International Dispute Over Gas Prices

America is not the only country dealing with increasing gas prices. The Netherlands and Italy are currently in a dispute about cheap gas exports. (originally reported by Financieele Dagblad, a finance newspaper)

Apparently the Netherlands is attempting to stop Italy from buying cheap gas from Moscow, as a result of a special deal for Italy that was made in the 1960s.

The Dutch people have been experiencing price increases in gas since the 1980s, and now a Dutch gas export firm wants an Italian oil firm to pay for gas purchases since 2005. The Netherlands is responsible for exporting approximately 10 billion m3 (converted natural gas) of gas to Italy a year.

Chemical Castration for Sex Offenders

Psychiatric prisons are growing weary of the over-whelming amount of sex offenders that are long-term patients in the prisons and show now signs of getting better.

The criminal law application council RSJ states that the problem is because sex offenders are not given the right to chemical castration. At present most of these prisons refuse to give the drug to patients, but RSJ argues that, "By refusing, the prisons are not giving prisoners good care and are reducing their chances of getting out."

One board member for RSJ, Louis Donker, said, "Every prisoner must have the same chance of getting the treatment he needs. That can make the difference between getting out and removal to a long-stay ward."

(dutchnews.nl)

Alcohol Ban in Rotterdam

As previously mentioned, the heavily anticipated soccer match between bitter rivals Ajax and Feyenoord has resulted in strict regulations and extra precautions taken in order to keep order during the game.


A Rotterdam judge upheld the ban on the sale AND consumption of alcohol in the centre of the city on the afternoon of the game. Local bar owners have appeared in court opposed to the ban, which lasts all day until midnight.

The ban was introduced by the mayor of Rotterdam, Achmed Aboutaleb, who was pleased to hear the decision of the court according to a Dutch newspaper (dutchnews.nl)'I accept these are hard and far-reaching measures but they are unfortunately necessary to ensure public order and the safety of Rotterdammers,' explained the mayor.

Foreign Media

The Netherlands are very open to foreign media, and members of foreign media are treated the same as domestic journalist in the country.

The news media from foreign companies are welcomed in the Netherlands, as well as the output of Dutch news to international markets. Non-Dutch citizens still receive full constitutional rights while in the Netherlands when referring to foreign media.

The Netherlands' newspaper publishers association is also closely associated with international organizations. The only real infringement on the rights of members of both the domestic and foreign media in the Netherlands is the rare instance where the information can negatively affect the interest of national security.

(picture: International Institute for Sound and Vision)

Media Censorship

The Dutch generally enjoy absolute freedom in terms of censorship in the media. Compared to other European nations, freedom of the press in the Netherlands ranks fairly high. Freedom house placed the Netherlands as the eigth best in terms of press freedom.

The ranking placed the Netherlands above countries like the United States and England, as well as Germany, Belgium and France. The amount of freedom allows the Dutch to be open with the flow of information, and can only be a positive thing for the media industries.

Digital Technology And the Internet

Digital technology is still developing in the Netherlands. The Internet is still very popular amongst the Dutch. The International Telecommunications Union reports that for every 100 inhabitants of the Netherlands, 86.55 of them are Internet users. According to World Press Encyclopedia, Dutch citizens spend approximately 10 hours weekly at their personal computers. Which seems like a small number especially in comparison to most college students who can spend up to 10 hours a day at their personal computers.

The numbers for Internet usage in the Netherlands is still expected to grow explains the World Press Encyclopedia. "While it is too early to see whether the Netherlands will evolve as a leading contributor to such a mass medium, the Dutch have certainly made the move to the introduction of all forms of new communication technology."

It was also interesting to see that for every 100 inhabitants of the Netherlands, there are approximately 124 cell phones.

I think that the Internet and technology's advantages outweigh any negative aspects. Although it can lead to one nations media overtaking that of another, it is important to remember that the Internet and technology serve as a great tools to being globally aware and conscious.

IMF Sets Strategy For the Dutch Banks

Ina time of economic hardships being felt around the world, the news of the Netherlands indicates that their country has also felt the effects of the economic decline.

The International Monetary Fund feels that the banks in the Netherlands should spend $2276 mrd. between the years of 2007 & 2010. The IMF has set up a strategy in hopes to prepare for any future mishaps.

The IMF does warn that due to the deficits and debts being accumulated by other countries in need, the current crisis can be extended and effect the market much longer than anticipated. Reports Het Financieele Dagblad a dutch newspaper located in Amsterdam.

Soccer Game May Lead to Riots

Ajax FC (Amsterdam) will meet Feyenoord FC (Rotterdam) in the Dutch Cup final,the largest domestic soccer tournament in the Netherlands. The match will take place in Rotterdam, and rekindles a violent rivalry.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports that the Rotterdam city council fear an outbreak of hooligans attending the game, which in the past has led to dangerous confrontations of the two sides.

The report states that hardcore fans from both sides have already campaigned via the Internet, about the damage they hope to afflict on their opposition. This is a fierce rivalry that in 1997 resulted in the death of a 35-year-old Ajax supporter during a fight that broke out between fans of both sides.

The story fails to mention if there are any extra precautions that are going to be taken in an effort to thwart any violent activities, but it does give an example of the passion their fans show to their favorite teams.

