Week 4 Catching Up

The most important thing this week...

Ben Copeland, Bachelor of Journalism.

Ben passed his final test with flying colours, so much so that his grade meant that he was automatically selected for consideration as Best In Class.

https://jongeneenzaam.atavistcom/jong-en-eenzaam-in-de-stad

Internationals tell you what it is like to feel lonely in a big, strange city. "If I were to die in this room, nobody would find out. Nobody knows I live here."

Ben Copeland

It may be difficult to imagine: people who feel lonely in a big city. Loneliness is something for old ladies who live in the middle of nowhere in the countryside in the smoke of Heerenveen. Yet more than 300,000 people in Amsterdam feel lonely. That is almost half of all residents in our capital. And yes, the elderly form a large part of those lonely. Loneliness belongs to ageing and vice versa. But there are also groups you might not expect so quickly: international students, migrants and expats. They have dared to move to a new, large city, so they will probably not have that much trouble with making new friends and making contact.

Nevertheless, these import Amsterdammers form a vulnerable group. According to Theo van Tilburg, a professor at the VU University Amsterdam, this is because they have left their homes and often remain with their heads in their country of origin. And those international students who had high expectations of their study abroad, end up in the evening on their own on the couch.

That loneliness is an urgent problem is evident from its consequences: recent research claims that loneliness is worse for public health than obesity and smoking. Loneliness not only affects mental health, but physical health can also be jeopardized. Lonely people sleep worse, are more likely to die prematurely and suffer more from stress and depression. In addition, loneliness is at an increased risk of heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

But how is it that you feel lonely in a city with so many people around you? And how exactly does it feel to be lonely? We spoke to five international students, expats and migrants. They all moved with great expectations and dreams of a new, vibrant life to Amsterdam. But that was slightly different than expected.

( the above is a small piece of the article: It has already been sold to VICE (Netherlands) and it is being translated for VICE (UK). Ben also received notification that several people have made enquiries as to how they can make contact with the lonely people that Ben wrote about).

Around the farm...

2 new kids this week - I really am struggling with remembering their names.

10 kids on Saturday, but we had to take a couple home due to sickness... at least they tried.

All the things I missed Last Week...

Still wet.

Water level above NAP (Amsterdam) +/- 4.5  metres

German/Frisian

A new development in languages: Germans can now follow a course to learn Frisian. It was previously possible just to learn Dutch first and then step over.
They had hoped that the English/Frisian course was ready first - but this is due in February
Oh, oh, I can see myself getting into this (in my spare time). They have always said that Frisian is closer to English.
In April, there will be a new MOOC. Massive Open Online Course - Introduction to Frisian.The organisers say that they get regular applications from abroad - people associated with Frisian emigrants. America, Canada, Greece, Switzerland. Maybe I'll find an Aussie...

(West) Frisian (Frysk) is an autochthonous minority language, which is spoken by approximately 450,000 people in the Dutch province of Fryslân/Friesland. The language belongs to the Frisian sub-branch of the West-Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. The closest related languages are North Frisian with circa 10,000 speakers and Sater-Frisian as the sole remaining part of East Frisian with circa 2000 speakers. Together the three languages form the Frisian language group, that together with English forms the North Sea group of the West-Germanic languages.

The Province of Fryslân has about 647,000 inhabitants, and circa 450,000 of them speak Frisian. According to a survey by the Province of Fryslân (2007: De Fryske Taalatlas), 94% of the inhabitants of Friesland understand Frisian, 74% can speak the language, 75% of the inhabitants can read Frisian and 26% can write it. More than half of the inhabitants indicated that Frisian is their mother tongue.

The first written documents – old Frisian legislation – are from the 12th century.

In the 16th century, Dutch became the official language and replaced Frisian in many areas. Since the 19thcentury Frisian gradually regained its position as the official language in administration, education and in court.

The current standard Frisian was developed from circa 1830.


