Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations Dutch farmers and construction workers blocked roads with tractors on Wednesday (18 December) and gathered outside the offices of national broadcaster NOS in the latest of a series of protests over environmental pollution rules Farmers participate in a standing still on the A9 at the exit at Uitgeest, Netherlands, 18 December 2019. The campaigners want to take the A9 off with tractors in protest against the nitrogen policy. [EPA-EFE/KOEN VAN WEEL] The Dutch government has launched a new vision for the country’s agriculture which prioritises the protection of natural resources and the reduction of the sector's environmental impact The VCF Academy recently held a series of Autumn VCF Soccer Camps in various European countries More than 250 boys and girls participated in these VCF Academy Campuses run with the aim of expanding the Valencia CF brand and publicising the working methodology of the VCF Academy -one of the the best in Europe for training elite players according to the latest reports from the CIES Football Observatory The VCF Soccer Camps follow the line of work of the VCF Academy Programs with the coordination and supervision of coaches from the VCF Academy Those who participated in the VCF Soccer Camps this autumn will have the opportunity throughout the season to complete their VCF experience by training for several days at the Ciudad Deportiva and taking a tour of the oldest stadium in the Primera División Related news Ver todas Check out all the activities scheduled for this month Valencia CF secures its presence in Seattle until 2028 through its VCF Academy Latest news Ver todas The pitch has been restored thanks to donations from LALIGA EA SPORTS and contributions to the ‘FILA CERO SOLIDARIA’ Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) founded one of history’s greatest cartographic publishing firms in 1599 he also made terrestrial and celestial globes He invented mechanical devices for improving the technics of printing Willem Blaeu made careful observations of a moon eclipse he discovered a variable star now known as P Cygni and carried out a measurement of a degree on the surface of the earth (as his countryman Snell did in 1617) The Blaeu family has its origin in the island of Wieringen Willem Jacobszoon Blauwe – the grandfather of Willem – was born From his marriage with Anna Jansdochter sprang six children (1527- before 1589) was the father of Willem Blaeu and continued the family tradition by practicing the prosperous trade of herring packer Willem Blaeu went to Amsterdam in order to learn the herring trade in which he was destined to succeed his father But Willem did not like this work very much being more inclined to Mathematics and Astronomy He did not attend a university and worked first as a carpenter and a clerk in the Amsterdam mercantile office of his cousin Hooft in 1595 he became a student of Tycho Brahe (1546-1601) The celebrated Danish astronomer demanded a high standard of his pupils others were undoubtedly taken on special recommendation We may therefore presume that young Blaeu had reached a good standard of education and technical skill since he was considered worthy to become a student of the great astronomer Blaeu lived on the Island of Hven over the winter of 1595/1596 at Brahe’s famous observatory in Uraniborg Thanks to this exact knowledge acquired from Brahe Blaeu was able to make tables for sun declination ; especially he also learned from Brahe to make globes and instruments like the quadrants a sort of compromise between the Ptolemaic and Copernican although a supporter of the Copernican system remained cautious during the rest of his career In his books he mentioned the Copernican model as one of the existing theories It will not only save him for confrontations with religious people but this attitude was also beneficial for his sales which was also seen by Tycho Brahe at Wandsbeck They made their observations in accordance in order to determinate the difference of longitude between the two places The following year Blaeu made for Adriaan Anthonisz based on Brahe’s as yet unpublished information Blaeu moved in 1598/9 from Alkmaar to Amsterdam where he soon established himself as a merchant of maps and globes while continuing to perform some astronomical observations following the tradition Blaeu made his globes in pairs : a terrestrial and a celestial one Blaeu produced in 1602 a small 23.5 cm globe which he dedicated to the States of Holland he introduced the southern constellations on a celestial globe (his great rival Jocodus Hondius had been the first to do this two years earlier) Blaeu’s 68 cm globes were made in response to the 53.5 cm pair issued by the Hondius firm in 1613 They were presented in 1616 to the States General They would remain the largest globes in production for over 70 years until Vincenzo Maria Coronelli (1650-1717) issued his 110 cm pair in 1688 In 1634 he published an important manual for making globes and sundials Tweevoudigh onderwijs van de Hemelsche en Aerdsche globen (Twofold instruction in the use of the celestial and terrestrial globes) in 1600 Blaeu was the first to note a third magnitude star in a place where no star had