to move up and down
London landmarks made of flowers — A flower mosaic representing Big Ben and Tower Bridge is pictured in the Keukenhof in Lisse, the Netherlands, on May 2, 2013. The theme of the flower garden for 2013 is the United Kingdom Land of Great Gardens. (Koen van Weel/AFP/Getty Images) — View more photos HERE
Dutchman launches life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark
A full-scale replica of Noah’s Ark has opened its doors to the public in the Netherlands. Stormy weather Monday could do nothing to dampen the good mood of its creator, Dutchman Johan Huibers. In fact, the rain was appropriate.
Johan interpreted the description given in Genesis to build his ark. It measures in at a whopping 130 metres (427 feet) long, 29 metres (95 feet) across and 23 metres (75 feet) high. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
‘Zwarte Piet is Racism’: Criticism of Dutch fictional Christmas figure ‘Black Pete’ grows
Visitors to the Netherlands in winter are often surprised to see the Dutch version of St. Nicholas’s helpers have their faces painted black, wear Afro wigs and have thick red lips — in short, a racist caricature of a black person.
Most Dutch are devoted to the holiday tradition of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) and insist he’s a harmless fictional figure who doesn’t represent any race. But a growing number are questioning whether he should be given a makeover or banished, seeing him as a blight on the country’s image as a bulwark of tolerance.
“There is more opposition to Zwarte Piet than you might think,” says Jessica Silversmith, director of the regional Anti-Discrimination Bureau for Amsterdam. (DIRK WAEM/AFP/Getty Images; Margriet Faber / The Associated Press)
You, you, you otter know!
This is “Ferret” … the otter from Germany who is predicting Euro 2012 results. Ferret has chosen his home country (bias?) to beat the Netherlands in their Group B match today. Will he be right?
Toilet-bowl toss for the Queen
Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands participates in a traditional toilet-bowl throwing competition, as one does. (Koen Van Weel/Pool/Reuters)
![Dutchman threatens to burn The Book of NegroesGrowing up in 1960s Don Mills, Ont., African-Canadian author Lawrence Hill was taught to ball his fists and prepare to fight anybody who used the n-word.Decades later, Mr. Hill is trying to persuade a Dutchman not to publicly burn his novel for using another n-word in its title.Roy Groenberg of the Netherlands has announced he will burn copies of Mr. Hill’s 2007 novel, The Book of Negroes, in Amsterdam on Wednesday.Mr. Hill received word of the burning last week in an email from Mr. Groenberg, head of the Foundation to Honour and Restore Victims of Slavery in Suriname.“We, the descendants of the slaves in the former Dutch colony Suriname, want [to] let you know that we do not accept a book with the title The Book of Negroes. We have struggled for a long time to make the word ‘nigger’ disappear from the Dutch language and now you come out with this Book of Negroes! A real shame!” wrote Mr. Groenberg.If Mr. Groenberg spent “five minutes” reading The Book of Negroes, he probably would not want to burn it anymore, Mr. Hill suggested.“Book burning is something that Nazis did, it’s something that the people who led the Spanish Inquisition did, it’s a gesture designed to intimidate and silence — it’s hateful,” he said in an interview. Photo: Author Lawrence Hill (Colleen De Neve/Postmedia News)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ln6wy7c3kS1qze0z6o1_1280.jpg)
Dutchman threatens to burn The Book of Negroes
Growing up in 1960s Don Mills, Ont., African-Canadian author Lawrence Hill was taught to ball his fists and prepare to fight anybody who used the n-word.
Decades later, Mr. Hill is trying to persuade a Dutchman not to publicly burn his novel for using another n-word in its title.
Roy Groenberg of the Netherlands has announced he will burn copies of Mr. Hill’s 2007 novel, The Book of Negroes, in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Mr. Hill received word of the burning last week in an email from Mr. Groenberg, head of the Foundation to Honour and Restore Victims of Slavery in Suriname.
“We, the descendants of the slaves in the former Dutch colony Suriname, want [to] let you know that we do not accept a book with the title The Book of Negroes. We have struggled for a long time to make the word ‘nigger’ disappear from the Dutch language and now you come out with this Book of Negroes! A real shame!” wrote Mr. Groenberg.
If Mr. Groenberg spent “five minutes” reading The Book of Negroes, he probably would not want to burn it anymore, Mr. Hill suggested.
“Book burning is something that Nazis did, it’s something that the people who led the Spanish Inquisition did, it’s a gesture designed to intimidate and silence — it’s hateful,” he said in an interview.
Photo: Author Lawrence Hill (Colleen De Neve/Postmedia News)
What happens to Canada if the U.S. scraps the F-35?
The Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter-bomber was supposed to serve as the backbone of the U.S. Air Force while bringing affordable radar-evading stealth technology to medium-sized U.S. allies including Australia, the Netherlands and Canada. Now senior Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee are openly musing about scrapping the most expensive defence program in history. The F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), is 13 to 30 months late meeting revised deadlines. The price per unit has doubled. Last week the Pentagon issued what Senator John McCain called a “jaw-dropping” estimate of US$1-trillion to keep a future 2,400-plane U.S. fleet of F-35s flying for five decades. Canada has been counting on the F-35 to defend its airspace. The Post’s Adam McDowell looks at what is at stake if this option is taken away.
Survey says: Canada is second happiest country in the world
Are you happy? According to a new global wellbeing survey from Gallup, 69% of Canadians rated their lives as “thriving” in 2010 — putting the country in a tie with Sweden for second place in the rankings. The top spot belongs to Denmark, where 72% of residents are feeling pretty great about life. Who could be sad in the country where meatballs are plentiful?
Respondents had three options to choose from: “thriving” — where they classified their lives as ” a 7 or higher and their lives in five years an 8 or higher,” “struggling,” or “suffering.
Here are the top 10 countries:
1. Denmark: 72%
2. Canada: 69%
2. Sweden: 69%
4. Australia: 66%
5. Finland: 64%
5. Venezuela: 64%
7. Israel: 63%
7. New Zealand: 63%
9. Netherlands: 62%
9. Ireland: 62%
Here are the bottom 10 countries:
1. Chad: 1%
2. Central African Republic: 2%
3. Haiti: 2%
4. Burkina Faso: 3%
5. Cambodia: 3%
6. Niger: 3%
7. Tajikistan: 3%
8. Tanzania: 4%
9. Mali: 4%
10. Comoros: 4%
Update: Now with a snazzy map!
