nrc.nl: “Netherlands to close prisons for lack of criminals”
Posts Tagged ‘Netherlands’
A nice problem to have
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009It’s electric!
Friday, March 27th, 2009nrc.nl – International – Watch out – electric cars are coming to Amsterdam
Apparently only electric vehicles will be allowed in Dutch city centers. In 2040.
Stem Cells in the Netherlands
Wednesday, March 18th, 2009nrc.nl – International – Opinion – The Dutch stem cell taboo
Unlike some other countries, including the US, the test tube creation of embryos solely for scientific research is prohibited in the Netherlands.
This is surprising when you consider the generally and the fact that euthanasia is legal. However, as the article notes, traditional Protestant parties can be quite influential on issues they care about, thanks to being part of all the recent coalition governments.
Only In Holland
Saturday, February 7th, 2009Two cops biking right in front of me pulled over a car.
This is proof…
Tuesday, January 13th, 2009…that the Dutch always have the best looking money.
This commemorative €5 coin design was a submission to a Dutch government competition on money and architecture. It was created using Python, the Dutch programming language. 
Found on the website of the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, which is very awesome in its own right.
Holland’s Finest
Saturday, August 9th, 2008Banking Thoughts
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008I just got off the phone with Charles Schwab and I’m got some stuff to say.
First, I was shocked when the person helping me didn’t know how to answer my questions immediately. I had gotten so used to solving my problems within a minute of calling Schwab that I was honestly surprised to hear the woman say, “I don’t know. Let me check with someone here.” It didn’t help that she and her colleagues ended up having to wrestle with the system for almost 30 minutes to delete an automatic transfer, disconnecting me twice while I was on hold. That being said, they solved the problem, were very friendly and helpful, and offered me $100 for my ‘troubles’. Now that’s how to ensure customer satisfaction! (more…)
Firemen
Monday, March 31st, 2008
Tell me that doesn’t look a burning book. Little did you know that the Dutch police are actually firemen. Speaking of weird things, the Amsterdam police offer a 360 degree tour of a police HQ.
Bearded Men
Thursday, January 17th, 2008The above-the-fold front page article in today’s NRC was about SecDef Gates saying that many NATO armies weren’t good at counter-insurgency operations and it was accompanied by a very large version of this image:
(Aside: it’s a rather odd photo to use, considering both the subject matter and that the photo was taken in November)
What is the first thing I noticed? Canadian soldiers have major facial hair! Check out the ’staches on those dudes! And it’s just just them. Here’s one of their colleagues:
Is the Canadian Army taking the whole lumberjack stereotype a little too far? =)
Proof again that things are more liberal up north: among US troops in Afghanistan only Special Forces are allowed to have beards. But what beards!
I don’t know if this is a still the case, as it seems that the beard policy wasn’t popular higher up. From one account, Special Forces operators (that’s right, they’re beyond soldiers, they’re operators!) played all sorts of charades to protect their officially-sanctioned beards from the wrath of senior officers.
At least they don’t look as funny as these Dutch Special Forces troops, though I’m sure Jack would tell you a light orange beard is the height of style:
On a more serious note, the Reuters website is very good and has lots of incredible pictures from around the world. While looking for the first image, I found this striking photo:
