Dutch Econmy Shrinks

According to reports, the economy shrunk in Holland for the first time in 20 years, due to slower exports. Perhaps this is due to the high exchange rates on the euro, or the world economy at large. Unemployment recently rose to 6.6 percent in April 2004 and is still rising.

In spite of this seemingly bad news, the Netherlands ranks eighth in the world as an exporting nation, and the third largest in food exports worldwide. Amazing considering the small size of Holland, with it’s three names for itself.

Whether you call it Dutch, Holland or the Netherlands, this place is still incredibly productive and industrious compared to any other nation on earth.

The highly-educated multilingual country is home to many worldwide banking, insurance and manufacturing companies such as ABN-AMRO, Phillips, and Shell.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport is one of the world’s largest transportation hubs, and the port of Rotterdam is on of the biggest transshipment points of global trade.

Very important stuff.

However, there are still some serious drawbacks to doing business in the Netherlands, and old traditions die hard in this country. Holland has the highest rate of temporary workers in the world, and the glass ceiling is firmly in place for women trying to get to the top of any business structure. Women do not exist at the managerial level in the Netherlands, or very rarely. This part-time work mentality leads to masses of people with careers in a virtual loop of always looking for the next job, and no stability. Yet they pride themselves on their flexibility as they flock to the coffeeshops, cafes, bars and restaurants to fuel the service industryu with their hard-earned euros.

~Martin Trip

Born Margaretha Zelle, on August 7, 1876 in Leeuwarden, Mata Hari lived a very eventful but sad life. She married a Dutch officer who abused her and was often left to the charity of others to survive. She had two children, one who died under mysterious circumstances when the family was stationed in Java, Indonesia.

Mata Hari had a dark beauty which she exploited by performing her famous Shiva dance, a striptease, before a live audience in Paris. She was a big hit, and took her show on the road to many of Europe’s capital cities. This brought her much fame, money and admirers.

Mata Hari’s legendary beauty attracted many men, but she seemed most attracted to military officers, thus she was often in a position to hear of important secrets during WWI. She was accused of spying by both the French and the Germans. She may have also been a double agent, betraying her spymasters. Despite a lack of substantial proof of harming either country with her liasons, she was sentenced to death by a French military tribunal in 1917.

For more about Mata Hari visit this website:
Crime Library – Mata Hari

LSD, the synthetic drug that opened the minds of millions during the 60s and 70s is once again on the scene opening the minds of a new generation of Europeans. Many of the clandestine drug labs in the Netherlands that made their fortunes on Ecstasy, are now turning to making LSD in large quantities. Reasons for this vary, but supposedly there are now more restrictions on the chemicals needed to synthesize Ecstasy.

LSD is indeed available in Amsterdam, but it is considered an illegal hard drug here, and anyone possessing it, especially in quantity is subject to arrest and imprisonment. Also LSD, while not addictive is a very powerful psychedelic drug with numerous physical and psychological effects. It’s not for the faint of heart nor anyone with depression or other mental disorder.

Apparently much more of the LSD is being exported to places like Germany which has recently noted a ten-fold increase in LSD seized along the border with Holland.

Some of the LSD being manufactured in Holland is used locally by the club set who perhaps are finding Ecstasy to be less of a kick after continuous use. So you may be offered LSD in a club setting along with Ecstasy. Some of the LSD is available in sheets (blotter), but it seems certain labs are making it in a pill form, thus confusing it with Ecstasy, which also appears in pill form. BEWARE! Know what it is before you take it. The Dutch will know and will tell you (hopefully) if you ask.

Another warning – LSD is NOT a party drug! Although many younger, less experienced people will take it at a club, concert or party, they eventually learn it’s way too strong a mind fuck to experience in an unfamiliar or crowded setting. In addition its effects last at least 10-12 hours during which time you will not be “yourself.” For more info about LSD check out erowid.org, an excellent resource on mind altering drugs.

Last Warning – LSD is NOT available for sale in coffeeshops. And if you try to score from dealers on the street you WILL be ripped-off. Don’t say you weren’t warned!

As of today, September 1, 2003, Dutch pharmacies will begin legally stocking marijuana and selling it to those with cannabis prescriptions from their doctors. It can now be sold in any of the 1,650 pharmacies in the Netherlands (in addition to the 800+ coffeeshops already selling marijuana). 80 hospitals and 400 doctors will also be allowed to prescribe and dispense the drug.

High quality marijuana in it’s raw form will be available in 5 gram packets for 50 Euros. This makes the Netherlands the first country in the world to prescribe and sell cannabis since it was prohibited by UN convention (it used to be one of the most frequently prescribed drugs before prohibition).