Another regional language spoken in Fryslân is Stellingwerfs, which is similar to Low Saxon/Low German in other provinces in the Netherlands and in the northern half of Germany as well.

Too much English...

Many universities are offering courses in English - attracting many foreign students at the expense of Dutch students trying to fill limited spaces.

Dutch students risk losing out on university places because of the surge in foreign students attracted by degree courses in English, the Telegraaf said on Friday.

In an article headlined ‘stop the English madness’, the paper said the situation is a particular problem in courses where the universities have introduced limits on student numbers.

‘Internationalisation is a good thing but if the over-representation of foreign students becomes a problem, universities should ask themselves if they should be offering certain subjects in English,’ said Pieter Duisenberg, chairman of the Dutch universities association VSNU.

This year, 101 degree courses offered by universities and HBO colleges have some form of limits on student numbers or entry qualifications. And earlier this week, it emerged that 594 Dutch students have applied for the 600 places to study psychology in English at the University of Amsterdam – as have 1,260 foreign students.

The number of foreign students in the Netherlands has doubled in the past 10 years, hitting some 80,000 in the 2016/17 academic year, according to a report by international education group Nuffic at the end of last year.

And yet another language article...

English is no longer a foreign language in NL, but it has a unique character here.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2018/01/english-is-no-longer-a-foreign-language-in-the-netherlands-but-it-has-a-unique-character-here/

English is no longer a foreign language in the Netherlands, asserts Leiden University’s Alison Edwards, who has published widely on the subject. ‘If you can assume that you can walk down the street and that the hairdresser will be able to speak to you in English, and the bus driver, and the taxi driver, then functionally it’s a second language, not a foreign language.’ This view is perhaps unsurprising. The Dutch speak, it is claimed, the best English in the world. They often prefer speaking English when foreigners try to practise their Dutch, and the higher education sector here is rapidly being anglicised, with more than half of all university courses now taught in English.

Beavers

In Limburg ("down south") many beavers have been shot. Because of the "hundreds of thousands" of euros damage. Probably the most serious is the damage to dykes. People from the water management authority were "shocked" at the damage caused by the 33 beavers released in 2002-2004.
A dyke in Ospel was changed into "Swiss Cheese" they said.

Too many tourists... (in Amsterdam, at least).

Last week I read an article about the Netherlands having to promote the idea that "there is so much more than just Amsterdam". We love it when we go there (Amsterdam), but I have to admit that it is just a mass of (slow-moving) people sometimes.

We once went to Madurodam - the Netherlands in miniature. I thought it would be a good idea to visit each of the places in real life - haven't got around to it yet.

2017 figures

Those spending the largest amounts of money on their visits were typically tourists from outside the European Union. The Netherlands was particularly popular amongst Americans, who collectively spent 1,7 billion euros. This represents an increase of 23 percent in expenditure compared to the previous year.

The greatest number of tourists came from Germany, with over five million visiting the many Dutch cities and towns in the Netherlands. Following on from Germany was Belgium, as the Netherlands received over 2,2 million Belgian tourists.

The UK also makes it into the top three, with just under 2,2 million UK citizens holidaying in the Netherlands. Despite these numbers, the country from which tourism increased the most was Russia. Around 33 percent more Russians took a trip to the Netherlands and this resulted in a total of 175.000 Russian visitors.

Poverty in the Netherlands

Poverty and Social Exclusion 2018 report.

Based on figures from 2016.

Even though the economy is picking up and the unemployment figure is lower, there are still hundreds of thousands of Netherlanders living in relative poverty...
Based on being in the category for 5 years or longer, the total has risen to 224,000 households.
The figures are based on an income of €1030 (per month) for singles, €1370 for a single parent with one child and €1940 for a couple with 2 children.
Leeuwarden. 12.6 % of households have to live on a low income. Harlingen 10.3% and Drachten 9.1%.
A councillor from Leeuwarden says that finding work is the key. Other parts of the Netherlands have done better with the improving economy.
Of all the age groups 65+ people are least likely to be in poverty.
Those most likely include all the immigrant (refugee) groups. Syria, Eritrea, Somalia, Irak, Afghanistan and Iran.(About 6 times the average).

