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.