links for 2009-05-29
May 29, 2009 Leave a Comment
Searching for 'real' bread “I like living in this city – it’s just a pity that you can’t buy any ‘real’ bread around here”, a German student at my faculty sighs. “But you can”, another student tells her. “There’s this French bakery, really close to the inner city library, that sells the most wonderful bread.” [...]
New portal to translate EU dailies into 10 languages
May 28, 2009 Leave a Comment
A new website launched Tuesday (26 May) aims to get EU citizens across the 27 member states talking and reading about the same issues, something that to date has been hindered by language barriers. With EUR 3m of European Commission funds a year and a team of 10 journalists, www.presseurop.eu is part of the EU’s [...]
No more tunnel vision
May 27, 2009 Leave a Comment
Crossroads writer Antje Ritter Woodburn tells the inspiring story of a local project in Maastricht aiming at uniting the residents of the four north-eastern neighbourhoods of Nazareth, Wijckerpoort, Wittevrouwenveld and Limmel through art.
links for 2009-05-27
May 27, 2009 Leave a Comment
Closed-down prisons may become asylum homes The Ministry of Justice is looking into the possibility of accommodating asylum seekers in empty prisons. (tags: English) Andre Rieu krijgt eigen postzegel Andre Rieu zal binnenkort ook als postzegel de wereld over gaan. De populaire musicus heeft veel betekend voor de Nederlandse klassieke muziek en verdient daarom zijn [...]
‘Buddhism now third religion in Netherlands’
May 27, 2009 Leave a Comment
Buddhism has expanded in the Netherlands into the third religion after Christianity and Islam. The growth is so strong that as well as Islamisation, it is possible to speak of Buddhisation of the Netherlands, argue researchers Marcel Poorthuis and Theo Salemink in De Volkskrant. The Netherlands now has an estimated 250,000 Buddhists or people who [...]
Why the Dutch shouldn’t stop celebrating Queen’s Day
May 26, 2009 1 Comment
Romanian student Catalina Goanta explains why she enjoyed celebrating Queen’s Day in Maastricht and why she hopes that this year’s tragic events will not affect future festivities.
links for 2009-05-26
May 26, 2009 Leave a Comment
EU adopts skilled worker 'blue card' scheme With their population growth in decline, EU member states are looking to foreign labour to fill certain jobs but are struggling to compete with the United States, which attracts roughly twice the number of skilled workers. (tags: English) Women expats happier at work The number of expat women [...]
Albright in Dutch Institute for Global Justice
May 26, 2009 Leave a Comment
Former American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has accepted the invitation of the city of The Hague to join the supervisory board of the Institute for Global Justice, a new education and research institute in the city, De Volkskrant newspaper reported yesterday. The intention is that the Institute for Global Justice, in collaboration with Leiden [...]
Amsterdam’s public transport to go bilingual
May 26, 2009 Leave a Comment
Amsterdam’s public transport information should be provided in both Dutch and English, according to the city’s economic affairs alderman, Lodewijk Asscher. The Labour alderman is to present his plans for bilingual transport announcements to the city council this week, ANP reports. Mr Asscher says bilingual announcements are needed on trams, buses and metros to provide [...]
links for 2009-05-25
May 25, 2009 Leave a Comment
Dutch awareness campaign redraws coastline Dutch Deputy Transport Minister Tineke Huizinga has fired the gun for the start of a cycling tour along an imaginary new coast line. (tags: English) Far away, liberators are honored by strangers While most of us were still in bed today (Sunday, May 24, 2009), taps were sounding at a [...]
Pecha Kucha Night in Maastricht
May 25, 2009 Leave a Comment
Featured Video: Pecha Kucha Night in Maastricht
Pecha Kucha Night is an open night for architects, interior designers, graphical designers, game designers, artists, fashion designers, inventors, creative students or anyone else with ideas the world needs to know about.
Presentations are – preferably – in English. Each participant is allowed a set time of 6 minutes 40 seconds to show and comment 20 images, each one for 20 seconds.
The next Pecha Kucha Night in Maastricht will take place on June 20, 2009.
More information: Pecha Kucha Maastricht
On the relay track: A meeting with Ger Kockelkorn, cultural analyst and former “accidental politician” in Limburg
May 25, 2009 1 Comment
Locally known as a former member of the Limburg Provincial Executive and the former Mayor of the town of Meerssen, five kilometers to the north of Maastricht, Ger Kockelkorn shares his views on the cultural identity of Limburg with Crossroads writer Gina Vodegel.
Schinnen garrison honored for excellence
May 24, 2009 Leave a Comment
U.S. Army Garrison Schinnen is getting $200,000 to bolster its services and facilities after it was recognized as one of the Army’s most improved installations, an Army press release said. The award was part of the annual Army Community of Excellence competition. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli and Lt. Gen. Robert [...]
Commemoration at US war cemetery in Limburg
May 24, 2009 Leave a Comment
Deputy Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans has attended a commemoration at the Margraten US war cemetery in the province of Limburg in the southeast of the Netherlands. Five military jets flew low across the cemetery as a tribute to the fallen. Margraten is the final resting-place for 8301 US soldiers who died during fighting in the [...]
Maastricht wants to be European Capital of Culture in 2018
May 24, 2009 Leave a Comment
Maastricht is in the race to become European Capital of Culture in 2018. It is a long way from the nomination to the selection… Why should Maastricht participate in this race and how can it win this race?
