Orange Fever ~ Dutch Go Crazy Over Eurocup!

RNW reports about Orange Fever...

"Orange streets, Dutch flags and crazy decorations. There's less than a week to go before the kick-off of the European football championships in Poland and Ukraine, and the Netherlands is in the grip of Orange fever. Orange is the Dutch national colour, and in towns like Goirle, Deventer and Zwolle, entire streets have been turned into orange paradises. Many Dutch people are also purchasing European Championship-themed gadgets. Every year, people try to come up with new and original 'thingies'; this year's hit could be combi moustache-sunglasses."

Penis vs Police ~ Freedom of Expression in NL

Peter wants his penis back writes Eric Beauchemin on RNW...

"A row has broken out in a village in the southern Dutch province of Brabant between an artist and the police over a 3-metre high wooden penis. The artist made the sculpture and attached a sign to it with the name of a policeman. He was protesting against the policeman for searching his daughter for drugs. The officer regarded the huge penis as insulting and late last week the police confiscated it. The artist, Peter de Koning, is furious. He says the action violates his right to freedom of expression. He is demanding that the police give him back his penis."

FEBO ~ Lekkerste Dutch Snackfood Automatiek!

Check out Dutch snack spot FEBO and their vending machines!

Solowheel ~ Electric Unicycle On Sale in Holland!

RNW spotlights the Solowheel electric unicycle...

"The "Solowheel" has hit Dutch roads: it's a one-wheel electric device that you can take with you like a bag and use whenever you like. It can take you, for example, from the train station to work at a speed of 16 kilometres an hour. It has maximum range of 20 kilometres."

When Is Enough? ~ Reflections on Eldercare...

RNW has an important piece by Eric Beauchemin on Treating elderly patients: when is enough enough?

"A 72-year-old woman has sparked off a debate in Dutch society about how far doctors should go in treating elderly patients. In an article in one of the major Dutch dailies, she wrote that more and more 85 and 90-year-old friends, family members and neighbours are not being allowed to die of disease or illness. Marie Louise Cuijpers gave five examples she knew of, including a 90-year-old woman who suffered a stroke. Everyone was convinced that she would die, but she was hospitalised and treated. The woman recovered but was no longer able to speak, walk or eat on her own and was sent to a nursing home, where she remained for three years. She came down with pneumonia and was treated for that too. Finally she passed away. The cost of medical care in the Netherlands is rising sharply. It costs three times more, for instance, to treat people over the age of 65. So when is enough enough?"