Australia Day 

(and Callum's Birthday)! Got up early to watch the cricket... and admire the views of Adelaide.

Countries ready for self-driving cars...

(based on a few indicators, the Netherlands came out Nr. 1)

Technology and Innovation

Infrastructure

Policy and legislation

Consumer acceptance

KPMG Autonomous Vehicle Readiness Index Top 10
The following countries made it into the top 10:

The Netherlands
Singapore
United States
Sweden
United Kingdom
Germany
Canada
United Arab Emirates
New Zealand
South Korea

Dairy Farmer Fraud...

I don't fully understand it yet, but something to do with registering 2 calves born to one cow instead of one each to two cows... The 2nd mother remains registered as a non-milking cow and therefore less is paid in taxation (based on how much manure per milk cow).
Even with what I'm sure is a very clear diagram...

I tried to get a better idea of what is going on. 

There used to be a milk production "quota" - that is, farmers could only sell as much milk as their quota allowed - to produce more than that would be pointless, so this determined the number of cows required, apart from anything else. The "quotas" were worth quite a lot of money in calculating the sale price of a dairy farm. 

A few years ago, the system changed (as I understand it) to a system of taxation on just how much manure was produced by the respective herd. (Whoever thought of that!!!??). The quotas disappeared so that a farmer could produce as much milk as he liked, so long as he paid the taxes on manure (phosphate?) production. 

Now, the manure production from a milking cow is apparently more than from a non-milking cow. Hence the fraud - "one cow produced two calves" - so the 2nd cow remains as "non-milking" - for taxation purposes, but in actual fact, the milk production remains the same. Four cows producing milk and only paying the manure taxation on three.

So, fewer taxes and the same milk production.
I almost got the impression that the feeling was "how could a farmer be this clever"?

17,000 dairy farms in the Netherlands.

"Room For a Boat"

I look at houses for sale on the water... (tell him he's dreaming). (This one in Leeuwarden @ €465,000)

Busy

Week 3

 Walking (aka sploshing)

Lots of rain! And another storm on Wednesday.

Very WINDY

About 90 trucks were blown over; only 7 had Dutch drivers, which has caused authorities to think that they have to give future warnings in English (in order to get to Eastern Bloc and other drivers who may have English as a second language).

Estimated €120 million damage
3 dead
7 trees at our place ... Once again amazed at the lack of roots...

(At least I'll have some work for the summer - too wet to do any cleaning up now).

We didn't get much of the storm. In other places, people were warned on Thursday and Friday not to walk or cycle in the forests, until they have been cleared up. There is still the danger of falling branches.

During the week...

Janny asked a young man from the village if wanted to come and work with us.

He currently falls under the 

wet arbeidsongeschiktheidsvoorziening jonggehandicapten

- a law for young people deemed incapable of "normal" work.

He's been with us for a few months and likes it enough that he agreed to try it out. His parents also liked the idea and rang Janny to express their appreciation. There is still a lot to arrange with all the relevant authorities... thankfully, Janny has to do all that!

We could be the path to some normal work. Since 2015 there has been a "Participation" Regulation aimed at re-integration if possible.

From the Newspaper

Agriculture 

The Dutch agricultural sector booked yet another export record in 2017, the national statistics office CBS said on Friday. Exports totaled €92bn last year, making the Netherlands the second-largest agricultural exporter in the world after the US.

Not all the exports were produced in the Netherlands, however. Some €25.5bn of the total was in the form of re-exports from other countries.

Flowers and flower bulbs once again topped the list of Dutch exports, followed by dairy products which overtook meat as the second-largest Dutch agricultural export last year.

