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 Cancellations of men's and women's races comes despite emergency state funding for civilian traffic controllers Both the men's and women's Veenendaal-Veenendaal pro. races, as well as other junior events, were due to take place in late May. The Veenendaal organisers attempted to find alternative solutions to the lack of policing, Dutch cycling website Wielerflits reported A longstanding fixture in the Dutch calendar normally favouring the sprinters and allrounders, the 1.1-ranked men's race - briefly known as the Food Valley Classic before reverting to its original name -  has been running since 1985 the KNWU (Dutch National Cycling Federation) confirmed late last year that one knock-on effect would be that motorcycle officers would be absent at bike races "for almost the whole cycling season." it will be even more difficult to re-engage all parties sponsors and volunteers the following year," added another race director "The police choices will have a major impact on the future of Dutch road cycling the KNWU manager of competitive sports Joost van Wijngaarden said late last year that race organisers will be offered three scenarios in 2025: deployment of 200 traffic officials a collaboration between police and civilian motorcyclists or racing on a 10-25km circuit protected by permanent traffic security officers the third option is the most realistic for many organisers because of the limited deployment of police as a result of the hours required to secure the NATO summit," said Van Wijngaarden.  we will certainly have to continue to look at this option more often because it is not a given that police can always be deployed at cycling races."  Alasdair FotheringhamSocial Links NavigationAlasdair Fotheringham has been reporting on cycling since 1991 He has covered every Tour de France since 1992 bar one as well as numerous other bike races of all shapes and sizes ranging from the Olympic Games in 2008 to the now sadly defunct Subida a Urkiola hill climb in Spain he has also written for The Independent,  The Guardian,  ProCycling Sign In Register Visit the Smith Funeral Home website to send your condolences and support John Andrew Veenendaal peacefully passed away at the age of 86 on December 31 He is now at peace with our Lord and Savior John was the beloved husband of Betty Anne Veenendaal (2022) with whom he shared an incredible marriage lasting 60 years they developed a warm and welcoming home built on a foundation of love creating countless cherished memories John was a devoted father to Renee (Mark) Faasse He was also a cherished Opa to Carli (Vlad) John was the son of Dirk and Jeanette Veenendaal His stepmother Josina sister Janet and her husband Harry Antonides preceded him in death Erie Veenendaal along with numerous nieces John was a devoted follower of Jesus and played a significant role in the building of many Chris-tian Reformed Church’s with his father he hosted and led Men's Life prayer groups and provided unwavering support to his family John was a carpenter who owned his own construction company John Veenendaal Construction a cabinet maker at Dow Chemicals MCR Group and subsequently and resources to bless family and friends alike and enjoying week-ends at Lakewood Christian Campground The family would like to express their gratitude to the doctors Joseph’s Hospice for their exceptional care Family and friends will be received at Smith Funeral Home A memorial service will be held at First Christian Reformed Church Sympathy may be expressed through donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or World Renew (cheques only at the funeral home please) A division of Sarnia Media Group Inc.Locally Owned and Operated A massive fire broke out early Sunday morning at restaurant Mango’s on Kerkewijk in Veenendaal causing extensive damage and forcing the evacuation of multiple apartments proved difficult to control due to its location in the restaurant’s ceiling according to a spokesperson for the Veiligheidsregio Utrecht (VRU) firefighters were still battling the flames A crane was deployed to assist with demolition work as emergency crews worked to locate and extinguish remaining hotspots “It’s a difficult task,” the VRU spokesperson said firefighters had to partially open the floors of the apartments above the restaurant The damage is “gigantic,” the spokesperson added The Kerkewijk was partially closed due to firefighting efforts Residents of the apartments above and next to the restaurant were evacuated as a precaution While those from neighboring buildings were later allowed to return home the occupants of the apartments above the restaurant face a longer wait before they can move back The fire was first noticed by residents living above the restaurant They alerted their neighbors and called emergency services Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire “The suspicion is that it was caused by a short circuit in an electrical device,” the VRU spokesperson said THE HAGUE – Distinguished professor of Kingdom Relations is advocating for structural solutions to address the unequal power dynamics within the Kingdom of the Netherlands he will call for greater political representation for the Caribbean territories and propose a governance model that better aligns with their realities Veenendaal will conduct research on democratic reforms and work towards enhancing knowledge and cooperation between the Netherlands and the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.  