Posts under ‘Social stories’

Guest blogger Mariana Schroeder tells us how the Dutch fared in the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge.
Nearly 40 ships sailed into Belfast earlier this month. They are part of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge, a boat race that began in Vigo, Spain and ended in Belfast after sailing to the Canary Islands, Bermuda, South Carolina, Boston, [...]

A fake in the Rijksmuseum! Shocking!
Nope, it’s not a Rembrandt or Van Gogh… it’s a moon rock.
Or rather, it’s a fake moon rock.
According to curators, the rock - which was was given to former Prime Minister Willem Drees during a visit from the Apollo-11 astronauts shortly after their moon mission in 1969 - is nothing [...]

Well, it seems that Laura Dekker won’t be allowed to go ahead with her plans to break the record for the youngest ’round-the-world solo sailing trip.
The court ruled today in favor of Child Protection Services and Laura’s parents have lost custody for 2 months.
And her back-up plan of heading to New Zealand? Apparently authorities there [...]

One of the things I love about Holland is the climate.
Yes, I complain about the lack of sunshine and frequent rain… but I really appreciate that it’s almost never bitterly cold in the winter (though I do miss the snow) and almost never meltingly hot in the summer.
Until now.
We seem to be having a heat [...]

Just thought I’d post an update on Laura Dekker, the 13 year-old Dutch girl who wants to be the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
She’s planning to leave this month… but apparently, Child Protection Services are trying to stop her from going. They’ve even asked a juvenile court to take away her parents’ [...]

This weekend I was a very lucky person - I got to go to the Lowlands festival… for free.
For those of you who have no idea what that is, it’s a 3-day music festival held in the Dutch province of Flevoland. Basically, along with 60-thousand other people, you camp and party and drink and dance [...]

Background: In Holland, to use public transport (subway, bus, or tram - not train), you use what’s called a “strippenkaart” - a long, narrow piece of paper with a certain number of “strips” printed on it. When you get on a bus/tram/whatever, you punch a certain number of strips, depending on how far you’re going. [...]

I just saw this article and thought the headline was funny because it was SO typically Dutch: “Dutch advice on Mexican flu: ‘Just sit it out’ “.
Basically, the Dutch public health authority has stopped counting new cases of the Mexican flu… and doctors are treating it just as they would treat the common winter flu.

Which [...]

I’ve never been much of a sailor - when I tried it at summer camp, I wound up soaking wet and marooned in the middle of the lake when the wind died.
But Laura Dekker, a 13-year-old Dutch girl, loves sailing… so much so that she’s hoping to become the youngest person to make a solo [...]

Speaking of vacationing (now that I’m back from mine), I thought I’d post this Fokke & Sukke comic:
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