Household retail chain Blokker, which declared bankruptcy in November, is making a cautious comeback, with plans to open multiple company-owned stores, according to RTL One of the new locations is confirmed for Steenwijk but the company has yet to relaunch its online store a Blokker franchisee in Bunschoten-Spakenburg and a board member of the Blokker franchisees’ association confirmed the plans in an interview with the broadcaster She stated that Blokker intends to open several of its own stores though the exact number and timeline remain unclear Blokker had struggled for years before filing for bankruptcy in mid-November. Of the approximately 400 remaining stores, around 350 shut down. Only 40 franchise-owned locations remained open, as they operate independently, paying fees to use the Blokker brand and stocking its products. The launch of new stores will reportedly depend on negotiations with landlords. While Heinen could not confirm which location would open first, she verified that Steenwijk would be among the new stores. The Meppeler Courant previously reported that Blokker planned to return to Steenwijk, citing a source who claimed it would be “one of two new company-owned Blokker stores.” A landlord also confirmed that the store would reopen in the same building that previously housed a Blokker location. More details are expected in the coming weeks. Roland Palmer, the businessman who, along with investors, acquired the Blokker brand and online store, has not responded to RTL's repeated requests for comment. In December, an investor group led by Roland Palmer acquired the Blokker brand and online store. Palmer, a nephew of Jaap and Ab Blokker—who built the company into a retail powerhouse in the 1970s—outlined ambitious plans to revive the business, including stronger collaboration with franchisees. Some franchise owners also expressed interest in opening new stores, but none have materialized yet. Earlier this year, some franchisees considered opening new Blokker stores, but those plans remain on hold. Heinen emphasized that franchisees need more certainty before moving forward, noting that “there is no Blokker organization left—just a name.” She pointed out the absence of central distribution and logistics support, stating, “Franchisees don’t know what they’re getting into.” In recent months, the 40 remaining franchise stores have operated independently, without assistance from a central management structure. © 2012-2025, NL Times, All rights reserved. In this double-blind, crossover, randomized, placebo-controlled trial 12 healthy participants were administered 16 g broccoli sprouts, or pea sprouts (placebo) followed by the standardized high-caloric drink PhenFlex given to disturb healthy homeostasis. Levels of inflammatory biomarkers and metabolic parameters were measured in plasma before and 2 h after the caloric overload. This study has demonstrated that sulforaphane facilitated development of a mild pro-inflammatory state during the caloric challenge, which could be suggestive of the onset of the hormetic response induced by this phytonutrient. The use of integrative outcomes measures such as the systemic low-grade inflammation score can be viewed as a more robust approach to study the subtle and pleiotropic effects of phytonutrients. Clinical trial registration:www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT05146804. Volume 10 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2023.1245355 This article is part of the Research TopicNutritional Toxicity: Physiology, Nutrition, and Human HealthView all 13 articles Background and aims: Observational data indicate that diets rich in fruits and vegetables have a positive effect on inflammatory status improve metabolic resilience and may protect against the development of non-communicable diseases experimental evidence demonstrating a causal relationship between nutrient intake (especially whole foods) and changes in metabolic health is scarce This study investigated the pleiotropic effects of sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts inflammation and metabolic stress in healthy participants subjected to a standardized caloric challenge placebo-controlled trial 12 healthy participants were administered 16 g broccoli sprouts or pea sprouts (placebo) followed by the standardized high-caloric drink PhenFlex given to disturb healthy homeostasis Levels of inflammatory biomarkers and metabolic parameters were measured in plasma before and 2 h after the caloric overload Results: Administration of broccoli sprouts promoted an increase in levels of CCL-2 induced by caloric load (p = 0.017) and IL-10) individually showed insignificant tendencies toward increase with administration of sulforaphane Combining all studied biomarkers into the systemic low-grade inflammation score further confirmed upregulation of the inflammatory activity (p = 0.087) after sulforaphane No significant effects on biomarkers of metabolic stress were detected Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that sulforaphane facilitated development of a mild pro-inflammatory state during the caloric challenge which could be suggestive of the onset of the hormetic response induced by this phytonutrient The use of integrative outcomes measures such as the systemic low-grade inflammation score can be viewed as a more robust approach to study the subtle and pleiotropic effects of phytonutrients Clinical trial registration:www.clinicaltrials.gov no experimental study has been conducted to investigate the effects of broccoli sprouts on integrative outcome measures we investigate the pleiotropic effects of broccoli sprouts All subjects provided written informed consent measured plasma concentrations of sVCAM-1 and sICAM-1 (primary outcomes) at different timepoints in healthy men after consumption of broccoli seedlings or lettuce (placebo) The detectable difference used for the sample size calculation is calculated based on the mean concentrations of sVCAM-1 (ng/mL) Variance = Mean difference/SD Variance = (26.7–2.4)/14.20 = 1.711 ‘Variance explained by special effect’ was set to 0.5 the chance of having a type I error was 5% and an effect size of 0.54 (medium effect size) within-between interaction) yielding 10 participants which results in the final sample size of 12 participants each participant received a single serving of intervention/placebo which after 90 min was followed by oral administration of the PhenFlex challenge just before intake of PhenFlex and 120 min after All participants were instructed to come fasted to each visit to avoid consumption of broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables 2 days before the visit and to restrain from intense physical activity on the day of the visit participants remained in the testing location and were allowed to drink water ad libitum No food intake was permitted during the visit Administration of intervention (sulforaphane/placebo) was followed in 90 min by administration of standardized caloric challenge PhenFlex Blood samples were obtained before (90 min) and 2 h after (210 min) PhenFlex challenge and the participants were instructed to consume the drink within 5 min Samples of venous blood