been recorded before and he made well-documented observations of it On a globe made also by Blaeu (now in a Prague museum) it is written: “The new star in Cygnus that I first observed on August 8 I determined its position by measuring its distance from Vega and Albireo It remains in this position but now is no brighter than 5th magnitude.” It was indeed the third variable star to be discovered : over the next few years Today we know that P Cygni (also known as 34 Cygni) is a Be variable star a countryman and collaborator of Willem Blaeu published in Leyden his work Eratosthenes Batavus (The Dutch Eratosthenes) where he described the method and gave the result of his geodetic operations between Alkmaar and Bergen op Zoom – two towns separated by one degree of the meridian which he measured to be equal to 117,449 yards (107.395 km) For this he used a huge quadrant (with a radius of over 2 meters) of wood with a brass mounting made by Willem Blaeu after the example of Tycho Brahe’s large quadrant Soon after a similar operation was undertaken in the same region by Blaeu himself ; it appears to have been executed with a great accuracy Blaeu had enjoyed an excellent training under Tycho Brahe the art of making instruments flourished especially in the Southern Netherlands As a result of the great discoveries navigation advanced and there was a need for astronomical instruments to determinate positions Blaeu showed considerable interest in the instruments used at sea and illustrated or reproduced them by means of movable diagrams Blaeu devoted his attention to the needs of navigation from an early stage of his career His first publication in this field was his Nieuw graetbouck Blaeu issued two pilot guides for the description of the Eastern named Het licht der Zee-vaert (first edition 1609 ;  English translation : The light of navigation The works were republished several times : in the history of early Dutch pilot guides Blaeu made substantial improvements in the moving parts of the printing press he added a counterweight to the pressure bar in order to make the platen rise automatically ; this was the so-called « Dutch press » the design of which became almost general throughout the low countries and were introduced to England ; a copy was to be the first press introduced into North America in 1639 His types were clean and well cut; his paper He published works including that of famous Dutch writers like P.C His printing had an international high reputation Blaeu was prepared to publish everyone’s work as for printing it made no difference for Willem because of caution he published under another name and Cologne was given as place of issue Because of his large publisher’s list he opened an extra printery on the Bloemgracht in 1635 There the Blaeu establishment boasted nine flat-bed presses for letter press printing six presses for copperplate printing and a type foundry in 1664 His tolerance provided him at least a large income But it is as a cartographer that Willem Blaeu was mostly celebrated his wall maps are considered to be among the most influential and artistically virtuous masterpieces of the great era of baroque cartography The publication of the first set of his wall maps in 1608 was responsible for initiating his ascendancy to the preeminent position in the highly competitive global map market Blaeu published several wall maps printed on parchment or paper The use of maps as wall hangings in contemporary Dutch houses went beyond the desire for cartographic information to promote a better understanding of history or politics or to take the place of paintings Amsterdam was the world centre of map-making Among the most majestic productions were the wall maps of Willem Blaeu The pride of place that wall maps claimed in Dutch homes is most eloquently presented in the exquisite paintings of Vermeer These views of everyday life bear witness to an almost totemic cult of maps Willem Blaeu moved to the nowadays called Damrak where most of the Amsterdam booksellers and mapmakers were established at that time a canal in the centre of Amsterdam The Blaeu’s house was called “In de Vergulde Sonnewijser” (In the gilt sundial) Willem Blaeu had already published a fine world map and a popular marine atlas He then began planning a major atlas intended to include the most up-to-date maps of the entire world and although he spent the rest of his life compiling maps for this ambitious project the atlas was completed well after his death by his son Joan – see below Next to Blaeu’s shop were Johannes Janssonius and Hondius’ houses Willem Blaeu signed his work Guillelmus Janssonius or Willem Jans Zoon in 1621 Willem Janszoon added the surname Blaeu(w) (sometimes in the latinized form Caesius) to his imprints That had almost certainly to do with the rivalry between him and Johannes Janssonius with the sale of 37 copperplates of the Mercator Atlas from Jodocus Hondius Jr the most important competitor of the Hondius-Janssonius firm  Blaeu replaced Jodocus Hondius Jr’s name with his own on the plates and the following year he had published them together with his own maps in the Atlantis Appendix Five years later he issued the first two volumes of his planned world atlas Atlas Novus or