links for 2009-04-30
April 30, 2009 Leave a Comment
Schools ink exchange protocol
TOBB University of Economics and Technology and the Maastricht School of Management signed a protocol on student exchange program and collaboration in Maastricht on Sunday.
(tags: English)
links for 2009-04-29
April 29, 2009 Leave a Comment
Spring in a Dutch garden
Here in the Netherlands, grass has gone from brown to fresh green, trees have burst into leaf, and tiny buds have bloomed into colourful flowers: it's spring time. And what better way to enjoy it than from your very own garden… or, if you don't have one of your own as [...]
Income differences relatively small in the Netherlands
April 29, 2009 Leave a Comment
Income inequality in the Netherlands is below the European Union average. The most egalitarian countries with respect to income are Sweden and Denmark. In Greece, Portugal and Great-Britain income differences are (relatively) large.
The reason for the gap between the rich and the poor in the Southern European and Anglo-Saxon countries is the absence of an [...]
Fewer American and British visitors to the Netherlands
April 29, 2009 Leave a Comment
Last year, 29.1 million guests stayed in Dutch overnight accommodations, as against 30.3 million in 2007. In the latter half of 2008, the number of hotel guests dropped considerably. In relative terms, there was a remarkable decline in the number of American and British guests.
Number of foreign guests drops dramatically
The number of guests staying in [...]
14-15 May: Two-day conference - Maastricht: Lieu de Passages? Towards European Capital of Culture 2018
April 29, 2009 Leave a Comment
Towards European Capital of Culture 2018
On Thursday 14 and Friday 15 May, Maastricht University, Hogeschool Zuyd and the Jan van Eyck Academy organize in cooperation with the Municipality of Maastricht a conference on ‘Maastricht – European Capital of Culture 2018’. The decision by the municipality to participate in this competition will generate a lively discussion [...]
12-14 May: South African girl group dances with Maastricht children
April 28, 2009 Leave a Comment
The South African girl group Binang Mmino will on 12 and 12 May give dance workshops for children of three primary schools in Maastricht (De Regenboog, De Letterdoes and ’t Spoor). This is the third school project organised by the Manus van Alles Festival in Maastricht.
The programme also includes short dance performances by the children [...]
3 May: 4th Music for Gaza benefit concert and CD exchange fair in Heerlen
April 28, 2009 Leave a Comment
After holding three successful benefit concerts and CD exchange fairs in Amsterdam, Utrecht and Tilburg, Music For Gaza is now planning a fourth event on May 3 at De Nieuwe Nor in Heerlen.
Music For Gaza aims at supporting and developping music education programs for children and youth in the Gaza Strip. Part of the proceeds [...]
Dutch more positive about immigrants
April 27, 2009 1 Comment
The most recent quarterly survey conducted by the Social Cultural Planning Office (SCP) has revealed that Dutch people are becoming more positive about the immigrants that have come to live here. Only 35 percent now think the Netherlands would be a better place if there were fewer immigrants. At the end of last year that [...]
Why take part in a moot court competition?
April 27, 2009 3 Comments
“There are many moot court competitions throughout the world and information is far from scarce, but factual descriptions do not do justice to the excitement that comes with the event,” says Maastricht University Law student Catalina Goanta. She recently participated in two recent moot court competitions, or trial simulations, in The Hague, the Netherlands, and Evian-les-Bains, France.
17 May: Lions Club Maastricht Mondial May Fair 2009
April 27, 2009 Leave a Comment
As part of its commitment to social responsibility, Lions Club Maastricht Mondial is again hosting its annual networking and charity event and invites you to come and mix & mingle with others in the international business community at this important event.
Lions Club Maastricht Mondial cordially invites you to join the:
May Fair 2009
Annual [...]
Lesbians unhappy and unhealthy says survey
April 27, 2009 Leave a Comment
A survey conducted by the UpsideDown Foundation, which fights for the acceptance of lesbian and bisexual women, has found that lesbian women are unhappier and unhealthier than heterosexual women.