were taken twice per visit from the antecubital vein for measurement of inflammatory and metabolic biomarkers Samples were collected in 4 mL BD tubes containing K2EDTA as anticoagulant and centrifuged for 5 min (at 3,000 g 4°C) within 30 min after collection Plasma was stored at ≤−80°C until the day of analysis Plasma samples were analyzed for glucose via colorimetric assay (Cayman Chemical; Glucose Colorimetric Assay Kit 10009582) and lipoprotein A using Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Abcam®; Human Lipoprotein A SimpleStep ELISA® Kit All normally distributed data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD) The non-normally distributed data are shown as median (interquartile range) frequency and/or percentages are presented Differences between the groups were assessed by paired sample T-tests for normally distributed parameters or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for the data that was not normally distributed Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to check for potential carryover effects Associations between clinical features and biomarkers were assessed using Pearson (normally distributed parameters) or Spearman’s rank (non-normally distributed) correlation coefficient two-tailed with a p ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant Between November 2021 and January 2022, a total of 12 subjects were enrolled into the study and randomly allocated to either initial administration of sulforaphane or placebo. Baseline characteristics of the study population (n = 12) are summarized in Table 1. All participants completed the study and were included in the data analysis for biochemical testing (Figure 2) The pre-test (Wilcoxon rank sum test) revealed no differences between treatment allocations for all parameters (all z < 0.00 Absence of sulforaphane in placebo was verified by testing urine samples which showed significantly higher concentration of the total metabolites of sulforaphane after intake of broccoli sprouts (8.2 vs Plasma concentrations of sICAM-1 (pg/mL) and sVCAM-1 (pg/mL) in the sulforaphane and placebo groups before and the changes during the PhenFlex challenge (A-D) Timepoints: 1—before administration of PhenFlex (90 min); 2—2 h after PhenFlex (210 min) Comparison between timepoints in sulforaphane/placebo Plasma concentrations of CCL-2 (pg/mL) in the sulforaphane and placebo groups before and the changes during the PhenFlex challenge (A,B) The systemic low-grade inflammation score (SIS) in the sulforaphane and placebo before and after the PhenFlex challenge (C) Aside from CCL-2, a more robust change was observed with the integration of the individual biomarkers in the composite systemic low-grade inflammation score (Table 3; Figure 4) In the sulforaphane group the composite score revealed a pro-inflammatory trend after caloric challenge [−0.092 (1.06) before vs p = 0.087] which was less prominent in the placebo group [−0.001 (0.81) before vs no significant correlations between inflammation biomarkers and demographic with the exemption of IL-10 and smoking (p = 0.042) and the number of cigarettes per day (p = 0.042) moderate strength correlations between the systemic low-grade inflammation score and fat percentage (rs = −0.551 p = 0.079) and the number of cigarettes per day (rs = 0.557 The fact that these correlations were not observed in the pea sprouts group (placebo) supports the hypothesis that the other bioactive compounds in the whole food products may have blunted the transient disruption of post-exposure homeostasis expected after caloric load This is also revealed in part by the only correlation between circulating IL-10 and plasma glucose The presence of other nutrients in broccoli sprouts may have interfered with the strong effects of sulforaphane were still evident as more correlations were shown in this group Hormesis hypothesis on health effects of fruits and vegetables Changes in integrative anti-inflammatory capacity in response to intervention The dotted lines represent the expected sustained effects on integrative anti-inflammatory potential through an increase in endogenous antioxidants via Nrf2 activation by hormetins Black: Broccoli sprouts (with sulforaphane); Gray: Pea sprouts (without sulforaphane); T0 and T1—time points of blood sampling Learning more about the interplay between phytonutrients may eventually reveal whether “an apple a day can keep the doctor away”—at least for a while This study has shown that the subtle and pleiotropic effects of phytonutrients can be studied in a short time by challenging the resilience and efficacy of adaptive mechanisms of healthy participants Broccoli sprouts containing sulforaphane facilitated the development of a mild pro-inflammatory state during the caloric challenge which suggests the onset of a hormetic response and became more evident when applying integrative outcome measures The multifaceted approach allowed for more accurate quantification of the effects of phytonutrients in relation to inflammation and metabolic processes Considering innovative integrative research approaches (e.g. n-of-1 designs) would enhance our understanding of the hormetic principles of phytonutrients and stimulate research into the health effects of food The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors The studies involving humans were approved by Medical Ethics Review Committee of Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+) and Maastricht University The studies were conducted in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements The participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study FO: methodology and writing—review and editing HP and FT: writing—review and editing All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version This research was funded by the Dutch Topsector Tuinbouw and Uitgangsmaterialen The authors thank Ardi Cengo for his contributions The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The Supplementary material for this article can be found online at: 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Published: 28 November 2023 Copyright © 2023 van Steenwijk, Vinken, van Osch, Peppelenbos, Troost, Bast, Semen and de Boer. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Hidde P. van Steenwijk, aC52YW5zdGVlbndpamtAbWFhc3RyaWNodHVuaXZlcnNpdHkubmw= †ORCID: Hidde P. van Steenwijk, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8409-5753 Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Previous to his membership with the Historical Society van Steenwijk was at the Bedford Free Public Library when he realized the original Bedford battle flag "This led us to create Friends of the Bedford Flag in 1997," van Steenwijk. "We raised funds to have the flag restored at the Lowell Textile Museum and had a new safe room built within the library so it was displayed properly." Friends of the Bedford Flag also contributed funds toward the patriot statue in Memorial Park van Steenwijk decided to allow Friends of the Bedford Flag to be absorbed by the Historical Society in 2010 along with the group's funds and the largest incarnation of the Bedford flag which continues to be used every year in the Bedford Day Parade van Steenwijk is president of the Historical Society and is more dedicated than ever to giving the flag the reverance it deserves "It is the oldest exisiting flag in the United States," van Steenwijk said "How many things did we have left from 1704?" Van Steenwijk said the flag remains an important part of Bedford culture not only because it is a part of the revolutionary history of our country but because it shows that Bedford was unique of those towns who were involved in the battle of Concord "Of those groups who showed up to fight the British we were the only group carrying a flag," van Steenwijk said Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Jan van Steenwijk grew up in Europe and lived in several countries before settling in Bedford 30 years ago van Steenwijk noticed  the amount of volunteer work  members of the community did was unlike anywhere else he had ever lived "I grew up in the Netherlands and I've lived in Denmark in other places and it occurred to me that in the United States whether that is with a church or whatever that is people don't volunteer to the same degree as they do here," van Steenwijk said "I realized all these people I got to know through my own work I wanted to do something to give them a medal van Steenwijk was able to publish his work "Ordinary People-Extraordinary Stories: A glimpse of seventy-seven people's journey through life" which focused on two different subjects The first part of the book is about residents who volunteered their time in Bedford The second half features couples who have lived together in Bedford for at least 25 years with photos of the couples sitting in their Bedford home van Steenwijk began working on a project to honor Bedford residents who had selflessly donated their time to volunteer work in the town His original goal was to have the volunteers write personal essays about themselves but when residents found it difficult to write about themselves the parameters changed to writing an essay about what they would like people to know about them A key point was that  van Steenwijk had the essay's handwritten by the subjects "People were very nervous about their own handwriting and they were concerned about how it would look and if they made mistakes I said it was OK if they made mistakes in their writing because that helped make the letters that much more personal," van Steenwijk said The decision to begin taking photographs and getting the stories of couples began after van Steenwijk who has been taking photographs since he was a teenager was taking photos at the request of a couple "I was taking photos of a couple and I thought that it could be my next project I asked them to give me the name of a couple they knew so that way I went around town and photographed them and had them write a story about themselves," van Steenwijk van Steewijk tried to get the simplest photos as possible to give readers a better understanding of what their everyday life was like these are just illustrations of the people and done in black and white," van Steewijk said "If you look at pictures that are a hundred years old we can see the way they dress and the way they live I wanted that story to be told in these pictures." van Steenwijk was able to print the books in a hardcover copy thanks to grants from the Bedford Free Public Library The Bedford Cultural Council and the Bedford Historical Society and donated two each to the Bedford Free Public Library and the Bedford Historical Society The copies at the Bedford Free Public Library are available for public viewing The remaining five books van Steewijk said that he would be willing to sell them I'll be able to greatly reduce the price," van Steewijk said If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book contact Jan van Steewijk at jansteenwijk@gmail.com SEARCHThe global authority in superyachting Credit: Steeler YachtsSteeler Yachts acquires Holterman Shipyard 17 October 2024 • by Gabrielle Lazaridis Steeler Yachts, a Dutch builder based in Steenwijk, the Netherlands, has acquired Holterman Shipyard following reports the latter had declared bankruptcy and was actively exploring takeover options. To continue reading... you need to register... Gain FREE access to industry analysis, interviews with marine industry leaders and all the latest news as it happens. SubscribeSign up to our newslettersSign up to BOAT International email newsletters to get the latest superyacht news Boat International Media Ltd © 2008 - 2025 Content presented under the "BOAT Presents" logo is an advertising feature and Boat International Limited has been paid to include this content "Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art" sale at Christie's London started at 10:30am a pair of famille rose "butterfly" vases appeared on the stage and this star lot was hammered at £13m at last Our specialist believes that the price is reasonable. According to reliable source Bidding started at £1.7m and quickly raised to £10m under intense bidding only two phone bidders stayed in the bidding war the bid price raised to £13m after around 6 minutes of bidding Auctioneer Leila de Vos van Steenwijk was going to sell the lot a phone bid representative yelled "wait" Steenwijk replied "you scared us all" with a smile and this pair of beautiful vases was hammered for £13m at last his representative is CC Xichu Wang at Asian Art A MAGNIFICENT PAIR OF FAMILLE ROSE ‘BUTTERFLY’ DOUBLE-GOURD VASES QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795) Door de grote belangstelling voor het CABR is onze studiezaal vaak volgeboekt. Kunt u geen archiefstuk reserveren? Bekijk dan onze pagina over de aangepaste dienstverlening The bonds that connect the American and Dutch peoples have been commemorated in various ways and at various levels Dutch-American Friendship Day is a well-established annual event at the governmental level the historical memory of Petrus Stuyvesant has recently become controversial but in the twentieth century his image was iconic the Dutch States General decided to recognize John Adams as the envoy of the United States of America It was the culmination of a contentious political process in which the Dutch Republic’s constituent provinces (Friesland being the first) instructed their delegates to vote in favor of accepting Adams’s nomination With Adams in place as America’s minister plenipotentiary the Dutch Republic reciprocated by naming Pieter Johan van Berckel as its first ambassador Among his entourage were two young Dutch noblemen Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp and Carel de Vos van Steenwijk Van Hogendorp and De Vos van Steenwijk toured the east coast of America and turned their American sojourn into the New World equivalent of the European Grand Tour that formed an essential part of the education of elite young men They were the first Dutch tourists to explore the newly founded United States of America President Ronald Reagan officially proclaimed 19 April Dutch-American Friendship Day Two centuries of diplomatic relations between the two countries constituted “the United States’ longest unbroken peaceful relationship with any foreign country.” Every year the American Embassy in The Hague