MetaFilter posts tagged with Holland

Caravaggio and Rembrandt, two great tastes that go well together

Kattullus — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:34:08 -0800

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam invites you to compare Caravaggio and Rembrandt. For an overview of Rembrandt's work here are Rembrandt van Rijn: Life and Work and A Web Catalogue of Rembrandt Paintings. For Caravaggio there's caravaggio.com which makes use of the Italian website Tutta l'opera del Caravaggio.

Lernert Engenberts produces tiny, beautiful and exquisitely cruel films.

maudlin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:57:36 -0800

Lernert Engenberts produces tiny, beautiful and exquisitely cruel films. Revenge on an innocent egg. Three ways to melt a chocolate bunny. Teasing the colour blind with colour correction. Abstract artists explain their work to their parents. But this may be the cruelest one of all. See more, including an ode to Alaska via AOL, on his site.

How to Enjoy Reality

digaman — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:07:29 -0800

Rest in peace, Simon Vinkenoog [Dutch blog w/English option], poet, friend of artists like Karel Appel, translator of Beat Generation figures like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, psychedelic enthusiast and "weed ambassador" of Amsterdam, and author of such guides to hip living as How to Enjoy Reality. One of the European jazz-loving proto-hippies who made the '60s swing and mentored several generations of culture hackers, though he was never widely known in the US.

Going Dutch

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:20:34 -0800

[E]ven if you are unemployed you still receive a base amount of [vacation money] from the government, the reasoning being that if you can’t go on vacation, you’ll get depressed and despondent and you’ll never get a job.
[...]
But does the cartoon image of [the Dutch system] — encapsulated in the dread slur "socialism," which is being lobbed in American political circles like a bomb — match reality? Is there, maybe, a significant upside that is worth exploring? [...] I think it’s worth pondering how the best bits might fit.

After a year and a half of living in the Netherlands, American writer Russell Shorto compares the Dutch "welfare state" to the tax, health care and social security systems of the United States.

in the street of the sky night walks scattering poems

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:58:29 -0800

Should you find yourself wandering around the city of Leiden, the Netherlands sometime, you may notice some curious markings on the city's walls.

These Muurgedichten ("Wall Poems") adorn many of the town's streets (clickable map), and many English-language poets are represented: one John Keats, for instance, inside a bookshop; Dylan Thomas, E. E. Cummings, W.B. Yeats, some guy called William Shakespeare, or this ode to Charlie Parker by American William Waring Cuney. But poets of many other languages and nationalities can be found throughout the city. Just to name a few: Charles Baudelaire (French), Jorge Luis Borges (Spanish - Argentina), Herman Gorter (Dutch). And being native to this here neck of the woods I would be remiss if I were to neglect mentioning some of my favourites: apart from the Cummings one mentioned above, my hero of Dutch poetry J.C. Bloem's appropriately overgrown tribute to Paul Verlaine; and Guillaume Apollinaire's Dadaist/Surrealist "Loin du Pigeonnier" ("Far From the Dovecote"). Lastly, Muurgedichten collects manifestations of public poetry found elsewhere under its "Not in Leiden" heading. I couldn't resist a selection:

Humorous medical one in Brazil (Portuguese).

Martin Carter (Netherlands Antilles, English)

Excerpt from JFK's inaugural address (Boston, English)

Childrens Rights (Zanzibar, English)

Policemans Prayer (Virginia, US, English)

Short, brilliantly framed Byron quote (Utrecht, NL, English)

No man is illegal (Sittard, NL, Dutch)

I am a poet. Should I want the rose to bloom, the rose will bloom. (Vlaardigen, NL, Dutch)

You'll Think, What's That Poet Doing (Monnickendam, NL, Dutch) You'll think, what's that poet doing In our alley On our wall In our town When he's not from 'round here. To be frank: so do I. But still, now you're looking at me. I can talk to you, say That I am happy you're looking at me And then you might for instance say "likewise". We wouldn't have done so otherwise.

I have nothing to declare except my prejudice.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:22:08 -0800

"Let them arrest me". Vehemently anti-Islamic Dutch MP Geert Wilders was scheduled to travel to London tomorrow to attend a screening of his controversial short film Fitna (wiki, mefi). Yesterday however, the UK's Home Secretary notified Wilders that his presence in the UK would pose a "serious threat to [...] public security" (PDF), presumably intending to refuse his entry into UK. Wilders plans to board the flight anyway, daring British authorities to arrest him. Not that he's sitting so comfy at home either, however: Wilders faces prosecution in the Netherlands for hate speech and inciting discrimination. The decision to bar the self-styled "freedom fighter" from entering Britain has met with widespread criticism from the Dutch cabinet -- which by the way is completely made up of Wilders' political opponents -- and fellow MPs. The Dutch Foreign Minister has phoned the UK Foreign Secretary and stated he was "deeply upset and disappointed" by the decision. British papers join the chorus of condemnation.