Germany

Germany is the most important export market for Dutch farm products, accounting for sales of €23.4bn in 2017, or roughly 25% of total exports. At the same time, the Netherlands is Germany’s most important agricultural export market, the CBS said.

After Germany, the biggest markets are Belgium (€10.4bn), Britain (€8.6bn) and France (€8bn). While Dutch exports to Belgium and France increased, they actually fell to Britain probably because of a weaker pound sterling related to Brexit, the CBS said.

Exports of other agriculture-related products such as farm equipment, fertilisers, and pesticides totaled €9.1bn, bringing the sector total to over €100bn for the first time.

Use of mobile phones whilst cycling

In Amsterdam, there will soon be an advertising campaign - aimed at 16 - 30 year age group. The slogan is "NO mobiles in traffic". The number of traffic incidents involving cyclists and pedestrians has risen markedly. Supposedly caused by the distraction of using a mobile.
By bringing awareness of the dangers, the organisers hope to break the (social) need to react immediately to a phone call or text message.

Fallen in a heap (not literally - just too busy) so I'll finish now (Monday lunchtime).

Week 2

NIMBY

There seemed to be a few articles popping up about people who are complaining about all the Solar Panel Fields being set up. At least part of the discussion was about what they look like and the need for earthern screens to make them less visible. I also noticed that "the largest in the Netherlands" has been granted a permit for only 10 years.
I asked Janny if NIMBY is a thing here, but she couldn't think of a similar term for it.


No skating... yet

Teambuilding (aka "Here We Go Again, For Another Year")

We started back at work having lunch with the clients and volunteers...

at our local restaurant - lucky that it is now very good and we don't have to go far. They also do takeaways. (I'm not quite ready to use their Meals On Wheels service).

                                    

From Last Week

It just so happened that there is a story this week on the Iamexpat website that I look at from time to time...

about the floods of 1953 and the subsequent construction of the Delta Works.

And another website... (in English)

has a story about rising sea levels...

The average sea level along the Dutch coast was the highest ever recorded last year, according to marine research institute Deltares on Friday. Deltares scientists say the sea level reached an average of 11 centimetres above NAP in 2017, two centimetres higher than the previous record in 2007. 

NAP stands for Normaal Amsterdams Peil (we use it for boating) or the normal water level in Amsterdam, which is slightly lower than sea level and is used as a base to measure how high or low water levels are. Sea level expert Fedor Baart said he is not surprised at the increase. ‘The level has been rising gradually by about 0.2 cm a year since 1890, due to the melting of the ice and the warming up of the ocean, he said. ‘That means you would expect the sea level to be higher every year. The more interesting question is actually why the sea level didn’t rise over the last 10 years.’

Walking over the Heath Photos...

My walking companion, Zoey, is starting to slow down - have to take her to the vet on Monday.

Day dreaming...

My Sunday Morning routine is somewhat different today - watching the cricket from the early hour of 0500.
I was quite taken by the extraordinary number of ads for Betting Apps - at least 6 different companies -  I guess it's a big deal in England (the source of my cricket feed). I'm not at all sure if I could even lay a bet on anything here in the Netherlands? What to bet on and where to do it?
I started daydreaming about betting in Australia and I found myself remembering that I used to go to the horse races when I was 16 and 17 - sometimes with Uncle Bill. My favorite racecourse was Caulfield. 
Which in turn made me think about how Mum met Dad at the start of WWII. Dad enlisted from Perth and was transferred for training in Melbourne. The Caulfield racetrack was used as barracks. Mum's parents had a fruit shop in Ormond and were fairly well off (according to Mum who worked as a teenager in the shop). Else, (Mum's Mum) suggested to Adele and Aunty Vera that they ride their bikes around to the barracks and see if any of the soldiers were allowed to come for a "family Sunday meal". 
Dad was a long way from home and so it probably seemed like a good idea...
(Luckily, gambling never became one of my vices - I think I was very alarmed as a young, impressionable18-year-old, to see some of the older firies losing their pay packets playing cards at work).