Parliamentary Representation and Comparative Research  One of his key proposals is to expand the Dutch House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) with three Caribbean seats ensuring direct parliamentary representation for the islands he plans to conduct comparative research on other autonomous territories to analyze how democratic representation is structured in similar contexts.  Governance Challenges in the Caribbean  the combination of small-scale communities and a Dutch governance model results in democratic shortcomings within the Caribbean territories While close-knit societies create direct relationships between politicians and voters they also lead to a political landscape dominated by a small number of influential families.  "Many island residents feel like second-class citizens," Veenendaal states pointing to the structural inequalities within the Kingdom the four constituent countries (the Netherlands the Netherlands holds the most power.  He highlights the imbalance within the Kingdom Council of Ministers (Rijksministerraad) which makes decisions for all four countries but is only accountable to the Dutch Parliament laws passed in the Netherlands often apply to the Caribbean territories without any direct input from Caribbean citizens.  Knowledge Center for Democratic Development  To enhance understanding of these issues and propose viable solutions Veenendaal is prioritizing collaboration with Caribbean universities and scholars He is recruiting three local research assistants and is actively involved in the establishment of a knowledge center focused on democratic citizenship.  Veenendaal also stresses that awareness of Kingdom relations is lacking in the Netherlands A recent public opinion survey conducted under his supervision revealed that only 25% of 3,000 Dutch respondents were familiar with the subject.  "I hope my research and professorship contribute to greater knowledge and mutual understanding on both sides of the ocean because this is urgently needed," Veenendaal affirms the Alaska Sea Grant State Fellowship Program has launched the careers of over 60 professionals The fellowship class size has expanded from just two in its first year to a cohort of 17 in the 2024 class The demand for skilled professionals in marine science and policy by Alaska organizations has guided the program’s […] A Twin Falls man has agreed to a plea deal mid-trial in a sex abuse trial signed the offer Thursday after testimony began the day before In exchange for Veenendaal pleading guilty to one count of sex abuse involving a minor under 16 prosecutors dropped a charge of lewd conduct which stemmed from a girl’s accusation that he fondled her in October 2022 Prosecutors will recommend a suspended sentence of five years fixed and five years indeterminate The sentencing judge will determine the length of the probation period Ray faces 30 years in prison or a $50,000 fine for each felony charge Veendendall has the option of appealing the sentence if the judge exceeds the recommendation the sentence includes Veendendall’s conviction of two misdemeanor assault and battery charges involving minors in which a jury found him guilty in October Bestselling author Brendan DuBois has been arraigned on multiple counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials was arrested after an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce Authorities discovered DuBois possessed “at least 35 visual representations of children under the age of 18 engaging in various sexual acts” He is now facing six felony counts of possession of child abuse materials and is being held at Rockingham County Jail Severn River Publishing has removed all of DuBois' books from their website and suspended their promotion "We are deeply disturbed by the serious allegations against Brendan DuBois," the company said in a statement The legal proceedings are ongoing as DuBois remains in custody A view of a courtroom in Twin Falls in 2013 Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email Suspect shared sex abuse material through Snapchat Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Relations within the Kingdom of the Netherlands are imbalanced says Professor by Special Appointment Wouter Veenendaal The Caribbean autonomous countries and special municipalities do not have enough of a say and have administrative problems to contend with Veenendaal calls for more equality and better representation The small-scale character of the Caribbean islands together with the poorly fitting Dutch administrative model causes democratic shortcomings That will be the message of Wouter Veenendaal Professor by Special Appointment of Kingdom Relations The six Caribbean islands have relatively few inhabitants has around the same number of inhabitants as the city of Amersfoort This small scale means politicians and voters can easily find each other ‘Many island residents feel like second-rate citizens’ This concentration of power is a pattern stemming from colonial times many voters expect certain favours from politicians but that also makes them less likely to speak out about the administration ‘Many residents criticise political corruption in opinion polls but they vote for the same politicians regardless’ The Netherlands Antilles was dissolved in 2010 with Curaçao and Sint Maarten continuing as autonomous countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands Saba and Sint Eustatius gained the status of special municipality of the Netherlands. Despite dissatisfaction at the imbalanced relations research shows that most Caribbean island residents do not want independence Veenendaal calls this the ‘head versus heart’ dilemma: the emotional desire for independence clashing with the pragmatic choice of being part of the Netherlands Another problem is that the Caribbean islands have an