Source: EUX.tv
European youth willing to help solve the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, “humbly, yet ambitiously”
May 23, 2009 3 Comments
Maastricht students massively attended a recent debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict organised by Amnesty International Maastricht Students, Universalis and HumanRightsForce, an indication once again that no matter how divisive, the conflict in the Middle East is a catalyst of public interest. A review by Sofia Tussis.
Lebanese lunch with the International Women’s Club South Limburg
May 22, 2009 1 Comment
The International Women’s Club of South Limburg was founded in February 1985 as a non-profit organisation. The primary purpose of the Club is to bring together women of all nationalities living in the area of South Limburg, promoting friendship, sharing mutual interests and extending support and information to newcomers.
More information: IWC South Limburg
Video clip: Sueli Brodin
links for 2009-05-22
May 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
Huishoudens Maastricht kunnen meer plastic afval scheiden Maastrichtse huishoudens kunnen vanaf nu veel meer soorten kunststofverpakkingen (plastics) gescheiden aanleveren bij alle zestig milieuperrons en de vier milieuparken in Maastricht. In de container waar inwoners tot nu toe alleen kunststofflessen kwijt konden mag nu allerlei kunststofverpakkingsmateriaal gegooid worden, variërend van boterkuipjes tot plasticzakken. (tags: Dutch) Maastricht [...]
Seeking 400 participants for the ING New York City Marathon
May 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
NY400, the city of Amsterdam, the ING bank, and Runner’s World magazine are seeking 400 enthusiastic marathon runners for the ING New York City Marathon on 1 November. In New York, the city authorities have produced 400 extra starting permits to mark 400 years of friendship between the city and the Netherlands. The ING New [...]
Asparagus slave-driver arrested
May 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
The police say they have arrested the owner of a controversial asparagus farm in the southern province of Brabant. The 46-year-old woman allegedly had 50 Eastern Europeans farmhands, many of them Romanian, working on the farm in circumstances approaching slavery. The conditions on the farm came to light earlier this week. The SIOD – a [...]
Nearly a quarter of immigrants transfer money to the countries where their families live
May 22, 2009 Leave a Comment
Nearly one quarter of households with a foreign background report to have transferred money abroad, predominantly to the countries where their parents, relatives or friends live. The share is highest among Surinamese households and they also transfer the largest amounts, as is shown in a survey on money transfers abroad conducted by Statistics Netherlands among [...]
Venlo puts off introduction of marijuana pass
May 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
The town of Venlo has decided not to take part in the pass system for coffee shops being introduced in the southern province of Limburg. The local council says the government is not providing enough money to pay for measures such as using extra police to enforce the new rules. They also want to investigate [...]
links for 2009-05-21
May 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
Forse stijging congresstad Maastricht Maastricht is fors gestegen op de de wereldranglijst van internationale non-corporate congressen: van de 150ste plek in 2007 naar de 81ste in 2008. Maastricht is hiermee, na Amsterdam en Rotterdam, derde Nederlandse stad op de ranglijst. (tags: Dutch)
What kind of European Union do we need?
May 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
Dutch professor of economics Rick van der Ploeg was the keynote speaker for this year’s Schuman lecture at Maastricht University titled: “Political Economy of Reinventing Europe”.
His message: “The EU needs to be alive and kicking!” A review by Amandine de Rosnay.
21-24 May 2009: ArtTour in Wittevrouweveld
May 21, 2009 1 Comment
From Thursday, May 21 till Sunday, May 24, Maastricht will host the 10th edition of the ArtTour. For four days, more than 200 professional visual artists will exhibit their work over 50 locations across the city centre and its outskirts. Judith Kroon spoke with participating artist Herman Wijler, who owns a “lightwriting” art gallery in the Wittevrouweveld neighbourghood.
21-24 May: ArtTour in Maastricht
May 21, 2009 Leave a Comment
From Thursday 21st till Sunday 24th of May, the ArtTour celebrates its 10th anniversary. The theme of this jubilee year is: Best before…. Alongside the ArtTour the Euregional Sound Art-project: Best before…(end) is organized in cooperation with and under artistic guidance of Intro in Situ. For four days Maastricht will dazzle and rustle with contemporary [...]
10 June: National Street Play Day
May 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
Nationale Straatspeeldag is a yearly national event organized by “Veilig Verkeer Nederland” to encourage cities and villages to give children all the room and space to play on the streets without being hindered by any traffic. The event is free. For more Limburg locations (incl. Bilserbaan/Malbersingel/Savelsbosch/Smissenhaag in Maastricht), check here to see if there is [...]
links for 2009-05-20
May 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
Volksfeest tussen beide Limburgen Bij het veer over de Maas tussen Merwijk in België en Berg in Nederland wordt zaterdag het Groot Limburgs Volksfeest gehouden. Een feest dat de scheiding tussen de beiden Limburgen herdenkt, 170 jaar geleden. Bezoekers uit zowel Nederlands- als Belgisch-Limburg zijn welkom. Het evenement wordt betaald door de Belgische provincie Limburg [...]
Sales of cigarettes and rolling tobacco down
May 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
The amount of manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes sold in 2008 declined 3 percent relative to 2007. At the same time, Dutch consumer spending on these products increased 4 percent. Since the turn of the century, sales of manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes have dropped by 21 percent. Sales down Last year 14.9 billion cigarettes were sold, [...]
Internet supplanting traditional media products
May 20, 2009 Leave a Comment
Just over half of internet users in the Netherlands listened to radio and/or watched television programmes online in 2008. Just under half of users read newspapers online or downloaded them. Media use via the internet is displacing traditional forms of published media such as printed newspapers. Strong increase in online media use More and more [...]
