicion that her body was hidden there. This was on the instructions of detained suspect Michael P. (27). The judge decided on Thursday that Micheal P. will remain in custody for fourteen days longer since there is enough suspicion against him.
Our thoughts are with Anne’s family
Anne’s uncle states on behalf of the family that “the darkest scenario for them has come true”. “We still have many questions. What happened, why did this man walk around?” – Many in the Netherlands wonder the same.
On behalf of the family he also thanked everybody for all the support and help in the past two weeks. He also requested at the press-conference that media leave the family alone.
The Technical University of Delft has done it again – they’re the champions for the seventh time in fourteen years of the World Solar Challenge! Their solar panel plastered race car was the first to cross the finish line in Australia’s city of Adelaide after a whopping three-thousand kilometer journey!
Eat your Heart Out Mad Max!
The yearly race takes place in Australia and crosses through its unbearably warm and enormous desert wastelands – and when we mean unbearably warm we’re talking 40 to 50C (122F!) temperatures inside the vehicle cockpit.
Team Delft’s vehicle “Nuna” made the journey from Darwin (in the North) to Adelaide (South) in five days with an average speed of just over 81 Km/H but reaching top speeds of 110 Km/H, the latter being about the average speed most of us go on the freeway – the previous about the speed trucks go on the highway.
And for good measure, Nuna didn’t just win a little bit – she won a lot of bit! Open crossing the finish line she was at least 100 kilometers ahead of her competition, coming out textbook superior in the “Challenger-Class” competition of fastest vehicles. She, and the others, also didn’t have an easy time as storm and cloud coverage took control of the sky. However, due to its incredibly aerodynamic design the vehicle managed to weather the storm with relatively little trouble.
Team member Jasper Hemmes said: “Thanks to Nuna’s lightweight and streamlined design we could still make significant speed with little energy, despite strong winds. We were kind’ve sucked forward by the strong winds due to its aerodynamic properties.”
Going for the Double Solar Win – TU Eindhoven in the Lead!
But that’s not all, TU Eindhoven is competing in the “Cruiser-Challenge” which requires each solar car to bring a passenger with on the same journey and have to be even more efficient than the Challenger-class vehicles. Current standing the Solar Team Eindhoven’s vehicle is holding lead towards the finish line but are still underway. Needless to say, we’re very proud in Holland and excited to see if they can pull off a double victory for our small but ambitious nation. Either way, we will be very glad to see them all finish the challenge in good health and with functioning vehicles. On to the next Solar Challenge, mates!
The news we were not hoping for but were sadly expecting is here. The Dutch police just announced that they have a specific area in Zeewolde in their sights where they suspect the body of Anne Faber is hidden. That has just been announced by the NOS.
The police were already searching for Anne Faber in the surroundings of Zeewolde since yesterday, and now they are specifically focussing on the area of the Nulderpad.
In the case of Anne Faber (25), who has been missing since September 29, a convicted rapist was apprehended as a suspect. His mother is from Zeewolde and it appeared that he had a car at his disposal. This had led to police to this particular spot.
Why you don’t want to miss out on the Leiden International Film Festival
You may have noticed while looking or being outside but Dutch weather in fall is far from hospitable. And while most of the Netherlands’ best attractions are outdoors, we also have some nice cultural, in-doors activities on offer! Today we’ll be examining the 11th edition of the Leiden International Film Festival, one of the better ways to spend the dark and damp days of grey post-summer Holland!
Founded in 2006, the festival lasted then only for a long weekend, and 11 years later, it’ll welcome thousands of visitors during 10 days in the lovely Leiden. LIFF has become one of the leading festivals in the country showcasing arthouse and mainstream movies from all over the world. In 2016, more than 85 films were screened, from 28 countries; among them, Hell or High Water, Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, and much more. The festival is a great opportunity to go see films you wouldn’t watch otherwise and to discover talented directors.