and their respective Consulates in many other cities organize events to commemorate the Dutch-American friendship These include civic receptions and the distribution of Dutch flowers Annual events of this nature form part of the memory connecting us to the past and add to the rich tapestry that represents and makes concrete a transcendent feeling of kinship shared by the Dutch and the American peoples A Friendship Day is but one of many ways that keeps alive the shared history of the two countries all of which form part of Dutch-American historical memory and are based on specific motives and with particular aims in mind These things evolve over time and this process is the topic of the present blog which will focus on the historical memory of Petrus Stuyvesant in New York City whose first name is usually anglicized as Peter There is no doubt that he is an important figure in the early history of New York not least because he was in charge for seventeen years that in 1915 he was commemorated through the creation of a bust housed at St “Stuyvesant Kin Unveil Memorial,” the headline in the New York Tribune ran “Bust Tribute Faces Altar at Spot Where Stern Warrior Knelt.” Other New York newspapers described the event in a similar vein The New York Sun stated that: “All the speakers praised the character of the Dutch patriot and most of them declared that his sturdy patriotism had had a large part in the making of political New York its government and its people.” Chevalier Van Rappard the envoy representing the Dutch government extolled Stuyvesant as “the founder of the principles of freedom of tolerance and of appreciation of other man’s opinions which at the actual moment still are the base of the American Constitution” and went on to declare him “the patron saint of New York.” General Leonard Wood accepting the statue on behalf of the American people Stuyvesant is the spirit of America.” The New York Times informed its readers that Stuyvesant’s effigy was a gift from Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch government as a “token of goodwill.” In his acceptance speech on behalf of the Episcopal Church New York’s Bishop David Hummell Greer emphasized Stuyvesant’s lasting effect on his community and said of the bust: “We shall always esteem it as a proof of affection between the two countries.” Staunch seventeenth-century Calvinist that Stuyvesant was he would have dismissed the patron saint epithet as “popish idolatry.” The anachronistic admiration he received on 5 December 1915 was not founded on nuanced or informed research The Stuyvesant that was honored was a caricature quite different from Washington Irving’s satirical image The lack of detail in the speeches underlines how little was actually known of the man behind the bronze bust the speakers lionized an idealized image of boisterous jingoistic leadership that was in vogue in the United States at the time embodied by President Theodore Roosevelt’s style of government While it made sense for a bust to be placed at St Mark’s the question does arise as to why Stuyvesant was chosen at all Where exactly did the idea to transform him into the symbol of Dutch-American friendship originate one that harkens back to the publication of Irving’s marvelous depiction of Dutch New York in 1809 in which “Stubborn Stuyvesant” featured prominently the idea of presenting a Stuyvesant bust to New York City was conceived by Leonard C who at that time was the Queen Wilhelmina Lecturer in Dutch Literature and History at Columbia University Inspired by the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909 he had noted that there was no statue or bust of Stuyvesant in New York City and took up the cause In June 1914 Van Noppen and Van Rappard persuaded the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs to put his weight behind it and things then began to move quickly Within weeks government funds were made available and Toon Dupuis was selected to be the sculptor The intended date for the unveiling of the bust was 13 October 1914 incorrectly thought to be Stuyvesant’s birthday Funds for the Queen Wilhelmina Lectureship were now in danger of being taken away which made Van Noppen all the more eager to push forward the unveiling of the bust and the concomitant media attention in December 1915 did not yield the desired financial result for Van Noppen remains an important consequence of Dutch-American cultural relations a prominent New Yorker and descendant of Petrus had transferred a parcel of land to the city but it was ultimately named after the donor of the land instead The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation wanted to adorn Stuyvesant Square with a memorial of some sort and brought the matter to the attention of the Netherland-America Foundation which proposed the erection of a statue of Petrus Stuyvesant asserted that a statue would be highly appropriate as there was no other such memorial anywhere in the city While the Parks Department would provide money for the pedestal the Newark Ledger ran an article with the headline: “Mrs Whitney to Fix Leg for Stuyvesant.” Another newspaper quipped: “Stuyvesant’s Peg Leg Puzzle to Sculptress.” The choice for a statue rather than a bust resulted in the question of whether Stuyvesant had lost his right leg or his left The Netherland-America Foundation cautiously suggested that it might perhaps be the right leg pointing to a Stuyvesant statue in the baptistery donated by three Stuyvesant siblings in 1924 to the Cathedral of St Once the matter was resolved—it was indeed the right leg after all—the project came to fruition Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney researched Dutch clothing of the seventeenth century and her subsequent design received praise all around The Stuyvesant statue was first exhibited at the Netherlands pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York Gertrude Whitney called the statue “the embodiment of patriotism and civic pride” which she considered of particular importance at that juncture in time Others praised Stuyvesant’s courage and steadfastness the Queen Wilhelmina Professor at Columbia University declared that Stuyvesant had built the city into one of the finest in the New World: “It was a cosmopolitan town as early as 1664.” the dedication of the statue in Stuyvesant Square turned out to be a dreary affair the rain was so torrential that the speeches had to be moved indoors to St George’s Episcopal Church located on the west side of Stuyvesant Park Accepting the statue on behalf of the city praised the numerous attributes that New Yorkers had inherited from their Dutch ancestors IBM-founder and chair of the board of directors of the Netherland-America Foundation The statue was unveiled by Augustus Van Horne Stuyvesant Jr and the last person to be buried in the Stuyvesant family vault under St-Mark’s thirteen years later the vault was sealed off and became inaccessible Nevertheless it is said that the old Director General sometimes comes out at night to haunt his old stomping grounds Thus the historical Stuyvesant became a canvas onto which the ideals of the 1910s and 1930s were projected Today the name of the Stuyvesant family is