the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum the States General of Amsterdam appointed Blaeu map maker of the Republic and later he became the official cartographer of the Dutch East India Company About the same time he was appointed Hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company Amsterdam was one of the wealthiest trading cities in Europe and a center for banking and the diamond trade The VOC contributed significantly to the wealth and prosperity of the United Netherlands and Blaeu’s prestigious appointment firmly established his reputation within the highly competitive field of Dutch mapmakers Willem Blaeu’s intention to publish a new “international edition” of a world atlas is mentioned on 11 February 1634 in an Amsterdam newspaper the Courante uyt Italien ende Duytschlandt he wrote : “Our intention is to describe the entire world of which two more of the earth will shortly follow” Blaeu did not live to see the other two volumes issued which he had prepared the business passed to his sons Joan (1596-1673) and Cornelis (c who continued and expanded their father’s ambitious plans The two additional volumes appeared in 1640 in Italy and in 1645 in England Joan established his own reputation as a great mapmaker He completed his father grand project in 1655 with the sixth volume of the atlas and in 1662 the most voluminous and magnificent world atlas of all times the Atlas Major (in 9 or 12 volumes according to the Dutch or French editions) saw the light The Atlas Major was the most expensive printed book of the seventeenth century consisting of nearly 600 double-page maps and 3,000 pages of text often hand-colored and heightened with gold and epitomized the style and quality of the period which has become known as the Golden Age of cartography the Atlas Major describes and illustrates Brahe’s astronomical instruments Blaeu’s hand-colored copper-plate engravings were revised from woodcuts originally published in Brahe’s own Astronomiae Instauratiae Mechanicae (1598) with the descriptions in Latin ; the section also gives a map of Hven island and plans and descriptions of Tycho’s two observatories The last eleventh volume of the Spanish edition was in the press when a blow from which the firm of Blaeu never recovered To complete this reading I urge you to visit  the fantastic  atlascoelestis website in particular the two articles dealing with Willem and Jan Blaeu’s star maps respectively : atlascoelestis.com/BlaeuW atlascoelestis.com/BlaeuJ Nieuw nederlandsch biografisch woordenboek vol II : The Folio Atlases Published by Willem Jansz Blaeu : A biography and history of his work as a cartographer and publisher revised and edited by Marijke Donkersloot-De Vrij and website in this browser for the next time I comment but to myself I appear to have been like a boy playing upon the seashore and diverting myself by now and then finding a smoother pebble or prettier shell than ordinary while the great ocean of truth lay before me all undiscovered to observe Mars from a distance of several tens of kilometers to land on its satellite or even on its surface From the moment of using rocket devices a new great era will begin in astronomy: the epoch of the more intensive study of the firmament This gallery contains 6 photos This gallery contains 6 photos Sign In Subscribe Now Dialogue and debate are integral to a free society and we welcome and encourage you to share your views on the issues of the day. We ask that you be respectful of others and their points of view, refrain from personal attacks and stay on topic. To learn about our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines Rescuers search for victims at the crash site near Amsterdam THE NETHERLANDS - Around 130 people were injured in passenger trains collision on Saturday in west side of Amsterdam The accident happened at around 18:30 (1630 GMT) when the train from Den Helder to Nijmegen and the train from Amsterdam to Uitgeest had a head-on collision there are 11 people who have been stuck in the train for long time we just released them out," a spokesman of the rescue team told Xinhua at location "The search and rescue is still going on." According to the Dutch railways company NS The Dutch police blocked the whole area around the Ambulances and trauma helicopters are at the scene Temporary medical center have been built to treat some light injured National Police earlier said approximately 125 were injured Most of victims suffered broken bones and severe bruises The cause of the disaster is still unknown Due to the collision no trains are driving in the west side of Amsterdam Drug use in show bizz world sends dangerous signal to youth Despite progress, racial issue still haunts US society US-China teamwork could mean a win-win-win for Africa Nixon still inspires a mixed bag of political views President Xi visits Mongolia Malaysian airliner crashes in Ukraine Xi attends BRICS summit, visits Latin America Young Ajax beat Real Madrid 2-0 to finish third at the ICGT Tournament (Internationaal Cor Groenewegen Toernooi) in Utgeest 30km outside Amsterdam on Monday afternoon Sonwabile Mfecane and Oswin Appollis found the back of the net for Duncan Crowie’s troops as they ended their European Tour on a