administrative model that does not seem to fit the local situation ‘These political institutions developed over the centuries in the European Netherlands and were transposed too easily to the Caribbean islands’ Proportional representation combined with the informal and person-focused politics results in fragile coalitions and constant instability on at least four of the six islands And the dualistic municipality model introduced in 2012 is a poor fit for Bonaire Alongside political problems on the islands Veenendaal has identified various patterns that undermine the democracy at the level of the Kingdom the four countries within the Kingdom are equal but in practice the Netherlands is politically and institutionally dominant’ which makes decisions for the entire Kingdom is only accountable to the Dutch parliament Most residents of the Caribbean countries are not represented in the Dutch House of Representatives while laws enacted there apply to the entire Kingdom ‘This increases the inequality and the feeling of many island residents that they are second-class citizens.’ ‘I hope my chair will increase knowledge and mutual understanding on both sides of the ocean’ Veenendal gives possible solutions in his inaugural lecture including adding three Caribbean seats to the current 150 in the Dutch House of Representatives so the Caribbean countries are also represented in parliament he wants to conduct comparative research on other autonomous island regions to see whether democratic representation is better organised there Veenendaal is in the process of recruiting three local research assistants for a Kingdom-wide research team ‘I want to work as much as possible with Caribbean universities and researchers in the coming years’ He will also work with these researchers to set up a knowledge centre to foster democratic citizenship And knowledge is also lacking in the European Netherlands Veenendaal commissioned an opinion poll and only a quarter of the 3,000 Dutch respondents said they were familiar with Kingdom Relations ‘I hope my chair will increase knowledge and mutual understanding on both sides of the ocean.’ Photo: Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (Larry Syverson/Flickr) Results powered by FirstCycling The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Cyclingnews is the world's leader in English-language coverage of professional cycling Started in 1995 by University of Newcastle professor Bill Mitchell the site was one of the first to provide breaking news and results over the internet in English The site was purchased by Knapp Communications in 1999 and owner Gerard Knapp built it into the definitive voice of pro cycling major publishing house Future PLC has owned the site and expanded it to include top features The site continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative English voice in professional cycling Bart Lemmen just missed out on a win in Veenendaal-Veenendaal The 28-year-old rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike and his breakaway companions were caught up by the peloton with two kilometers to go Norwegian Tord Gudmestad sprinted to victory was one of them and grabbed a maximum lead of two and a half minutes The breakaway worked well together and ensured that the peloton had to pull out all the stops to catch the leading group Lemmen and his companions had to acknowledge its superiority to the peloton After about 25 kilometers we rode away with a strong group although it took quite a long time before the peloton let us go Eventually we got a nice lead and the moment the peloton started to accelerate they won't close it easily." After the last passages of the Grebbeberg and the Paardenveld "Then you do notice that those three hours on the attack don't help I wasn't surprised that the legs started to fill up." who as a Soesterberger regularly trains in this region says he was extra motivated to get in the breakaway we had planned that one of us had to be in the breakaway I thought it would be fun to ride up front There were a lot of friends and family members along the course Subscribe yourself for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike newsletter and receive previews for races Netherlands captain and PSV goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal has announced that she is retiring from football "to explore different things." Van Veenendaal, 32, won the 2017 Euros and was part of the 2019 Netherlands World Cup squad who were runners-up to the United States She retires after a club career in which she played in the Netherlands Her Euro 2022 experience was cut short when she went off in the first game injured and it was later announced that her injury would keep her out for the rest of the tournament in a big blow to the reigning champions "It's time to say goodbye to the game," she wrote in a statement on social media "It has always been 'all in or nothing' for me I'll be forever grateful to have been in a position to win trophies and to share beautiful moments on and off the pitch with so many great people "It makes me so proud and happy that young girls can say they want to be a professional football player And football has given me many more memories to cherish "I no longer want to be on the pitch every day It is my decision to say goodbye and this feels [like] the right moment." Van Veenendaal started her career with Utrecht in 2007 before moving to Twente in 2010 In 2015, she moved to Arsenal and stayed there for four years During her time in London she won the Women's Super League In 2019 she moved to Atletico Madrid and then joined PSV in May 2020 on a free transfer She was named in the Euro 2017 Team of the Tournament