no longer regarded as just “proof of affection between the two countries.” Another and held approximately 15 to 25 Africans in bondage The Director General’s part in the Dutch slave trade that laid the foundation for New York’s black community can no longer be overlooked instrumental in erecting the statue in Stuyvesant Square quickly changed the name of its annual fundraiser the elegant black-tie Peter Stuyvesant Ball to the rather anodyne “NAF Ball.” Well-intentioned as the change undoubtedly was the new name does nothing to acknowledge the Dutch role in the history of New York “The New Amsterdam Ball” would have served the NAF better It is easier to rename an annual event than it is to remove a material reminder of the past By removing a specific memorial the memory of those who choose to commemorate that particular person or event is also erased The City is a multi-layered palimpsest on which vestiges of the past have been inscribed by successive generations of New Yorkers who traversed the island of Manhattan and beyond Would it not be better if it remained so as a reminder to today’s New Yorkers of their predecessors people who can still receive admiration for their achievements as well as censure for their moral failings want to promote a balanced and inclusive sense of history then erecting a new memorial would be appropriate It would add to the rich history of New York City to commemorate a young African woman brought to Manhattan by the Dutch West India Company in 1627 who remained on the island until her death over six decades later Mayken’s life will be the topic of the next installment of this series of blogs 1999) is affiliated with the University of St Andrews He is a historian of early American history He has taught at several universities in the Netherland This blog is the first of a monthly series with stories from the rich history shared by the American and the Dutch people Authors from both countries will present various stories of their own choosing in order to provide the full of triumphs and heartbreaks delights and disappointments that draw from hundreds of years of shared history Not all stories will be ‘feel-good history’ While the relations between the Dutch and the Americans have for the most part been stable and peaceful the shared history contains some darker moments as well Acknowledging that errors have been made in the past does not take away from the friendship but Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations The US government has told EU states that it and other non-EU NATO allies should play a key role in a European defence pact diplomatic sources said yesterday (27 February) Army vehicles are being prepared at the Johannes Postkazerne to drive to Steenwijk station to be transported by train to Germany for the NATO quick reaction force The agenda of today’s mega-FAC meeting was so heavy that even EU policy nerds may have missed the news or 25 countries out of 28 (all except the UK 80 percent of NATO country defence spending will come from non-EU members even tho primary purpose of NATO is defence of EU countries Not likely to change: Germany plans an annual rise of only €250 million in the coming years US President Donald Trump's defence secretary told European allies on Wednesday to step up efforts to increase military budgets and warned that troop contributions to missions did not exempt them from broader spending goals 2025 Outlook: Global M&A Industry Trends The s+b digital issue: Be a better decider EU Deforestation Regulation postponed…but companies must start preparing now for its implementation In December 2024 the Council and European Parliament reached agreement to postpone the mandatory compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by one year extending the deadline to 30 December 2025 But businesses should not view it as an opportunity to relax The EUDR is a complex and wide-ranging regulation that demands rigorous compliance businesses should already be gearing up for its enforcement and seize the opportunity to strengthen market positions The EUDR aims to limit the EU’s impact on global deforestation and forest degradation it introduces extensive due diligence requirements for businesses and their supply-chains These requirements apply to all businesses seeking to import export or trade in seven key commodities (cattle along with specific products derived from these commodities (e.g. The Regulation introduces a ban on these products being marketed in the EU unless they are verifiably deforestation-free and produced in accordance with relevant legislation (e.g. EU businesses and authorities to prepare for the EUDR’s far-reaching requirements there was significant pressure from stakeholders to postpone enforcement with a proposal by the European Commission to this effect the Council (heads of member states) and the European Parliament confirmed that the EUDR’s requirements would apply from 30 December 2025 for large companies (and from 30 June 2026 for micro- and small enterprises) In parallel with their proposal to postpone the EUDR the European Commission released additional guidance documents This indicates that even though the EU agreed to give businesses more time to prepare for the Regulation the EU remains committed to the enforcement of the regulation This article provides new insights and best practices to help companies prepare for EUDR compliance based on the guidance the Commission has published The Commission published its long-awaited draft guidelines and updated FAQs in October 2024 to provide further clarification on the implementation and oversight of the EUDR These guidelines are not legally binding and cannot replace or amend the text of the Regulation they provide a useful reference for companies preparing for EUDR compliance As these guidelines will also be considered by the national competent authorities – the designated agencies in various EU countries like the Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung in Germany – responsible for implementing and enforcing the EUDR’s requirements These updated documents address key elements of the EUDR including the definitions of "placing and making available on the market" "export" and "operator" which help define when the EUDR applies and who needs to comply The guidance documents also provide additional clarity on areas including product scope due diligence obligations or certifications and third-party verifications Key insights from the guidance documents include: Companies impacted by the EUDR should continue to move ahead with the plans they have already put in place Postponement of the Regulation does not mean internal preparations should be delayed or put on hold   Based on our experience we have seen that on average the timeline for being compliant with EUDR is 10 months this might result in an additional need for resources and/or budgets to speed up the process The following best practices can be helpful when preparing for EUDR compliance:  a) Accurately identify products within EUDR's scope and map your entire supply chain b) Evaluate how EUDR impacts your business and assess readiness by identifying gaps between current practices and regulatory expectations