The Leiden International Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals on offer in the Netherlands and it contains a veritable plethora of movies, in many different categories! Previous installments of the festival showed movies such as Me, Earl and the Dying Girl and the brilliant Whiplash. Besides movie watching, there are also parties thrown and plenty of other stuff going on (more info on that here)
This year once again the festival has some great movies on offer so sit back, drink your tea and read about our top picks for this year’s festival!
This new movie by director George Clooney, starring his long-time cooperator Matt Damon as well as Oscar Isaac and Julliane Moore is number four on our list this year. The trailer shows a film which seemingly blends the aesthetics of a Wes Anderson film with story elements from Hawley’s Fargo series, sprinkled with an everyman character which could’ve come straight from a Coen brothers story. In the movie Matt Damon has gotten in deep with the mob who now want their money back and are coming straight for his family. We here at DutchReview have had our eye on this one for some time and we’ll definitely be attending!
It’s not just new movies on display this year at the Leiden International Film Festival! They will have two classic Disney movies on offer; Alladin and Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves! While you may wonder why this made number three on the list, the truth is going to see Disney movies on the big screen and reliving your childhood even a little bit makes this mandatory viewing. Also; it is empirically proven Disney movies make for some great first date viewing, even though the best date movie is obviously The Princess Bride.
Number two on our list is split between two films after a long and tiresome argument in the DutchReview headquarters. You Were Never Really Here stars Joaquin Phoenix as a retired and life-weary veteran who tries to save a young prostitute from a brothel. It won big in this years’ Cannes Film Festival and, let’s be honest, anything starring Joaquin Phoenix will be awesome simply due to his presence.
Meanwhile Children of Men has been out for a little over a decade and remains one of the single greatest depictions of a dystopian society and all the ills that come with it. It focusses on a world where everyone has lost the ability to become pregnant, and it shows the world’s collapse through brilliant framing and camera work. It is personally one of my favorite films of the 21st century and if you haven’t seen it, I cannot recommend going enough.
With a star-studded cast including the brilliant Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Lawrence Fishburne and the director known from Boyhood, Last Flag Flying is one of those films that’ll be a guaranteed shoe-in for the Oscars. The movie centers around the three veterans who reunite to drive the body of one of their sons, who was killed in combat, to his burial. If you loathe the usual jingoistic war films such as American Sniper this may just be the movie for you. It is also the closing film of this year’s festival!
Want more?
Anyways, like if this wasn’t enough, we have scribbled down plenty of other reasons to visit Leiden on DutchReview!
And the ‘LIFF’ was also nice enough to compile 4 reasons for you international readers to head on down to the Leiden International Film Festival
In 2011 I jumped on a roller coaster called “working in the Netherlands”, and now, almost 7 years later, I’m still in it. Let me tell you my story.
I studied Intercultural Communication and I read a lot about the particularities of each culture and the way they like to do business. Yet, nothing I might have learned in school had prepared me for the real deal. When I started working in the Netherlands for a Dutch company back in 2011, I soon realized I actually knew nothing about working with people from other cultures.
Do you enjoy this Dutch custom or do you prefer a handshake?
#1 First of all, what’s with the three kisses?
I am not a kisser, never been and probably never will. I make a few exceptions for my closest friends and family, but that’s it. So, when I first met my Dutch manager and she reached out and kissed me three times on the cheek, I was in deep shock. And sometimes I still am, even if I know it’s coming and I understand it.
So, who exactly kisses who, and more importantly, when is the right time for all the kissing? For Dutch people it is the common norm to greet and say goodbye to people with kisses, three of them, to be more specific. You start on the right side, then move to the left cheek and finish where you started. Women kiss both women and men while men greet other men with a handshake. Well, thank Goodness for that, otherwise it would have been more awkward smiles and panicked faces around my office.
Also, they say that air kisses are a thing, but I haven’t experienced those so far, have you?
#2 Working in the Netherlands; Communication
Well, communication is rather difficult even when we are in the same country, but when you’re working daily with people from another place, you need to be extra careful.