SCIENCE!!!

tellurian — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:46:29 -0800

The Evoluon was a museum dedicated to science and technology, and the place of technology in society. It was closed for the public in 1989 and has not been re-opened as a public museum since. Watch the wonderfully 60s promotion (worth it just for the soundtrack). [via]

If it ain't Dutch dominos, it ain't much dominos.

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:07:34 -0800

Where does the domino theory still apply? Why, Holland, of course, where a new record for most dominos toppled was just set, in their annual Domino Day. See the 2006 competition (and brush up on your Dutch) here: part 1 and part 2. No one can deny, the Dutch have a way with dominos. You might like to check out the goings-on at Weijers Domino Productions, "The Number One Dominotainment Company in the World", and the people behind Domino Day.

The Vinkhuijzen Collection of Military Costume Illustration

Kattullus — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:05:04 -0800

The Vinkhuijzen Collection of Military Costume Illustration has drawings of uniforms and regimental regalia from all over the world. Assembled by one of these great, eccentric collectors of the late 19th Century, Dr. H. J. Vinkhuijzen, a Dutch medical doctor who started out as an army physician and eventually rose to the position of official court physician to Prince Alexander of Netherlands. He pulled plates out of books, colored in black and white drawings and painted his own watercolor illustrations. His collection includes pictures of the soldiers of many different nations and eras, from military superpowers like the Roman Empire, France and Great Britain, to lesser known, but no less formidable forces, like Byzantium and Persia and even taking in such minnows as Luxembourg, Monaco and Montenegro. Due to Vinkhuijzen's unusual classification system it can be hard to find some of the more interesting images, such as pictures of Etruscan cavalry, Spanish military musicians and 1830's Belgian ambulance.

CSI Baarle

Skeptic — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:16:27 -0800

Baarle-Hertog/Baarle-Nassau has been previously mentioned in MeFi. A historical quirk and geographical jigsaw, these days the complicated border criscrossing this Belgo-Dutch town had become little more than a tourist attraction. What happens, however, when a dead body is found, and nobody knows in which country it lies?

Is this the most beautiful bookstore in the world?

MrMerlot — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 05:57:10 -0800

Is this the most beautiful bookstore in the world? The Boekhandel Selexyz Dominicanen, Maastricht opened its doors in November. Located in the city's old Dominican church - which for years had been used as a bicycle parking garage - the building has been extensively redesigned by Dutch architects Merkx + Girod. From the images you can find on the web you can see that it is a bookshop made in heaven. Many books in English too.

The Last Battlefield

beagle — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:17:11 -0800

It has been called the Last Battlefield of World War II in Europe. On the Dutch island Texel, on April 6, 1945, a batallion of soldiers from Georgia (Soviet Union), who had been impressed into the German army, started a rebellion against the German soldiers and officers on the island [Wiki]. The Germans brutally supressed the revolt in fighting that left dead 565 Georgians (out of an original 800), about 800 Germans (more by some accounts) and 117 Texel residents. A month later, on May 5, the war officially came to an end in Holland. But German troops remained in charge of Texel, and continued to hunt down Georgians in their hideouts, until May 20, when liberating Canadian troops finally arrived. The Georgians were repatriated via a process that is still not completely clear. Not until the fall of the USSR were contacts and visits re-established between Texel and the few surviving Georgian veterans of the affair. In 2005, Georgian president Saakashvili visited Texel as part of a 60th anniversary commemoration. Most of the Georgian dead were buried in a special cemetery on Texel that is named after their leader, Loladse. There's a book on the subject [scroll down for English version; not on Amazon, alas].

Buy them all and build it at home!

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 18:02:30 -0800

You got your Rube Goldberg machine in my department store catalogue. (Or the other way around, I'm not sure.)

Haarlem Renaissance.