high note Having touched down in the Netherlands over two weeks ago Young Ajax kicked-off of their campaign with a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Terborg Toernooi The South Africans duly stormed into the final but were unlucky not to come up trumps in the showpiece – losing to Brazilian club side Atletico Mineiro to finish as runners-up was named as the Player of the Tournament to cap a superb showing in Terborg Vitesse and Torino awaited in the group stages Victory over Vitesse was followed by a 1-0 defeat to AZ but a 5-1 thumping of Torino would seal the Urban Warriors place in the knockout stages as group winners Tashreeq Matthews bagged a brace in a 2-0 win over ADO Den Haag in the quarterfinals to set up a re-match against Vitesse Young Ajax unlucky to miss out on a place in the final with Luke Vester squandering a golden chance to put the Urban Warriors a goal up from the penalty spot in the semifinal showdown bounced back in their final game of the tour to leave the Netherlands on a high – defeating Los Blancos through second-half goals from Mfecane and 15-year-old Appollis Young Ajax will return to the Mother City on Tuesday with scheduled time of arrival at Cape Town International Airport set for 21h00 Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. She knew that a degree in Public Administration would be a stepping-stone to a career in politics And that is exactly what Leiden alumna Samira Rafaela (30) wanted this member of the D66 party is the first Dutch MEP from an Afro-Caribbean background This article previously appeared in Leidraad, Leiden University’s free alumni magazine [in Dutch] you will see a wide range of influences: her mother comes from Curaçao but has Dutch-Jewish roots and her father came to the Netherlands from Nigeria he did provide the inspiration for a ‘liberal Islamic faith.’ After her parents’ divorce but carried on visiting the market in Schilderswijk in The Hague with her father you can emphasise the differences between these identities I have embraced my diverse identity and can make practical use of it I possess intercultural sensitivity and find it easy to see things from different perspectives.’ Rafaela was able to make good use of this trait in the run-up to the European elections a place that she had to fight hard for because some were not as enthusiastic about such a drastic change But the country’s voters proved to have taken her to their hearts Although D66 won considerably fewer votes than in the previous elections Rafaela won enough preferential votes for a seat She had managed to speak to people who felt their voices weren’t heard ‘I talk to them with a left-wing narrative Other parties were also successful with their calls for a social Europe.’ listening is key because if people are heard they are less likely to be attracted to extremes.’ Rafaela called on her wide centrist network and visited communities in the city listening is key because if people are heard they are less likely to be attracted to extremes It saddened me to hear that they are so removed from politics Someone in the prime of his life wondered whether he was good enough to join a party We as politicians should take such signs very seriously indeed.’ In answer to the question of whether what she has heard has ever caused her to change her visions and plans ‘I’m more likely to be given the confirmation that we have to fight social and economic inequality and fight them hard These conversations illustrate what scientific research has also revealed: the link between hopeless poverty and unemployment on the one hand and crime and radicalisation on the other.’ Rafaela is fighting a valiant battle against far-right populist parties that are also currying favour with young people –successfully too ‘I find their approach wholly objectionable It’s the job of politicians to obtain verifiable facts before they do anything else Obviously I know – this is what I was taught in my Public Administration degree – that you then go on to interpret these facts and create your own version of the truth and then use these to promote racism and intolerance look at how the figures on immigration are distorted and then used to say: refugees are why you don’t have a job or a house You feed sentiments that lead to racist exclusion and violence.’ When she thinks of Leiden one professor immediately comes to mind: Professor Dimitrova she was the first woman that I had seen in a lecture hall since the start of my degree And I remember her as an exceptionally good lecturer A university should be a place where you open your mind and see the bigger picture With her was the first time that I had this experience She dealt with abstract material on international institutions I left the lecture hall as though I had been enlightened.’ And that light has continued to burn Rafaela is known for her activist tendencies: ‘It’s true – just don’t call it emotional behaviour or anger I stand for an inclusive and just society and am prepared to fight for this And I know that I show vulnerability because I stick my neck out where I am focusing on fair international trade and social equality.’ Rafaela is used to prejudice and hostility ‘I had a lecturer who didn’t believe me when I – with my name and background – turned in a well-written paper I have also had a similar reaction to letters applying for an internship when I was registering at the European Parliament an older man wanted to push in because he assumed I was a member of the supporting staff It only makes me more determined.’ She has high expectations not only of herself but also of her colleagues: ‘What I urge all politicians to appreciate – and definitely in the European Parliament too – is that we are there to serve society that we have to create solidarity and respect This understanding of the job is distinct from specific parties A lack solidarity and respect is deeply rooted in the conduct language and rhetoric of all the established parties I will keep on hammering home the urgency of change And don’t forget that I mainly receive positive encouragement.’ The European fire was sparked at an early age in Rafaela And as the daughter of an African man who came here for socioeconomic reasons I saw that we don’t all have the same opportunities This awareness developed at an early age.’ She was around 16 when she decided she wanted to go into European politics I became a stronger believer in the power of Europe You can achieve so much more if you work together and learn from and encourage one another.’ While her mother planted the seeds of her political career she knew that a Public Administration degree would be a stepping-stone toward it ‘I came from a university of applied sciences and was nervous about making the switch that I didn’t shy away from showing my critical nature I am grateful that professors and lecturers responded by taking the time for their students after classes my critical nature evolved into critical reasoning Rafaela carried on living in Uitgeest during her studies ‘You would be most likely to find me in the Pieter de la Court Building – not much has changed in that respect – and I sometimes went for a drink in the pretty town centre with friends I mainly did things with two young women who came from a university of applied sciences We began by doing assignments together but later sought one another’s company for more personal things too We had much in common and learnt from one another’s experiences Sometimes this simply meant helping with practical things like finding part-time work It was only later that I became aware of what this relationship meant to me I realise that although studying is about your personal efforts and performance The individual and connections go hand in hand – within a small group of friends but also as part of the University with all its students and staff.’ Leidraad is the free magazine for alumni of Leiden University. You can also read the full magazine online [in Dutch].  NS plans to run even more trains in its 2026 timetable, improving the connections between Zeeland and Noord-Brabant and increasing the trains running between Amersfoort and Deventer, Amsterdam and Uitgeest, and The Hague and Dordrecht. NS also plans to run the first train earlier and the last train later on many routes, the Dutch rail company announced NS will extend the current train connection between Zwolle and Roosendaal to Vlissingen once an hour “Agreements have already been made about this between the province of Zeeland and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management,” NS said passengers from Zeeland will be able to travel directly to Noord-Brabant once an hour four instead of three Intercity trains per hour will run between Amersfoort Centraal and Deventer all day long This should improve the transfers at Apeldoorn station to Zutphen and at Deventer station to Zwolle The rail company also wants to run more Sprinters between Utgeest and Amsterdam Centraal during the weekend increasing it from two to four per hour on Saturdays and Sundays It will also run more Sprinters on Saturdays between The Hague Central Station and Dordrecht increasing the frequency from two to four Sprinters per hour between 10:00 a.m NS wants to offer the first connection of the day earlier and the last connection of the day later.” Routes on which the first train will run 30 minutes earlier include Hilversum-Schiphol Airport and Schiphol Airport-Amersfoort Centraal Routes on which the last train will run half an hour later include Hoofddorp-Amsterdam Central Station Utrecht Central Station-Amersfoort Central Station-Zwolle NS will publish the definite timetable for 2026 in the autumn Far fewer trains will run between Amsterdam Central Station and Utrecht Central Station from today until Saturday, February 24, due to rail works, NS reported Travelers should expect extra travel time of 30 minutes or longer there will be far fewer trains between Utrecht CS and Hoorn/Uitgeest there will be fewer trains on the entire route between Amsterdam CS and Utrecht CS travelers can use their NS tickets on the Amsterdam metro lines 51 and 54 between Amsterdam CS and Amsterdam Amstel Those traveling between Utrecht CS and Hoorn/Uitgeest can detour via Schiphol the train disruptions will again only affect trains between Utrecht CS and Hoorn/Uitgeest The rail company urged train travelers to check the travel planner shortly before their departure for up-to-date travel times and delays