including supplier engagement plans and IT solutions a) Make full use of the extended timeline: coordinate with your team and synchronise internal preparations to ensure compliance by December 2025 b) Negotiate with suppliers for EUDR-compliant contracts and secure information needed to meet regulatory requirements a) Review your supply chain for compliance opportunities and capitalise on insights to enhance your market position b) Discover new opportunities for value creation and reinforce your competitive edge a) Navigate the evolving regulatory landscape by integrating compliance data strategy and data gathering strategies across all sustainability regulations (CSRD If you already require information for e.g. combine the requests to avoid going back to your suppliers' multiple times The postponement of EUDR enforcement provides your business with an outstanding opportunity to fine-tune your compliance strategy and uncover synergies that drive business growth To better understand the impact of EUDR on your company please find more articles from the PwC Network below or reach out to your PwC contacts Global Impact Centre and Asia Pacific – Sustainable Supply Chains Viewing tax through a new lens to deliver sustainable outcomes Make your climate actions count with targeted Three companies join forces to invest in hydrogen trucks from MAN It is expected that hydrogen can be refueled at Fieten Olie at Bedrijvenpark Eeserwold in Steenwijk in early 2026 Three companies that are active in the Northeast of the Netherlands are giving substance to the hydrogen economy in this region by jointly investing in six impressive MAN Trucks that will run on hydrogen The trucks are being purchased by Zuidema Groep All three companies are expected to have two of these MAN trucks with a hydrogen combustion engine by early 2026 They will be delivered via the Roordink commercial vehicle centre in Zwolle the directors were present at the presentation of a model truck in Steenwijk with the recently opened seventieth Fieten Olie petrol station as the backdrop A SWIM subsidy has been requested for the purchase of the trucks: Hydrogen in Mobility Subsidy Scheme This subsidy from the central government provides an impetus to the development of hydrogen filling stations and hydrogen vehicles in the Netherlands It will become clear at the end of 2024 which applicants will be awarded the subsidy The hydrogen trucks will be available in the third quarter of 2025 Isn’t it great that six trucks will soon be driving through this region on behalf of three companies Is how Roelofs’ general manager Gerard Hoiting sees the near future the possibilities for using hydrogen in heavy mobility and for entrepreneurs become very concrete In combination with an energy hub at Eeserwold we are taking concrete steps together in the energy transition MAN has a long history in hydrogen powertrains which the company has been researching for decades MAN Truck & Bus presented the first hydrogen bus at the Hannover Messe in 1996 This city bus was powered by a natural gas engine that had been adapted for hydrogen operation MAN Truck & Bus is the first European truck manufacturer to produce a limited series of these trucks with this hydrogen combustion engine It is an emission-free drive variant for special applications for example for the transport of heavy goods in regions where sufficient hydrogen is available sales advisor Reint Inkelaar explains that trucks powered by hydrogen combustion engines are a very useful addition for special applications and markets That is why the three companies also opted for this MAN Truck model The use of familiar technology enables us to enter the market at an early stage and thus provides an important impetus for expanding the hydrogen infrastructure “This hydrogen drive is particularly suitable for special transport tasks that require a specific axle configuration.” The MAN hTGX offers a high payload and a maximum range of 600 kilometres in the current versions The direct injection of hydrogen into the engine ensures particularly fast power delivery With hydrogen compressed under a pressure of 700 bar (CG H2) and a tank capacity of 56 kilograms the truck can be refuelled in less than 15 minutes Fieten Olie in Steenwijk will be the first of more than seventy Fieten filling stations to be able to refuel with hydrogen Our filling station in Eeserwold is already fully prepared for this in terms of design “We submitted the permit application for this on time and are certainly looking to the future with confidence READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central Three companies join forces to invest in hydrogen trucks from MAN, source The Shu Dao Toyota hydrogen fuel cell smart manufacturing base has settled in Chengdu with a total investment expected to be 1 billion yuan On April 18th the signing ceremony for the Shudao Toyota Hydrogen Fuel Cell.. Airbus Ventures Invests in Fourier’s $18,5M Series A Funding Round – on-demand Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Airbus Ventures announces its investment in Fourier.. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Grants Clean Planet $6,8 Million to Advance Quantum Hydrogen Energy Grant supports development of a promising new source of clean and safe fusion energy TOKYO — ♙pril 10 COPYRIGHT POLICY DISCLAIMER TERMS & CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY We love meeting interesting people and making new friends As every website has a carbon footprint we want to make you able to contribute to a more sustainable experience by viewing ours in dark mode It will reduce the screen power and carbon emissions generated by your visit More about our work to lower emission here Recycling champion IceBear has big ambitions for its Dutch operation that produces composite pallet blocks out of recycled waste wood and green energy After securing financing via a green bond issuance with Nordea’s help the company recently hit its first major production milestone When it comes to circular economy, few companies come as close to full circle as IceBear operates a combined heat and power plant that generates renewable energy from wood chips which is in turn used to produce recycled waste wood pallet blocks The surplus energy is harnessed to heat water which is sold for weed control and other environmentally-friendly uses Nordea helped IceBear issue a green bond to finance the project which hit a major milestone in January with the production of its first composite pallet block Pallet blocks are the cubic wooden connectors between the top and bottom layers of the wooden pallets used to transport goods "Hundreds of people have worked hard over the last couple of years to build a truly sustainable business – I am extremely proud of the team effort to reach this milestone,” says IceBear CEO Halbe Pomper Norway-based Kvitebjørn Energi acquired the combined heat and power plant in Steenwijk The plant burns wood chips that originate mostly from the pruning of nearby forests and wooded areas to produce steam That steam is led through a turbine to generate green electricity that can be sold to the grid – enough to power around 5,000 households the process