They are more prone to depression and insomnia. More than a third of the 2,000 women questioned said they were often the target of insults and gossip. [...]
Orange headscarves for Dutch Muslims
April 27, 2009 Leave a Comment
This year, Muslim women in Haarlem will be able to celebrate Queen’s Day appropriately dressed. A group of students will hand out more than 5,000 orange headscarves on 30 April to promote tolerance in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The orange headscarves will allow Muslim women to express their loyalty to their faith as well [...]
Research into the needs of expatriates in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion
April 23, 2009 Leave a Comment
Source: Banenrijklimburg, April 2009
Embracing the international community
Decline in population, aging of the population and dejuvenation are causing shortages on the labour market. Shortages that are growing, even despite the present economic situation in Limburg.
These are several serious problems we’re facing today and are growing rapidly. How can we deal with these problems and shortages in [...]
Art project unites four neighbourhoods in Maastricht
April 23, 2009 2 Comments
Several Maastricht artists on the weekend of 18 and 19 April 2009 started decorating a tunnel under the A2 highway as part of a new artistic project in Maastricht. The goal of the Veer-ein! project - Veer-ein! means Four-one! in the Maastricht dialect - is to unite the four Maastricht north-eastern neighbourhoods of Nazareth, Wijckerpoort, Wittevrouwenveld and Limmel through art. (“Kunst in de wijck Noordoost”)
Netherlands limits adoptions of US children
April 23, 2009 1 Comment
The Dutch government said Wednesday it would make it more difficult to adopt American children, who formed the third largest group of foreign adoptions in the Netherlands last year.
“The adoption of children from the United States will be subjected to stricter requirements,” the justice ministry said in a statement — explaining that small children could [...]
Study reveals primary school segregation
April 23, 2009 Leave a Comment
The Knowledge Centre for Mixed Schools says one third of primary schools do not reflect the ethnic backgrounds of their local communities. The observation is based on a survey of over 2,000 primary schools in nearly 40 municipal districts. The centre will present its report to Deputy Education Minister Sharon Dijksma on Wednesday.
The centre, which [...]
How do expats experience the variety of dialects spoken in the province of Limburg?
April 22, 2009 1 Comment
Ger Kockelkorn is a retired politician (former Mayor of Meerssen and former member of the Limburg Provincial executive. He takes part every fortnight in a local radio talk show called De Stemming in which he can suggest a topic for discussion.
A question he would like to ask expats in Limburg is how they experience the [...]
Photo exhibit: Pigs in Distress
April 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
Pigs in Distress is an advocacy group that promotes better treatment of pigs. Their most recent campaign is a photo exhibit, illustrating the contrast between the living conditions of pigs bread en mass for their meat versus the lives of pigs on smaller, more natural farms. The exhibit encourages consumer responsibility in purchasing meat. Pigs in Distress is on display in the 1992 Square in Maastricht throughout the month of April.
Video clip: Ruth Spencer and Bernd Kapeller, EJC
More information: Pigs in Distress website
30 April: Artists’ market at Bonnefanten Museum
April 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
Some 63 artists will be selling diverse artworks in the Bonnefanten Museum on the 30th of April (from 6 pm till 9 pm for the activity “Creatieve Vrijmarkt”:
- self-made perfumes
- collages, maps, cards, envelopes
- photography
- ceramique
- textiles, pillows, felt, macrame, blankets
- porcelein services
- chains, accessories, decorative ornaments
- sculptures
- hats and bags, clothing, tank tops
- [...]
May 2009: International productions at Het Huis van Bourgondië
April 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
Press release:
In february of this year Het Huis van Bourgondië started with programming international productions. These performances are specially suitable for cultural interested, international students and expats, but also for everyone who likes good international performances. The performances in May are Jerusalem by the theatre collective Berlin and DOOF by Lotte Bos.
Jerusalem – Berlin
A captivating [...]