The Netherlands has done the most extensive research into the medical and social uses of cannabis, and knows for a fact that it has many medicinal uses including helping AIDS and Multiple Sclerosis patients. The government’s Bureau for Medicinal Cannabis (BMC) has been researching the effect of the drug on patients, and is the agency charged with overseeing the production and distribution of medical cannabis in the Netherlands.

The Dutch amended their Opium Law to allow the prescription and distribution of cannabis through pharmacies. Two growers will supply the pharmacies with medicinal grade marijuana.

Of course patients can also visit any of over 800 coffeeshops that also sell marijuana, but of course if they do, they’ll have to pay for it, whereas if they get a prescription it’s hoped their insurance will cover most of the cost. The public insurers will decide soon whether to cover cannabis as just another pharmacy drug.

The Netherlands has led the world in allowing people the freedom to use soft drugs such as marijuana and hashish without penalty. In addition their research has shown how effective marijuana is for medical conditions and how separating soft drugs from hard drugs has benefited their society.

In the past few years, there have been remarkable changes taking place in both the range of options and the programming quality available in Holland. The introduction of digital cable and satellite dishes have expanded the number of channels way beyond what was broadcast over airwaves, or on the analog cable systems of just a few years ago.

Now you can see TV from all over the EU and Asia, Africa and the US. With digital cable and satellite you can also order movies or listen to digital audio from dozens of genres. You can even send and receive email on certain systems.

I must warn those moving to Europe that their existing TVs and VCRs from other countries might not work in Holland. The Dutch broadcast using the PAL B/G format, and any NTSC equipment won’t work. Unless you have multiple formats available on your equipment you’ll be out of luck for viewing Dutch TV, or videos. If you purchase equipment in Holland it might not play your NTSC videos or work back in your home country.

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The Dutch telephone system has undergone a complete revolution thanks to the developments of the past few years. Once upon a time the system was under the complete control of KPN, the royal Dutch phone company. Today, several years after the monopoly was broken, KPN is nearly bankrupt, failing to compete with mobile phones, international and other Dutch phone service providers.

So what options are now available for making calls in Holland? First, the once ubiquitous phone booths are almost extinct. It used to be every public business like pubs, restaurants even shops had a public phone. But thanks again to the widespread use of mobile phones, few locals need to use a pay phone anymore. So finding them is next to impossible. In fact, not long ago I was in the Jordaan, without my cellphone, and needed to make a call. I stopped in half a dozen public places, some of which still had a phone, but not one still worked.

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Netherlands Ranked #1 As Business Location

The ‘Economist Intelligence Unit’, a British based think-tank, released their latest business environment rankings.

The ranking indicates the attractiveness of operating conditions for companies in 60 countries and compares the likely environment for the coming 5 years with the previous 5 years.

The Netherlands has surpassed the United States as having the most favorable business climate.

Rankings
1. Netherlands
2. Canada
3. Finland
4. United Kingdom
5. United States
6. Zwitserland
7. Denmark
8. Singapore
9. Sweden
10. Hong Kong

The Netherlands’ stable macro-economic environment, highly developed financial sector, high-quality infrastructure, and a highly trained and educated workforce all contributed to the recent ranking.

Source: Netherlands Embassy

Freddy Heineken, who was 78, died of pneumonia in Amsterdam today, January 3, 2002. Local newspaper De Telegraaf described his career by saying that after WWII he built the family business into a global brand comparable to Nike or Coca Cola. Of course Freddie Heineken was incredibly wealthy and famous among the jet-setters back in the ’60s and ’70s.

Fame led to his kidnapping in 1983, when he was held in a tiny warehouse room for three weeks until a rumored 17 million euro ransom was paid by his family. We have also heard that all but four million euros were later recovered.

Freddie loved playing up his eccentricities and was responsible for the unique image of Heineken worldwide at that time, and devised advertising pitches that made Heineken a world-famous name. Amsterdam newspaper De Volkskrant quotes him as saying “if I hadn’t been a beer brewer I would have been an advertising executive.”

Another scheme Freddie was proud of would have divided Europe into 75 nation-states, each with no more than 10 million inhabitants. This was his grand plan for peace in modern Europe.

I have to wonder what Freddie thought of the Euro? Or perhaps he had a final fit just days after its introduction.

Amsterdam seems to be coping sadly, I passed the Rembrandtplein on may way to an appointment today and was nearly run over by a horsedrawn carriage festooned with black ribbons. It was covered with beer kegs, and quite a crowd was chasing it down the street for the free beer being handed out.

Wow! Free beer in Amsterdam! Who would have thought it could happen!

R.I.P. Freddie Heineken