produces large amounts of thermal energy Kvitebjørn decided to make use of the surplus energy “It was a good energy plant,” says Nicolas Lucciarini, Investment Director at Daimyo “We wanted to take the plant a step further and use the energy and waste to produce new products a resource with a large potential when it comes to recycling with around 190 million tonnes of waste wood generated each year in the EU And only a small fraction of it is recycled into new products,” says Lucciarini which are increasingly sought after by pallet manufacturers due to their superior mechanical properties While the traditional solid wooden blocks can change shape and swell with changes in humidity and temperature composite blocks retain their shape and dimensions better That precision and consistency becomes even more important as pallet manufacturing becomes increasingly automated it can be recycled again – pallet block included – in IceBear’s process To get the project off the ground, the company needed financing of EUR 35 million, a fairly substantial investment, and consulted with its Nordea advisors. Thomas Knudsen, who works on Nordea’s Debt Capital Markets team in Norway was called on to look at whether bond financing would be an option “Project financing is generally not something that’s easy to do in the bond market,” Knudsen says “The equity investors get the full upside if the project succeeds while bond investors get their coupon payments at best and the full downside if the project goes bust.” Nordea advised IceBear to pursue a green bond issuance Jacob Michaelsen, head of Sustainable Finance Advisory at Nordea helped set up IceBear’s green bond framework IceBear obtained a second party opinion on the framework from Cicero Shades of Green which gave the project its highest green rating – dark green “It’s so rare that you can base a green bond framework on circular economy given all of the components required to achieve circularity,” says Michaelsen “But that’s really what IceBear’s project is all about.” coupled with its parent company’s successful track record on other sustainability projects made it possible to place the bond in the market Now that the first block has been produced the company is moving full-throttle to ramp up production The composite blocks are proving particularly competitive in terms of pricing compared to traditional solid wood blocks Belarus and Russia are all important suppliers of wood to the EU IceBear also has the competitive advantage of relying on its own renewable energy source which in large part shields it from soaring energy prices Lucciarini told investors at a recent quarterly update “What we’re doing in Steenwijk is not only good for the environment Nordea's Sustainable Finance Advisory team helps clients navigate fundamental changes in the financial markets as the global economy shifts towards becoming sustainable and low-carbon Find out more about our sustainable product offerings and holistic advisory services This page requires JavaScript to function correctly please enable JavaScript in your browser settings first TWIJZEL – Feyenoord heeft afscheid genomen van Arne Slot als hoofdtrainer en naar verluidt zal ook Sipke Hulshoff met hem meegaan naar Liverpool Hoewel de club nog geen officieel bericht heeft uitgebracht over het vertrek van Hulshoff dit afgelopen week tegenover De Telegraaf bevestigd Zaterdagmiddag stond Hulshoff langs de lijn bij de wedstrijd SC Twijzel – VV Steenwijk Binnenkort zit hij dus naar alle waarschijnlijkheid op de bank van Anfield Road “Ik bin hjoed wer yn de moaie Wâlden en ik genietsje fan in prachtich moaie wedstriid.” De thuisploeg won met 3-0 Verslaggever Jan Wagenaar van Rûnwei Sport trof de Friese voetbaltrainer bij de amateurs waar zijn roots als speler liggen en vroeg hem naar zijn ‘transfer’ “Ik kin ynhâldlik der net te djip op yngean mar úteinlik is it de haadtrainer dy ’t bepaalt wa ’t der mei giet en de gearwurking mei Arne is fan sa ’n goed nivo dat ek syn fertrouwen yn my grut is en dat is prachtich moai” Hulshoff begon zijn loopbaan als jeugdtrainer bij SC Cambuur in 1999 werkte kort in Qatar en keerde terug naar SC Cambuur waar hij diverse interim- en assistent-rollen vervulde tot 2018 Daarna werd hij assistent bij FC Volendam en later hoofdtrainer van Feyenoord onder 21 voordat hij assistent-trainer bij Feyenoord en het Nederlands elftal werd Nu gaat het avontuur waarschijnlijk verder in Liverpool “Eartiids liezen we wol fan dy moaie boekjes oer jonkjes dy ’t in proffuotballer wurde woene Ik fyn it alle dagen noch like moai as doe (yn myn amateurtiid dat ik der alle dagen wer enerzjy út helje dat ik sjoch dat jonges better wurde,” zegt Sipke terwijl zijn vader trots toekijkt Ook zijn tijd bij zijn ouders (in de zaak) heeft geholpen bij wie de trainer nu is ” Yn it tankstasjon en yn de fytsesaak kamen ek in soad minsken oer de flier fan arbeiders moarns betiid oant de boargemaster dy ’t tankte en mei elkenien koe ik wol in praatsje meitsje en dat jout grutte foardielen as je mei ferskate minsken wurkje Melvin ‘Mac’ Cijntje proposed a plan to build a new road between Cornelisbaai and Caracasbaai including a bridge over the Jan Thiel Lagoon has expressed support for a revised version of the plan The proposed road under Cooper's plan would begin at Plantage Steenwijk pass through Seru Spaño and the salt pans and potentially end with a bridge near Morena Resort.  Cijntje's original proposal aimed to reduce traffic on the Caracasbaaiweg the plan was rejected at the time due to high costs and potential environmental damage Cijntje highlighted the benefits of the project including improved access to tourist areas and an economic boost for surrounding neighborhoods.  Cooper revealed that his revised plan is already included in the Spatial Development Plan (EOP) and is expected to be completed by 2025 The new design is cheaper and follows a different route than Cijntje's initial proposal.  Cijntje expressed his satisfaction that an alternative is finally being implemented even with the modifications to his original plan "This is an important step to improve traffic flow," Cijntje stated Hedgehogs with tiny transmitter 'backpacks' will soon be roaming the streets of Steenwijk and Zoetermeer for a study into these critters' daily activities The goal is to find out more about hedgehogs and what can be done to improve their living conditions initiator Egelwerkgroep Nederland announced Egelwerkgroep Nederland is teaming up with Silvavir ecological advice center for this study Egelwerkgroep Nederland researchers will find six healthy adult hedgehogs in the wild and equip them with tiny transmitters that will show their location and movement Silvavir will do the same with six hedgehogs that are ready to be released from the Hedgehog Shelter Zoetermeer The critters will be released and their movements will be tracked through to end August The researchers hope to find out more about what routes and distances hedgehogs cover on a daily basis whether they have fixed nests or move about Zoetermeer and Steenwijk were chosen as the locations for this study partly because of the"green vein" in the cities "Both municipalities want to strengthen biodiversity