For a Romanian, who is usually used to “embellish” certain things in order to make sure he doesn’t hurt other people’s feelings, Dutch people are so straightforward to the point of being perceived as slightly rude. But they’re not, never (well, except for when they really want to be, but that’s their prerogative, right?). They just love to share their opinion (and they do have an opinion about mostly everything there is) and they’ll not hesitate to do it even if you might get upset at that moment.
The Dutch are outspoken, pragmatic, like to put things into perspective and use short and direct sentences to transmit their message. They are always friendly, yet never excessively polite as we, Romanians, tend to be. For us, being really nice and having a very polite conversation is a way of creating a space for trust and comfort, yet Dutch people will always prefer clear, sober communication without too much politeness or courtesy. You’ll most likely hear this phrase a lot “I’ve asked you a straightforward question and I expect a straightforward answer”.
#3 So, how do we get along?
The Dutchies are really patient and understanding, they realize there’ s a lot to take in when doing business with them and they’ll give you the time you need to adjust. They’ll also grant you the favor of trying to understand how you work. However, in the end, the Dutch expect others to be open and direct as them. They will tell you what they think of you and your work regardless of your status. Most of the times, they expect you to be honest and direct in return. So, if you detect mistakes in their work and you do not inform them about these mistakes, they might well be disappointed with you.
#4 Working in the Netherlands, family and friends
People in The Netherlands are very fond of their families and they’ll always choose to spend more time with them rather than working at the office. Don’t get me wrong, most of them are extremely well organized and will never miss a meeting, yet, they’ll be happier once work is done and they can focus on their personal business. Most of the time, Dutch people don’t stick to the 9 to 5 working hours and you might receive e-mails or see them online on Skype quite early in the morning or late in the evening.
Also, the Dutch never mix their personal life with their professional one. Coming to Romania, they’ll permanently wonder how we can spend our holidays with our co-workers and even go on vacation together.
‘gezellig’
Being part of a team that includes Dutch persons is like riding a roller coaster. And, by all means, is not the ups and downs I’m talking about, but the fusion of strong, enthusiastic and charismatic personalities that blend perfectly to create a reliable, hard-working and responsible environment.
When among the Dutch I always find myself amazed by their excitement and curiosity for the new, their confidence that almost everything is possible and their optimism for all the tomorrows. I wish that we Romanians would also borrow this mindset. We tend to count all the things that could go wrong before allowing the enthusiasm to kick in.
If you’re ready to apply for a job that you think requires fluent Dutch skills from you, (hint: a lot of them do) then here’s a helpful video on applying and nailing it.
Like this video? Want to see more about working in the Netherlands or learning Dutch? Then head over to Bart de Pau’s YouTube-channel (Learn Dutch) and get started
What the Halle Berry? Get your hands off our Amsterdam! Some nerve, Belgium!
A recent publication featured a cover photo of Amsterdam ‘representing’ a typical Flemish city – uhuh.
This official government publication is all about the data of Flanders, its demographics, the well being of its citizens, the economy and its culture – and they plastered a photo of the Dutch capital on top of it!
As it turns out, the publication’s coordinator from the print company said, in an interview with Belgian VTM Nieuws, it was all based on an accident: “We didn’t know it was a photo of Amsterdam, we picked it because the photo is so lively and really represents diversity”.
Well, we’ll give them that much – the Dutch capital officially holds the world record of city with the most nationalities. And lively it is too, sometimes too lively because the tourism is driving downtown inhabitants bonkers, but still…
So far though it doesn’t seem like “Flanders in Numbers” will be re-printed and Amsterdam’s “Runstraat” will continue to feature on the cover as a shining Flemish example of success. Which is too bad, because Antwerp is such a nice place! What a mess, Belgium – we kind of have a crush on you too though, we’re just less creepy about it…
Alright, we lied a little – it’s not ‘just’ Holland but do you care? You’re here! And Dutch weather, as always, is all too willing to bounce temperatures to the extremes. Because that’s how we roll!
Indian Summer – Here to Celebrate the Weekend with You.