Netherlands Man Paid To Keep Silent In Sex Scandal

The Catholic Church has been taking a lot of hits in many different countries, and the Netherlands is no exception. Radio Netherlands WorldWide reports that a 51-year-old man, Mark Klabbers, was sexually abused as a youngster growing up in the Dutch town of Nijmegen.

Klabbers claims that the incidents took place after class during tutoring sessions, and admits that it took a couple years before reporting it. However, to Klabbers' surprise, the church offered 8,000 euros in exchange for his silence.

According to the story, Klabbers believes that he is not the only victim, and claims that he knows of at least 10 other victims of the same priest. All of this took place in the 1970's, and the name of the priest is not mentioned in the story. However, with Catholicism being a main religion to the Dutch people, it is easy to see the importance of this information being presented to the public.

(Picture: The Dom Tower part of the Cathedral of Saint Martin, in Utrecht)

Capitalism in the Netherlands

Netherlands recently faced a labor dispute between a few different postal companies and their delivery workers. Sandd and Selekt Mail(DHL) were not hiring their delivery workers as full-time employees, therefore, lowers expenses making it possible for them to under-cut their competitors prices.

TNT, a competing company to Sandd and Selekt, felt a huge wave of relief when the state appealed against the two firms and won. This openness to competition is what the capitalist idea centers around, and this article shows it's importance across the world.

(Story Found at DutchNews.nl)

Media Conglomeration

Media Conglomeration in the Netherlands is very limited, due to the old practice of "pillarization," this practice refers to the segmentation of the Dutch society due to differences in language, race, and religion.

This segregation led to the rise of multiple media sources (one for each segment of the country), and though the Dutch have abolished pillariazation the effects of the separate media outlets still remain.

Media conglomerations often control large chunks of media resources, which can ultimately persuade the beliefs and practices of the people who live in those societies. The media in the Netherlands is owned by private entities, but government does provide some funding.

Media conglomeration has little affect on the Netherlands population, and many of the newspapers and radio stations work independently of each other.

Speed Skater Disqualified

On Tuesday February 23, speed-skater Sven Kramer participated in his favorite event the 10,000 meter race and was in position for certain gold when he was ordered by his coach to make a lane change. Unfortunately for Kramer that lane change was illegal, and it ultimately cost him the race due to disqualification.

Netherlands were simultaneously undergoing the resignation of a prime minister, yet the story of Kramer is what made the headlines. This gives light to some obvious connections between the media habits of the United States and the Netherlands.

Athletic events such as the Superbowl, World Series, and the Olympics completely overshadow any other story, which can be distracting to the general public. However, I do not believe this is a horrible occurrence due to the simple fact that media sells entertainment as well as news.

(Photo and story provided by The New York Times)

Metro Crash In Amsterdam

A couple of trains collided just two days ago in an Amsterdam station, which led to 31 people being injured. Radio Netherlands Worldwide reports that out the those injured 10 of them were rushed to the hospital, and so far no one has been pronounced dead due to the incident.

Though there are still investigations taking place, officials in Amsterdam insist that the accident was a result of a chain of incidents. One empty train was left motionless at the station after a separate incident in the station had taken place.

The driver of the second train was unaware of the delay and was unable to stop before impact. As a result of the accident the metro system in Amsterdam was temporarily brought to a halt; while members of the transportation agencies looked into what had happened.

News Agencies

In America, journalist are taught to us the Associated Press style book as a bible to their writing. The book illustrates proper techniques and rules to writing for the public.

The Dutch people have a similar agency that implements what it takes to properly report to the general public. This agency is called the Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (General Netherlands Press Bureau) also known as, ANP.

This Agency was started in 1934, and today provides information to a number of new papers, radio and t.v. programs, Internet sites, and even mobile applications with the goal of being fast, objective, trustworthy, and current.

This agency is located in the media capital city of the Netherlands known as The Hauge and also works with other agencies in different countries such as Germany, France, and Belgium.

And with the growing intrest in the Online world; the cost of services provided by news agencies like ANP will rise as they provide more and more editorial materials that are directly formatted for online use.

Cultural Imperialism in the Netherlands

Cultural Imperialism is seen as a form of domination through ideas (not force). Media is seen as a huge factor in cultural imperialism because the media is responsible for shaping the ideas, opinions, and worldviews of different cultures.

The Netherlands has what can be considered an open attitude toward foreign media, therefore, allowing opportunity for cultural imperialism to infect the country. Although the Netherlands are hardly "dominated" by out side cultures this country is affected by the attempts to dominate media.

In fact, the world press encyclopedia states that "openess" to foreign media takes place on many different levels. Foreign newsprint is made available to the dutch public, as well as access to the internet and the Dutch also assist in setting international standards on mass media that maintain editorial freedom.

This heavy involvement to the world's media shows that the Netherlands is not only effected by cultural imperialism, but are one of the more active forces that drives cultural imperialism.

Welcome to The Netherlands

The Netherlands, also known as Holland, is a European country that shares boarders with Belgium, Germany, and the North Sea.

Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, however, the bulk of government activity takes place in The Hague, the 3rd largest city in The Netherlands.

The World Fact Book explains that the Netherlands is home of 572 radio stations (4 AM, 567 FM, 1 shortwave), 342 television broadcast stations (as of 2008), and 12.388 million Internet hosts (9th highest in the world).

Holland is also the 11th most populated country in Europe and 61st in the world, and the official language of the country is Dutch.