of which the hedgehog is of course an important part." The transmitters are small and lightweight enough that they shouldn't bother the hedgehogs at all But if a hedgehog seems to be in distress because of the transmitter The researchers have high hopes for this study as similar studies abroad yielded a lot of useful information about hedgehogs "This research will teach us so many new things with which we can better understand and protect the hedgehog The information is not only useful for us as hedgehog researchers the general public," study coordinator Merel Klaarmond said The first results of the study should be ready in the autumn I remembered that dull Tuesday afternoon at work when pictures of a little town in Holland left an indelible impression on me I quickly pulled out my laptop and after some patient surfing through several travellers’ discussion forums and Google Maps I located my new destination; Giethoorn – ‘Venice of The Netherlands!' an impeccable and well-connected public transportation system made the journey smooth My Dutch friend and I hopped on the train from Dordrecht We remained seated on the section of the train departing for Steenwijk As we hopped off at Steenwijk station to catch a connecting bus to Giethoorn I could feel the chill air of 14 degrees cutting through me A cup of hot chocolate and warm apple pie at the local Coffee Shop felt magical The bus was right on time and we were on our way to Giethoorn Within seconds we were on the boat to tour this little-heard-of village With great difficulty he reversed the boat Then a huge thump at the rear end of the boat jolted us and we turned around to realise we had halted to allow another boat to squeeze its way through the narrow canal and pass along “Traffic jams are quite common in Giethoorn,” he chuckled and steered on and we all laughed sipping our complimentary hot chocolate against the chill breeze our tour guide spoke more about the history of this idyllic village found its name from ‘Geytenhoren’ meaning Goat Horns Its name originated due to the large quantities of horns of wild goats while cultivating the area in the 11th century this village has over 430 bridges and 2500 inhabitants Canoes are also popular apart from the trademark open-air ‘whisper boats’ which have environment-friendly silent electric motors As we sailed beneath lovely wooden-arched bridges voices of our tour guide and other tourists around faded I saw quaint cottages with sloping roofs nestled in perfectly mowed garden lawns with red and white flowers decorative curtains at window sills and boats parked on the side with ducks paddling away busily Some lawns had goats grazing around while furry-white rabbits scurried about the garden Most houses had typical Dutch-styled thatched roofing made of grey coloured reed which our tour guide described as farmers’ and peat-diggers’ houses Small semi-circular shaped windows in the attic made it appear like the house had eyes of its own to watch out for envious tourists Each house is situated on its own islet of sorts connected to the others only by a bridge or boats on the canal One of the bridges led to a small church and art galleries with souvenir shops where we entered from has a section of roads these outskirts were obviously a huge lake a floating neighbourhood restaurant – Smit’s Pavilion – our tour-guide challenged us to dive in and go for a swim with the crocodiles which were in abundance here I quickly pulled my hand out of the water in shock put a short stick in the water and said “I’m joking As we sailed back toward the heart of Giethoorn and its heavenly homes one such idyllic cottage sitting pretty on its own islet had a ‘For Sale’board on it I leaned over to the tour guide and softly asked “Out of curiosity 725,000 euros,” he replied in a most nonchalant fashion My cosy little dream of a cottage with a perfect garden stylish reed roofing and its own boat parking garage would have to wait a while I enjoyed the blissful feeling of accomplishment at having set foot on the place I had dreamt of visiting for years be alert as the train splits into two for different directions Ensure you’re onboard the section of the train moving to Steenwijk - Best time to travel to Netherlands – between July to September If you want to skip peak tourist season and don’t mind the chill – then head there in October Giethoorn is less known and hasn’t yet been crowded by tourists - Rent a whisper boat to carry your belongings and a small cottage floating on the outskirts Spend a weekend in the unusual settings of this town giving the crowds a skip during summer (June – August) there are plenty of water sports and boating/ sailing activities - Maritime and sailing festivals (in September) are quite popular in Giethoorn Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service (updated April 1 2021) and Policy and Cookie Statement (updated April 1 The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast Fans of Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina will likely be fans of Netflix's next dive into psychological thrillers: Ares The show is the first Dutch original series ever to debut on Netflix — and it might be the streaming site's creepiest show yet The show centers around a sinister group of students, some of whom are from the wealthiest families in Amsterdam. Nothing is as it seems on Ares which means it will likely be an addictive show Jade Olieberg stars as Rosa Steenwijk, the show's main character. Who is Jade Olieberg from Ares Read on to find out what else the Dutch actress has been in before the 26-year-old actress attended the Amsterdam Theatre Academy Jade made her acting debut in the 2008 Dutch film Hoe overleef ik mezelf aka How to Survive Myself The film was based on a Dutch children's book series of the same name Jade went on to star in a slew of other Dutch language films.  Her other TV credits include Sinterklaasjournaal Her first American TV credit was in Season 2 of the CBS show Ransom in 2018 She appeared in the episode 'Hardline" as the kidnapped daughter of a powerful Dutch businessman Jade is also a trained dancer who has appeared in multiple stage productions Ares is certainly not for the faint of heart as the Dutch series' trailer is more than disturbing a Dutch student who is invited to be part of Ares an underground group that passes off as a fraternity of sorts as the other members of Ares wear hooded robes and stand above Rosa as she's initiated The trailer shows her getting branded with the letter "A" on her forearm to solidify her place in the group Rosa and Jacob will realize the group's ties to the devil "We are a society," says Carmen Zwanenburg (who is played by Lisa Smit) in the trailer — in a very creepy way Jennifer Welts and Dennis Rudge also star in the show.  Ares Season 1 will be available to stream on Netflix beginning on Jan 'Grace and Frankie' Will Make Netflix History Before Its Final Season Airs 'Occupied' Fans Are Scratching Their Heads After the Series Vanished From Netflix Link to XLink to InstagramContact us by EmailOpt-out of personalized ads People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website Offers may be subject to change without notice.