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 07:35:04 -0800

Just lately I was thinking of the Dutch Invasion. No, not this one. Not this one either. I mean this one. There was, of course, Shocking Blue, with their classic hit, Venus, and their lesser-known Never Marry a Railroad Man and Mighty Joe. Then there was the George Baker Selection, with Little Green Bag and Una Paloma Blanca. Then you've got the very, er... unique Ma Belle Amie, by Peter Tetteroo and the Tee Set. And how 'bout that Golden Earring, eh? Radar Love? Amirite? And of course, the inimitable Focus, with their mega-hit instrumental, Hocus Pocus. By now you're probably asking yourself "Why didn't they ever put a bunch of these Dutch bands out on little platforms sticking out of the ocean, and throw in some go-go girls, and film the whole thing from helicopters?" Well, THEY DID! Those crazy Dutch! Songfacts page for Venus. Lyrics for Venus. Lyrics for Never Marry a Railroad Man. Lyrics for Little Green Bag. Songfacts page for Ma Belle Amie. Lyrics for Ma Belle Amie. Focus Wikipedia page. One more Golden Earring clip: Mad Love. Check out those lights inside the drum kit! Cool! One more Focus clip: Sylvia / Hocus Pocus. "Sylvia" is one of the dumbest tunes I've ever heard. And... one more Dutch instrumental act: Ekseption. More dopey prog oddness. That's Bach they're playing, right? Plus... Popfestival in de Warrekam. Check out the Dutch hippie vibe of 1971. Looking back over all this material, I'm struck by the unlikeliness of it all. Virtually every song from every one of these bands is a hodge podge of influences and musical ideas thrown together in entirely unexpected ways. In ways that are... wrong. This is mirrored in the lyrics as well: with their uniquely good grasp of English, Dutch songwriters were able to write and sing in English, but most all of these songs, at one point or another, utilize some phrase or lyric connection which is just, well, wrong. Oddly wrong. All this combined is what, I think, makes so much of this stuff interesting. Kind of makes you wish more Dutch bands had really kept at it, or had more luck in the international arena. With these few efforts, some of these Dutch bands showed a proclivity for experimentation that, while not necessarily always successful, at least pointed toward a unique interpretation of the the language of rock and pop music.

Can't we just go Dutch?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:25:38 -0800

If European and North American societies are morally responsible (print-friendly) for safeguarding free speech, should we also take financial responsibility for its proponents' safety (pf)? Hitchens seems to think so.

Today's moral dilemma is brought to you, of course, by the West's favourite Voltairian nightmare: prominent Islam critic, former Dutch MP, and scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Put Up or Shut Up

chuckdarwin — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:42:07 -0800

Last weekend's PICNIC'07 conference in Amsterdam featured a Green Challenge: to come up with the best marketable green idea that could be developed and sold to consumers within two years. Dutch decentralized renewable energy company Qurrent took down the big €500,000 prize for the Qbox: a device which creates optimizing energy algorithms for all devices in a home. See also: Green Thing.

Windows

chuckdarwin — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 07:07:19 -0800

Amsterdam: a deal has been made that will shut down a third of the prostitute windows in the city's famed red light district [nsfw] and turn the buildings into shops or housing. Advocacy group De Rode Draad (The Red Thread) worries that a shortage of windows will push prostitutes away from the safe, monitored areas. [via QI] Property magnate Charlie Geerts, known as Amsterdam's Emperor of Sex, gave up a year-long battle with the authorities and sold up (for £18m). Beeb:

"The mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, said that although prostitution was legal in the Netherlands, there was too much of the sex trade in the city centre. He also said that the trade involved exploitation and trafficking of women, and other kinds of criminal activity. "

"If people do not accept our position on creationism, they do not have to watch."

goodnewsfortheinsane — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 08:42:04 -0800

Guess who's censoring references to evolution out of David Attenborough documentaries? That's right, the Dutch. See the differences; here's a detailed write-up by a Dutch biologist and documentary enthusiast comparing the two versions side-by-side (in Dutch).

Dutch East Indies

No-sword — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:58:33 -0800

Dutch East Indies. "After a wonderful youth in the Dutch East Indies, today Indonesia, my family and I went through three and a half years Japanese occupation. I lost my father, I lost the country I loved, I lost everything, but I kept my memories. ... So here I am, 79 years old, sitting behind my computer, going back to the Dutch East Indies."

Periscoop Op

tellurian — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 19:16:56 -0800

Dutch Submarines has mystery pictures of submarines and/or their doings with some great answers. For example, there is the story of the use of submarines as seaplane carriers yes, really.

Regime change for the Big Orange.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 19:50:02 -0800

Hear our demands: give us back New York. Just think of the possibilities! Join the struggle. Or else.

Mirin Dajo, the human pincushion.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 08:47:55 -0800

Mirin Dajo (1912-1948, born Arnold Henske) was pierced thru the torso (YouTube) with fencing foils and skewers many times, without bleeding or showing any sign of injury. Warning: some links contain graphic content.

Bugman!

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:47:04 -0800

Play Pac-Man against real live crickets for science and fun.

Animal prints

tellurian — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:54:31 -0800

Clara the rhinoceros. Hansken the elephant. Monster from the deep. Prints from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam [previously].

Englandspiel - or 'Germany Game'

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 15:46:23 -0800

Secret agent Huub Lauwers was parachuted into occupied Holland in 1941 to relay intelligence back to London. His capture by the Germans marked the beginning of the Englandspiel, a deadly game of cat-and-mouse intelligence that cost the lives of over fifty agents. Lauwers frantically tried to inform the SOE that he had been caught, but the Baker Street Irregulars just didn't get it. Or did they? [more inside]