How does 20+C (68+F) sound? According to the Dutch weather institute (KNMI) max. temperatures in the Netherlands may rise as high as 22C in the Southern provinces, and even the usually cold provinces of the North may jump as high as 19 – all the areas in between will have temperatures somewhere in between and we’re guessing your lucky butt will be around there somewhere as well!
For good measure, temperatures around this time of year usually don’t rise over 15C (59F), so this is a significant difference being thrown your way, free of charge because in Holland we like our things for free. And if you’ve ever seen one of those promotional stands handing out free stuff, you know that’s the truth. Seriously, they get ravaged by the Dutch.
This warm weather is being sponsored by a warm jet stream from the South, which is nice of them because most of the news from the area lately is gradually beginning to resemble Breaking Bad closer and closer.
Grab your Chances, Make a Thing Out of It!
To be fair though – the provinces of Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg have some of the most amazing, romantic and picturesque towns and cities the country has to offer that are generally overlooked by the glamour of Amsterdam and the cool of Rotterdam.
If you want to go romantic, go see Maastricht in Limburg and kiss your lover on the St. Servatius Bridge (Sint Servaasbrug) – pretend it’s France, whatever!
Yep, this is Maastricht!
You like relaxing on a pub patio, having a beer? Maybe some shopping? Go to (Noord-)Brabant’s Breda! Which has been picked as the best city for both the “club/pub scene” and best shopping streets several times in a row – yes, it outdid Amsterdam and Rotterdam!
Breda on Queen’s Day!
Are you a fan of the picturesque? Maybe brag on Instagram you found some undiscovered Dutch town full of people untouched by civilization? Try the tiny town of Sluis in Zeeland! It doesn’t get much more medieval and ‘gezellig’ (cozy!) than this! It only has a little over two thousand inhabitants but is chuck full of accommodations for tourists, and expats, alike – you’ll find a great place to sit down and relax, enjoy the view and the weather from some nice terrace.
A cute little pub, a windmill and flowers everywhere! That’s the fortress town of Sluis, Zeeland!
Temperatures going Down.
Nothing lasts forever and coming Tuesday temperatures will drop again, due to a tropical storm that’s sweeping cold air our way from the Azores, over Ireland and eventually towards us. So, be sure to get your freak on in the heat and always check the weather predictions before you leave in Holland, you never know when it changes last moment in this country. Enjoy!
The age of Social Media is here and most of the time we are all too busy playing with our phones. If this sounds all too familiar to you then congratulations! You are one of us!
Whether you are on your way to school or work, sitting in the train; or maybe cursing at NS waiting for your train to arrive after a regular delay or simply just have some time to kill, then why not grab that phone (if you haven’t been just doing that already) and find us on Instagram?
You can see some pretty awesome photos of the Netherlands taken by some pretty cool accounts and if you are keen on photography too, you can appear on our page as well! Liked it so far? Then behold for some of the stuff we’ve posted on our account:
It is hard not to be taken by this iconic photo of Haarlem!
Do You Have Photos of the Netherlands that You Would Like to Share With Us?
Then don’t forget to tag us with @Dutchreview so that we can take a look! Maybe you’ll see it on our Instagram page or better, here on the website! Isn’t it time you become the next Instagram sensation anyway?
You might not have noticed, but we’ve been lacking a government for the past 200ish days. The economy only grew faster however as the Dutch keep things running smoothly even without leadership. Today, however, the new government officially presented their plan for running the country for the next four years, and with it came quite a bit of criminal justice reform. So for all our criminal expats here’s a short summary of what will be changing in the coming year by the New Dutch Government.
Strengthening the justice system
While the previous government mostly applied spending cuts to the police, the DA and the judiciary, this government will begin investing again and focus specifically on Terrorism, human trade and combating illegal pimps. They’ll also invest about 95 million in cybersecurity, as those Nigerian princes trying to get your bank details are apparently quite a large problem.