and won the Golden Glove at the 2019 World Cup Later that year she was also named FIFA's The Best Goalkeeper "My dreams did come true and I hope that the women's game will fulfil many more dreams to younger girls have faith and enjoy the journey," she added Riejanne Markus (Visma-Lease a Bike) continued her top form off the back of La Vuelta Femenina where she finished second overall to Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime) winning the one-day Veenendaal-Veenendaal Classic Markus soloed to the finish line and won by a slim nine seconds ahead of the bunch sprint won by runner-up Barbara Guarischi (SD Worx-Protime) and third-placed Marthe Truyen (Fenix-Deceuninck) I was disappointed that I was boxed in for a long time because I thought it would be too short to get away," Markus said of her strategy at the finish I was able to find a gap and got away solo but I knew I had an advantage with the many corners and rainy roads I managed to stay away and crossed the finish line solo." The elite women's field raced 136.5km at the Veenendaal-Veenendaal Classic which consisted of four 35-kilometre laps that included the Grebbeberg and Paardenveld climbs Markus launched her winning attack on the final 11km to solo to victory Results powered by FirstCycling Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006 Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023 Road users on the A12 between Veenendaal and Utrecht will have to suffer from severe traffic jams in May and August The service will carry out major maintenance on the motorway and will close it twice for nine consecutive days and nights over a length of 30 kilometers between the Maanderbroek and Lunetten junctions The old asphalt is being replaced by quieter asphalt between Veenendaal and Utrecht The closures will result in severe disruption but they feel this option is quicker and more efficient than closing the road for ten weekends They also think it is safer for the workers if the road is completely closed off Anyone choosing to take this route anyway should expect the trip to take an hour longer than usual Rijkswaterstaat has advised people to work from home or use the train or bicycle Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The Dutch director joins SMUGGLER for representation in the UK Multi-award winning Dutch director Judith Veenendaal has joined production company SMUGGLER for UK representation.  Veenendaal grew up in a creative household the daughter of a jazz musician and sculpture artists She began her filmmaking career at The Hague’s Royal Academy of Art delving into the world of storytelling through film Judith weaves narratives that are visually engaging and deeply poetic She has gained a wealth of experience working with brands such as Amazon Music where she worked with Serena Williams.  Her accolades include Cannes Young Director Award Creative Circle Best Commercial Director Award has achieved recognition at Ciclope and won Best Music Video at the Netherlands Film Festival.  “As a long time fan of Judith’s work, I’m beyond excited at the opportunity to finally collaborate with her. Her passion, creativity and unique visual expression makes her films impactful, soulful and original. Her work is both uplifting and deeply moving, making her a great partner for brands with a confident, cool aesthetic and identity.” - Lucy Kelly “I'm feeling honored to join the SMUGGLER roster - a place that pushes creative boundaries - alongside directors whose work I deeply admire I look forward to our future collaborations." – Judith Veenendaal genre-blurring vision grounded in the rich textures of underground youth culture Offering creative solutions from strategy to branding 1stAveDesign is the latest evolution of the global production company’s ecosystem electriclime° signs director Tim Main for exclusive representation across ANZ Click below to find out how to super-charge your shots Magazine experience with the world's most comprehensive advertising database Fill out the form below to arrange a personalized demo and see how Shots can work for you.. There are countless reasons to visit the Netherlands – now you can add Europe’s biggest vintage guitar show to the list We head to Vintage Veenendaal to find out more with around 100 exhibitors and over 1,200 guitars Myself and fellow Guitar.com contributor Ed Oleszko have known about the show for a while now and with our good buddy Daniel Nicolas offering a place to stay and a ride to the show… well we head towards Amsterdam city centre on the bus We alight at the magnificent brick-built Olympic Stadium and take the short walk to Daniel’s apartment Arriving in Amsterdam the day before the show gives us the opportunity for an extra night out. Festivities begin at Daniel’s local guitar shop, Sound Plaza, where we enjoy the hospitality of the shop’s owner Arnoud Holsboer and his sales assistant Florian Ras, and have a fine time playing some of the guitars from Arnoud’s vintage Gretsch collection He keeps them on display at the back of the shop On show day, we load-up on fresh croissants and coffee and are joined by Daniel’s friend Roberto Briganti – a bespectacled Beatles-lover who is joining us for the day The journey to Veenendaal should take about an hour from central Amsterdam but before long we exit the A12 at Junction 23 and we’re depositing the car in the multi-storey car park adjacent to the De Basiliek exhibition hall leather jackets and greying ponytails leaves us in no doubt that we’re at a guitar show and we begin in the smaller upstairs section where two exhibitors have set up large and varied guitar displays Cromwell and Martin acoustics casually leaning against the table