I suppose The Postcode Lottery is gambling of a sort. Our Postcode is 9241- the winning number last week was 9261.
Now, I have no real idea how it all works, but I picked up a little bit of information because it was such a good story. The village of Eastermar (in Friesland) was the winner. So all the inhabitants share half the prize pool. Then there is a street prize - I think our street would have maybe 10 or so sharing the 9241GW code. But as luck would have it - the street in Eastermar had only TWO houses in it! So they shared €25 million or thereabouts. But, one of the houses had bought an extra ticket for Christmas - so they ended up with 2 thirds of the 25 million.

Employment/Robots

Robots and foreigners have been taking over Dutch jobs for 50 years – but more people than ever are working, says economist Mathijs Bouman. And the bottom line is, we are all getting richer because of it. In 1969 Jan Wolkers wrote Turkish Delight, the Beatles recorded Abbey Road and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Piet de Jong was our prime minister, ruling a country with a flourishing manufacturing industry. Of a working population of around 5.3 million, 1.3 million people worked in manufacturing or industry (including energy and water) – around 25% of the total.

 Now, almost half a century later, industry has stopped generating jobs. The working population has grown to nine million of whom only 9% work in industry. In absolute terms this means that of the 1.3 million industrial jobs in 1969 only 800,000 are left. Meanwhile, industrial production has doubled.

Read more at DutchNews.nl: Don’t fear the robots or the foreigners, they will make us richer http://www.dutchnews.nl/features/2018/01/dont-fear-the-robots-or-the-foreigners-they-will-make-us-richer/

2018 Woody Woodpecker, Beavers and Snakes

Week 1

Shaking it off...

The flu, lethargy, winter, etc.

and walking again...hadn't realised that I missed it so much - good for the soul as much as anything else.

Out behind our place...

Snakes (Seen whilst out walking)

(Wikipedia)
Vipera berus, the common European adder or common European viper, is a venomous snake that is extremely widespread and can be found throughout most of Western Europe and as far as East Asia. Known by a host of common names including common adder and common viper, adders have been the subject of much folklore in Britain and other European countries. They are not regarded as especially dangerous; the snake is not aggressive and usually bites only when alarmed or disturbed. Bites can be very painful but are seldom fatal.The specific name, berus, is New Latin and was at one time used to refer to a snake, possibly the grass snake, Natrix natrix.

I have seen only two snakes before - both in the one, particularly hot year - 2015, I think. They were not as thick as this one and they quickly disappeared as we walked past. Zoey stepped over this one without even seeing it. It was not happy with my attention and actually reared up at me as I was taking the photos. I would have thought that it was too cold for snakes to be out and about - I had a coat, beanie, and gloves on, after all!

On Wednesday, we had a big storm. My minder wouldn't let me go walking in the forest for fear of falling limbs and trees - it does happen!

A couple of coastal areas registered winds of up to 140km/hr
There's a big ship known as Noah's Ark - I think they relate the biblical story as a museum/tourist attraction. It broke it's moorings in the haven at Urk (formerly an island and now on the coast (of an inland sea) due to the land reclamation).

Where one of the mooring poles used to be...

Other damage...

This year's storm was bad enough that for the very first time ALL of the coastal protection systems were activated at the same time. These protective measures (known as The Delta Works) were constructed after the floods of 1953.

The North Sea Floods of 1953 (from Wikipedia)

The 1953 North Sea flood (Dutch: Watersnoodramp, literally "water emergency disaster") was a major flood caused by a heavy storm that occurred on the night of Saturday, 31 January 1953 and morning of Sunday, 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England, and Scotland.