12,13 & 14 May: Revival of Night Creatures (Nachtelingen) by Theatre compagny Het Vervolg
April 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
During the Maastricht Toneelstad Festival, Theatre compagny Het Vervolg will bring a revival of their acclaimed performance Night Creatures (Nachtelingen) on 12, 13 and 14 may 2009.
Since this performance is without dialogue, it offers an excellent opportunity for all nationalities to witness “this charming mysterious and subtle humoristic meeting of four strangers in the night” [...]
Dutch abroad failing to integrate
April 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
A survey conducted by Radio Netherlands Worldwide shows Dutch expats abroad stick together and fail to integrate. Of the 1100 Dutch people living abroad who were questioned, 63 percent differentiated between expats and emigrants. Expats were defined as people living abroad for a time because of their work. Emigrants were people aiming to make the [...]
18 May: Film Forum on Small Arms
April 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
On May 18 at 7.30 PM Maastricht Debates organises a Film Forum on the uncontrolled widespread of small arms, which rule and ruin the lives of a growing number of people in developing countries. What is the EU doing about it? Featuring ‘Dealing and Wheeling in small arms’.
http://www.maastrichtdebates.net/programme/2008-2009/dealing-and-wheeling/
For more information, see [...]
Asylum applications soar in 2008
April 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
The number of applications for asylum in the Netherlands last year almost doubled compared to 2007. Statistics Netherlands reports that there were 13,400 asylum applications in 2008, compared to just 7,400 the previous year. The increase was much higher than in the European Union as a whole, where the overall number of asylum seekers rose [...]
30 April: Queens Day – Koninginnedag
April 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
The Queen’s official birthday (Koninginnedag) is a national holiday, which is celebrated by street parties, flea markets, concerts and much more. Queen Beatrix and other members of the royal family (www.koninklijkhuis.nl) visit one or two different cities each year and this and this year they will travel to Apeldoorn. The royal visits are always [...]
17 Feb–16 Aug: Exile on Main Street - Humour, exaggeration & anti-authoritarianism in American art
April 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
The Bonnefantenmuseum celebrates its 125 anniversary this year with seven exhibitions. Exile on Main Street is the title of an exhibition of American art. Ever since the sixties, American art has had connotations of sensationalism and commercialism. Pop Art, in particular, appears to fit this image and has lent a great deal of weight [...]
UNU-Merit: Strong resonance to Wikipedia survey
April 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
UNU-Merit press release:
Strong resonance to Wikipedia survey
Posted: 2009-04-17
In October 2008, UNU-MERIT’s Collaborative Creativity Group (CCG) together with the Wikimedia foundation started the first multilingual survey on the global use of Wikipedia. Now, CCG and the Wikimedia foundation present the first results of this extensive survey. More than 170,000 Wikipedia readers and contributors completed the extensive [...]
Website to help Europe decide
April 17, 2009 Leave a Comment
With the European elections now just a little over seven weeks away many voters are still undecided as to which party to vote for on June 7. The EU Profiler website hopes to make the choice easier for the millions of Europeans voting.
By answering a simple questionnaire, users will obtain a presentation of their policy [...]
Colourful and exotic shops in Maastricht
April 16, 2009 2 Comments
Strolling through Maastricht, Amandine de Rosnay often notices colourful and exotic shops that appeal to her senses and curiosity. She has now decided to find out what they’re all about! Two of them, Afrikana and La Passionara, are owned by expatriates from other European or African countries, who have settled down in Maastricht.
Utrecht mayor accused of muzzling press
April 16, 2009 Leave a Comment
Utrecht mayor accused of muzzling press
Published: Wednesday 15 April 2009 08:01 UTC
Last updated: Wednesday 15 April 2009 08:01 UTC
A local freesheet has accused Mayor Aleid Wolfsen of Utrecht of muzzling press freedom. The mayor allegedly blocked the publication of an article about himself in Ons Utrecht (Our Utrecht). A journalist on the paper asked [...]
