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COP 21 – Dutch Focus on Non-State Actors #EarthToParis Posted by on Nov 30, 2015

Today, the twenty-first United Nations Conference of Parties (COP21) kicked off. It is an annual conference on combating climate change, involving all parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The goal of the Convention That UNFCCC does not contain any binding clauses…

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Lockdown in Brussels and Security in the Netherlands Posted by on Nov 24, 2015

After last week’s attacks in Beirut and Paris, Brussels is on lockdown. Brussels is the capital of Belgium, the European Union, and NATO, and is only a two hour train ride from Rotterdam, bringing this international conflict close to home in het nederlandse taalgebied in the Netherlands and Flanders. Many of the Dutch words used to describe security situations and…

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“Een nieuw jasje” for speed skating! Posted by on Nov 16, 2015

Thialf blijft Thialf. Voor de rest wordt alles nieuw. With this slogan, the re-make of the most famous schaatsbaan (speed skating rink) of the Netherlands has begun. Before we go more into this slogan more deeply, you probably want to know what Thialf is! The old Thialf Thialf is an speed skating rink in Heerenveen in Friesland. It was opened by…

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Tragedy in Paris Posted by on Nov 15, 2015

Friday became to be one of the saddest and most tragic in modern history. As I arrived in Mexico City after a long flight to visit family, I was greeted with terrible news: Paris was under attack. When I first heard it, I thought it was a joke. How could Paris, such a beautiful and…

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Was Yesterday the First Monday of the Month? Posted by on Nov 11, 2015

Everyone who has lived in the Netherlands has heard the loeien of the sirenes the first Monday of the month at exactly 12pm. I remember the first couple of times I heard it, I was very confused. With time, it has becoming part of the noises in the Netherlands, just like bike bells and tram bells. If you hear…

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Het Straatnieuws uit Utrecht – Interviewing the Pope! Posted by on Nov 8, 2015

The pope. There is no doubt about it, he is an influential and important person, not just in the Netherlands, but in the entire world. He has now become Onze Vriend in Rome (our friend in Rome). On Tuesday, October 27th at 11 AM, the Straatnieuws journalists arrived to interview Paus Franciscus (Pope Francis). After months of geheimhouding (confidentiality), since nobody was allowed…

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Why is integrating such a problem? Posted by on Nov 4, 2015

Earlier this year, I wrote about the requirement most immigrants in the Netherlands must go through: inburgering. In summary, those wishing to obtain a Dutch passport must take an integration exam within 3 years of their arrival to the Netherlands which covers topics such as language, history and the work force. An alternative to this is…

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