A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm over the North Sea caused a storm tide; the combination of wind, high tide, and low pressure led to a water level of more than 5.6 metres (18.4 ft) above mean sea level in some locations. The flood and waves overwhelmed sea defences and caused extensive flooding. The Netherlands, a country with 20% of its territory below mean sea level and 50% less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) above sea level and which relies heavily on sea defences, was worst affected, recording 1,836 deaths and widespread property damage. Most of the casualties occurred in the southern province of Zeeland. In England, 307 people were killed in the counties of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. Nineteen were killed in Scotland. Twenty-eight people were killed in West Flanders, Belgium.

In addition, more than 230 deaths occurred on watercraft along Northern European coasts as well as on ships in deeper waters of the North Sea. The ferry MV Princess Victoria was lost at sea in the North Channel east of Belfast with 133 fatalities, and many fishing trawlers sank.

Realising that such infrequent events could recur, the Netherlands particularly, and the United Kingdom carried out major studies on the strengthening of coastal defences. The Netherlands developed the Delta Works, an extensive system of dams and storm surge barriers. The UK constructed storm surge barriers on the River Thames below London and on the River Hull where it meets the Humber estuary.

http://www.deltawerken.com/Deltaworks/23.html

Fake News

I have to confess that my computer photo from last week was not me! I used it just to illustrate exactly what it feels like sometimes - keeping all the computers, satellite TV's (7), heating systems (8) all in operating order. My latest was to set up a dual monitor system, purely for my bookkeeping...The new PC has a new (Display Port) connector - trying to match that with an old monitor took me a couple of days. I'm sure I find things like that to work on as a means of avoiding the bookkeeping...but it is the end of the year and the taxman beckons...

Woody Woodpecker

We feed the birds over winter, by hanging seed/fat balls in the trees at the front. Our favorite this year is the Woodpecker - here known as the Bonte Specht.

Photo through our front window... he (maybe more than one?) has the bag empty in a couple of days!

Photo from the internet...

(Google Translate)

The most common woodpecker in the Netherlands. Both male and female are tumbling on branches with a short, fast roll to strengthen territory and pair band. Great spotted woodpeckers chop a hollow nest in trees with a round hole. They have a preference for softwoods, such as birch trees. Woodpeckers can chop in this way because the brains are fitted with shock absorbers. In the nest cavity, the eggs are simply placed on the wood.

Snippets from the News

TV News on Saturday night had quite a piece about the Netherlands taking over a greater role in European affairs. The EU itself is getting prepared to make some far-reaching decisions, including Brexit, Immigration/asylum-seekers, The Euro and other Financial matters. One English commentator made quite a case about the Netherlands being ideally suited to take over many of the (anticipated) changes brought about by Brexit.

Another item spoke about new driving/mobile phone laws in Italy.

Being seriously tackled (it is estimated that 75% of accidents are caused by people using their phones). €200,00 fine for first offence and automatic loss of licence for 2nd offence within 5 years. One policeman who was interviewed said that they often have to bang on the window to get the driver's attention away from the mobile phone!

From the newspaper: 

There was a story about Beavers Spotted in Friesland.

 Albeit not many... One was first spotted in 2014 and another has been seen late in 2017 - but not in the same place, so they are not expecting any breeding. It is believed that there are more in the Province of Overijssel and that they will slowly make their way northwards.
A couple of researchers arranged a symposium titled "One Beaver in Friesland - Now What?" - as a start to investigating the environmental consequences.
From Google Translate

In August 2014 a beaver (Castor fiber) was detected in Friesland. This is a new species in Friesland.The arrival of the beaver has positive consequences because it is a valuable addition to nature. For example, he provides greater biodiversity along banks. In addition, the beaver can also cause negative consequences, such as wetland damage, excavation damage and feeding damage. It is therefore now the time for all parties involved to make arrangements to keep the arrival of the beaver heading in the right direction. The aim of this research is to provide advice on the drafting of a beaver protocol with which the effects, the measures and the communication & information for all parties involved become clear.