Why I Love The Netherlands, Part 4

AMSTERDAM — Members of the public will be able to borrow more than books at Almelo Library. In September, people will be able to "borrow" a gay person, gypsy or a Muslim for an hour.

Jan Krol, the head of the library, got the idea from a Swedish colleague who set up a similar "forget the stereotypes" project in Malmo.

People will be allowed to bring the "borrowee" to a cafe for an hour next to Almelo library to ask questions they would not normally dare to ask.

Krol is putting together a group of 10 people — representing different minority groups — to volunteer to be lent out. One of the volunteers is a Muslim woman living in a local asylum seekers centre.

Krol is also chairperson of the Twente and Achterhoek branch of the gay organisation COC.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2005]

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Why I love this country, Part 3

Finally, a test I don't have to study for.

Dutch government unveils new integration exam.
Aspiring immigrants will have to know how many wheels a car has and that it is OK to be gay to prove they are capable of adjusting to life in the Netherlands.

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Why I love this country

What's on TV tonight, honey?

TUESDAY 18 JANUARY

22.00
DOCUMENTARY: Auschwitz The Final Solution

0.20
DOCUMENTARY: The Power Of Nightmares (1)
The first of three films about the rise of the politics of fear. The series demonstrates how the threat of Islamist terrorism has been distorted and exaggerated by politicians. While there is a terrorist threat from radical Islamism, the idea that we are faced by a terrifying hidden organisation orchestrated by evil mastermind Osama bin Laden is a fantasy. It is a myth that has spread unquestioned through politics, the security services and the international media. At the heart of the story are two groups: the American neoconservatives and the radical Islamists. Both groups were idealistic, born out of the failure of the liberal dream to build a better world. Together they created today's nightmare vision of an organised terror network. Part 2 on Wednesday.

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Why did you move to The Netherlands?

The short answer is: "For Ian." If you knew Ian, you wouldn't have asked that question. (I'll write that blog later.) A better question might be, "Why did you both decide to settle in The Netherlands (where Ian has been living and working for the past 3 years) instead of England (his home) or the U.S. (mine)?

Have I mentioned that our landlord is from Iraq? And that he supports everything we (the U.S. and Britain) have done/are doing to/in his native country? He keeps pushing me to vote for Bush. Well, all I can say about that is that my absentee ballot is in the mail and I hope he doesn't open it and find out I voted for my candidate instead of his.

His wife came by the other day - she's very pregnant. She's also very nice - warm, kind and approachable. They both are, actually. She was telling Ian that the other day her husband said, "So, we're living in The Netherlands and renting to a homosexual couple, one guy from England and another from America. No one can say I'm not a modern Muslim."

I think he's wrong on the President issue and, in truth, he knows I think that. But how can I possibly argue or be irritated with this "modern Muslim" who does not discriminate against me simply because his beliefs and mine differ? He's a Muslim, yes. But he's also typically Dutch. It's this type of thing, a thing that must seem very small to someone who hasn't been discriminated against, that makes all the hassle and expense of uprooting my life to become a resident of The Netherlands worth it.

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Why we chose the Netherlands over the U.S.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."
—George W. Bush, August 5, 2004

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