Spijt! wins best European youth film
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Spijt! wins best European youth film

The Dutch youth film Spijt! has won the European Film Academy Young Audience Award on Sunday evening in Erfurt, Germany. The film by Dave Schram recorded against the Danish MGP Missionen and the German The Stormwind. Young people between 12…
Orange clothes that come with beer
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World cup 2014: Orange clothes that come with beer

On June 12th 10 pm (Dutch time) the waiting is finally over: In Arena Corinthians, Sao Paolo, home country Brazil will kick off the FIFA world cup against Croatia. With less than a month to go and orange fever slowly starting to rear its fugly…
ETOS proclaimed best drugstore of the Netherlands by consumers (Photo: Careality.nl)
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Gfk: Etos best drugstore of the Netherlands

Etos has been named best drugstore in the Netherlands. In a yearly research project, conducted by market research agency Gfk, D.I.O. drogist came in second, followed by DA. Over 6000 consumers were consulted to rank the 6 large drugstore…
10 May: Nationale Molendag / National Windmill Day (Photo: Luca Guarnieri)
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10 & 11 May: Nationale Molendag / National Windmill Day

Windmills are an iconic part of the Dutch landscape.. and a visit to one is a must for visitors in the Netherlands. On Nationale Molendag (National Windmill Day), this weekend, about 950 windmills throughout Holland will be open to the public.  Every…
4 & 5 May: Remembrance Day and Liberation Day (Photo: Melanie Caitlin)
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4 & 5 May: Remembrance Day and Liberation Day

The Netherlands is unique among the other European countries in having two national ceremony days originating from the Second World War: Remembrance Day – ‘Dodenherdenking’ and Liberation Day – ‘Bevrijdingsdag’. On 4 May there…
Nature greener and earlier than last year (Photo: Michael Hofmann)
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Nature greener and earlier than last year

We could enjoy blooming flowers earlier this year. Spring came this year a month ahead last year. Nature is also a lot greener. According to Natuurberichten (which means Nature messages) nearly 30 percent of the deciduous forests and…
First "Rokjesdag" of the year (Photo: Arianna Ardia)

"Rokjesdag"

What is Rokjesdag or Skirt Day? It is officially the first day on which Dutch women wear skirts with bare legs underneath.  Every spring the men look forward to Rokjesdag, the day when the temperature is high enough for women to wear…
See the Netherlands by Train (Photo: Nick Ferrara)
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See the Netherlands by Train

The weather is starting to get nice again and at least for me that means time to get out and explore.  Did you know that it is possible to travel all through the country for a whole day for around €15?  That's a great deal and I'm going…
Dutch language required for social security: "no Dutch, no welfare" (Picture: RTL Nieuws)
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Dutch language required for social security: "no Dutch, no welfare"

Who doesn't speak and doesn't want to learn the Dutch language, will lose his welfare within a year. The law "no Dutch, no welfare" should be applied from next year. This is a bill that State Secretary Jetta Klijnsma of Social Affairs sent…
The government has extended the leave regulation (Picture: Arianna Ardia)
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The government has extended the leave regulation

If a mother dies during giving birth to her child, the father will get from now on her maternity leave. This should ensure that the newborn can count on the care of a parent in the first period of his life. This plan of the Minister of Social…
So you want to Speak Dutch - It is Possible! (Photo: bol.com)

So you want to Speak Dutch - It is Possible!

A lot of people that I have met over the years show a lot of interest in learning Dutch at first but soon become very unmotivated because no matter how hard they try it seems that everyone always answers them in English... even if they try…
Downloading illegal
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Downloading from illegal sources: as of today officially forbidden

Illegal downloading didn’t exist in the Netherlands. Now it does. As a consequence of a judgement of this morning of the European Court of Justice about the unfairness of home charge copy, illegal downloading of movies, music and other…
Dutch Wingman condom makes “furore” in Germany (Picture WN)
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Dutch Wingman condom makes “furore” in Germany

The Wingman condom is presented these days at the Hannover Messe, the most important industrial fair in the world. Here the Wingman condom, also known as the one hand condom, got a lot of attention.  The Bild, the biggest German newspaper…
Still 7.4% of the Dutch use end of live Windows XP
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Still 7.4% of the Dutch use end of live Windows XP

On the last day that security updates about Windows XP were offered, 7.4% of the Dutch consumers and companies still use Windows XP, the outdated operating system of Microsoft. In the Netherlands the usage of Windows XP is however lower than…
If you hear sirens and it is Monday don't panic!
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If you hear sirens and it is Monday, don't panic!

Loud sirens? On Monday? Don't panic! In Haarlem and elsewhere in the country the first Monday of every month at 12:00 the air raid is tested to check whether the sirens work anywhere and can be heard, but also to keep the alarm system in the…
Dutch Movies - De goede dood, Plan C, Taped
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Dutch Movies - De goede dood, Plan C, Taped

A few suggestions for some new Dutch movies. No subtitles. De Goede dood Het succesvolle toneelstuk uit 2008 is nu verfilmd met dezelfde cast, onder wie Huub Stapel, Wil van Kralingen en Peter Tuinman. Een tragikomedie over het aangekondigde…
Books - Legal thrillers of Bram Moszkowicz and Leon de Winter
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Books - Legal thrillers of Bram Moszkowicz and Leon de Winter

The top ex-lawyer Bram Moszkowicz and the writer Leon de Winter from Bloemendaal and partly Los Angeles are writing a new trilogy: Legal thrillers. Bram Moszkowicz writes the first part and Leon de Winter the second part of Legal Thrillers.…