The Netherlands: The quintessentially Dutch pasttime of mud walking

Our guide, Harm Jan Wilbrink, warned us that the stone embankment leading to the sprawling mud flats might be slippery. Letting the others in our small group go ahead of me, I descended slowly on my hindside, determined not to lose my balance and end up with an unwelcome facial mask from the get-go.

We were in Friesland, in the far north of the Netherlands, on an unusually sunny and barely warm Friday morning in late July. Our 1880s rental cottage was just up the road in Moddergat, a former fishing village whose name translates to “mud hole.” Indeed, in this region, all footprints lead to the iconic Dutch activity of wadlopen, or “mud walking.”

Read more at: The quintessentially Dutch pasttime of mud walking - The Washington Post

The Netherlands: Dutch-Turkish Novelist Depicts Her Journey to Secularism With No Inhibitions -- by Thomas Erdbrink

Perhaps naïvely, Lale Gul thought she could continue living with the same people on whom she had based her best-selling novel: her strict Turkish-Dutch migrant family.

But just weeks after the February publication of her book — the autobiographical tale of a young woman breaking with her conservative Muslim culture — “a war broke out” in the family’s tiny apartment in a migrant neighborhood in Amsterdam, said the author of “Ik Ga Leven,” or “I Will Live.”

Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/13/world/europe/netherlands-dutch-turkish-novelist.html?fbclid=IwAR3LXO2edvmw2NOIB65n74qcAUxRXhK8jSlOt8gJPgDU0eNXXC_5LPReMno

Pollution in the Netherlands: Gov’t gives green light to Dutch Grand Prix; First Zandvoort F1 race since 1985

The Formula 1 race scheduled to be held at Circuit Zandvoort will be allowed to go ahead as planned. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge will announce final approval for the race when they update the country about coronavirus policy during a press conference on Friday, political sources told broadcaster NOS.

Capacity is expected to be allowed at a maximum of two-thirds. Those attending the race and supporting events during the first weekend in September will be expected to provide proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, a recent recovery from Covid-19, or a recent negative test result for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection, the broadcaster reported.

Note EU-Digest: This is a sport which causes pollution and not a great idea when we want to fight global warming

Read more at: Gov’t gives green light to Dutch Grand Prix; First Zandvoort F1 race since 1985 | NL Times

Vaccines give COVID-19 survivors a big immune boost, studies show

According to a new Gallup survey, one of the main reasons Americans cite for not planning to get vaccinated is the belief that they're protected since they already had COVID-19.

From the beginning health authorities have urged survivors to get the broader protection vaccination promises. While the shots aren't perfect, they are providing strong protection against hospitalization and death even from the delta mutant.

Read moreat: Vaccines give COVID-19 survivors a big immune boost, studies show | CBC News

The Netherlands: Dutch lead the way in protecting themselves against internet risks

The Dutch are the safest internet users in Europe across all age groups, according to a study of citizens across the continent.

Read more at: Dutch lead the way in protecting themselves against internet risks

Global warming: The Netherlands may face higher sea level rises than global average

According to a newly released report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the rise of the global sea level will increase over the coming decades and centuries — this is hardly news.

However, the report also highlights that in the Netherlands, 50-90% of sea-level rise will be caused by meltwater from Antarctica. The Antarctic ice sheet is sensitive to warming ocean water and will melt at an accelerated pace if global warming is too high.

Read more at: The Netherlands may face higher sea level rises than global average – DutchReview

The Netherlands: Shoppers in the Netherlands to see cost of weekly shop rise

According to the Financieele Dagblad (FD), food manufacturers are raising prices to cover the growing costs of raw materials and transportation. With extensive lockdowns severely impacting supply, and demand growing now that restrictions are being lifted, dairy, grains, oils and sugar have all become more expensive.

Read more at: Shoppers in the Netherlands to see cost of weekly shop rise