You might not know this but the Dutch have quite the problem with organized crime, and thus the next cabinet will refocus efforts to deal with criminal biker gangs such as Satudarah. Whether this will prove to be effective remains to be seen, but I suppose stopping biker gangs is a worthwhile effort.
Experimenting with government-grown weed
If you know anything about the Dutch system for governing coffeeshops, you know it’s ridiculous. Currently it is legal to buy marijuana and grow up to five plants, but it is illegal for the coffeeshops to actually purchase the project they’re selling. Now the government will experiment in 10 municipalities with government-grown weed intended to regulate the backdoor through which most of the pot arrives. This is a good thing as right now there’s no telling what the growers use in terms of pesticides to protect their crop. And while there’s no definitive research that states smoking pot laced with pesticides is a bad thing, common sense says smoking things that kill bugs is never a good idea
Extremism and freedom of speech
The new government also has some initiatives that are supposed to combat extremism in all its forms. For instance, the penalty for insulting and spreading hate will be doubled from one year to two. This is relevant to one of our most extreme politicians in particular, Geert Wilders, who was convicted under the article which is now being expanded. This will probably prove to be one of the more controversial new policies but it is a welcome one regardless.
Finally, those who return from an area under control of terrorists will be held in arrest, and staying in one of these areas voluntarily will be punishable. How this will work out for humanitarian aid workers is yet a mystery, although it likely won’t affect them as it is aimed at those leaving to join Islamic State.
What do you think about these new initiatives? Leave a comment!
As we wrote yesterday, with scarce detail, a suspect had been arrested with a history of sexual violence – today more details are flooding in who the suspect is as well as the direction the investigation is going.
The details that emerged tell us of a man with a violent (sexual) history – including the rape of two teenage girls (ages 16 and 17) in 2010 on Queen’s Day, as well as several robberies. Michael P. (27), who originates from the town of Zeewolde, refused any cooperation for psychiatric testing during his trial and as such was not committed to “psychiatric imprisonment” but instead sentenced to regular criminal incarceration for a duration of twelve years.
Dutch Law & The Search
Under Dutch law a criminal serving at least a majority of their sentence may enter a “reintegration and rehabilitation program”, aiming to return an inmate successfully to society, unless there is of extreme risk of danger this is normally a right.
As a result Michael P. had recently begun such a “reintegration-trajectory” which allowed him some freedoms, including being able to leave the institution facility at Den Dolder as part of re-socialization and being among “normal people”.
Anne Faber, who disappeared approximately a week and a half ago, went on a long cycling tour during extreme weather – why she made this questionable decision remains uncertain at this time. Her tour appears to have taken her along many small towns, including Den Dolder, where it seems she may have sheltered from the extreme weather conditions – including heavy rainfall.
A plausible scenario is that she sought refuge just outside the institution where Michael P. was staying.
A Google Maps overview of the institution grounds where Michael P. resided.
What gruesome scenario may have happened then is left to the imagination, but the original search grounds were Huis ter Heide, a small town near Den Dolder – where Anne’s bike and some clothing were found. A current theory is that the suspect took her bike and clothing, cycled towards Huis ter Heide and dumped her belongings, while her remains may still be at or near Den Dolder.
As such the search has shifted towards Den Dolder, including institution grounds, and even the suspect’s room is being searched for potential evidence. Not only the police is involved, but the Ministry of Defense has also dispatched troops and advisers to help search for Anne.
The suspect was already under watch as police hoped to somehow gather clues from his activity, when this remained absent he was arrested for further investigation.
Take a Chance or Throw Away the Key?
As we stated before, the Dutch justice system is committed to reintegration of prisoners into society, only the utmost dangerous are permanently institutionalized, and in many cases these trajectories turn out well. Some with moderate success, others with great.
Of course there is always the chance that things will go horribly wrong, as is the likely scenario for Anne Faber, but should that mean no prisoners deserve another chance? Or should we accept that there is a certain in hopes of successful societal integration? The Dutch population, as well as the political field, are heavily divided – what are your thoughts?