at the far end It’s an encouraging start but in comparison the main exhibition hall is almost overwhelming the concrete floor is polished and the lighting makes the colours of the guitars pop It’s a large space that’s absolutely full of droolworthy guitar gear We wait a few moments for the excitement to subside and decide to approach things methodically There are some very noticeable differences between the Veenendaal show and most of the other guitar shows we attend it’s unusually quiet and nobody is doing the too-loud ‘pentatonic twitch’ that so often makes the experience an ordeal hang out and enjoy a chat as they amble around with all the guitars laid out on trestle tables for everybody to pick up and try We see only a couple of guitars with ‘do not touch’ signs moments after starting a conversation with their owner he’s pulled them from their ‘Cali Girl’ cases for us to try out One is a seemingly mint ’58 [photo 1] and the other is a ’59 [photo 2] that was restored and refinished by Florian Jaeger Other vintage Gibson electric highlights include three 1950s Goldtops [photo 3], a dot neck ’61 ES-335 a smattering of ES-175s and a stunning 1950 ES-5 a Harp Guitar [5] and a fabulous J-200 with a matching cowboy case lined with faux cowhide [photo 6] and Daniel is sorely tempted by a beaten-up black Musicmaster Considering the location, it’s no surprise there’s a plethora of European-made six-stringed curios. We spot plenty of Höfners, Ekos and even Wandres – including a bass that is bizarre even by Wandre standards And even the USA instruments are not all über high-end. We’re taken with a black Epiphone Crestwood [photos 9 and 10], complete with batwing headstock, a ’65 Harmony Rocket [11] and a stunning early-60s Silvertone H-75 More than once we’re discussing the originality of a finish or the possibility of a repair “there’s a bit of a story behind this one” you should always consider how convincing they will be if you need to sell the guitar further down the line Some exhibitors are actually guitar builders offering a variety of guitars from retro-themed to ultra-modern tubes and just about any piece of guitar-related paraphernalia you can think of The smallest section of the show encapsulates the Veenendaal spirit as the show’s organisers provide a separate space for members of the public to show their own guitars Buying and selling is permitted and although the vibe is more ‘cool secondhand’ than ‘vintage’ we do spot a couple of nice 70s Telecasters An awards ceremony is one of the show’s highlights with prizes for the most unusual and the most original vintage guitars The first is a bizarre-looking nineteenth century parlour acoustic with upper frets inlayed into its spruce top and a steampunk coffin case The second is a stunning SG Junior in rare TV Yellow complete with its cardboard ‘crocodile’ case Legendary Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman is even on hand to present the awards Towards late afternoon things are winding down punters are drifting off and the exhibitors begin packing away Roberto has found a Martin for one of his students but the rest of us have resisted temptation we have discovered that exhibitors selling parts and accessories are keen to shift what’s left of their stock at the end of the show and we each come away with several sets of bargain strings Daniel gets us back to Amsterdam without further detours A second night out is followed by a dawn dash to Schiphol airport and we’re back home in time for a late morning brew Clearly it helps to have friends with whom you can stay but even after adding parking costs to the flights travelling to Veenendaal from South Wales hasn’t worked out much more expensive than return rail fares to London The train from Amsterdam Central stops at Veenendaal-De Klomp station which is a 10-minute walk away from the show Accommodation in Amsterdam tends to be expensive but there are various hotels in the area of the show Staying near the show may be more convenient 2020’s Vintage Guitar Show Veenendaal show dates are 14 March and 19 September For more information, visit vintageveenendaal.eu. The world’s leading authority and resource for all things guitar. Welsford round out sprinter's podium at Dutch 1.1 race Results powered by FirstCycling With the Dutchman already a two-time winner of the late-summer classic - not to mention one of the leading sprinters of the season - and his team the only WorldTour outfit in the race, all eyes were on them. Despite a flurry of attacks, however, they never panicked, and Groenewegen made it look easy as he profited from a perfect lead-out to deliver an unrivalled sprint. Wouter Wippert (Roompot) was the closest challenger but was unable to draw up alongside Groenewegen, while Sondre Hoist Enger (Israel Cycling Academy) was a more distant third. The 191.5km race in central Holland was always likely to culminate in a bunch sprint. After a lengthy opening loop, the riders would then take on two laps of a 33km circuit around Veenendaal, featuring the short climb of the Grebbeberg. Conor Dunne (Aqua Blue Sport), Piotr Havin (Beat Cycling Club), Ivar Slik (Monkey Town), and Jaap Koojiman (Vlasman Cycling Team) formed the day’s early breakaway but were never able to open up an advantage of more than 2:30. They were caught by the peloton towards the end of the first local lap, with 40km to go. The early regrouping sparked a fresh wave of attacks and as the bell sounded for the last lap, a group of 15 had disengaged itself from the peloton. With 25km to go, Raim went solo but only lasted a few kilometres, and with just over 20km to go the race had been pulled back together by LottoNL-Jumbo and CCC Sprandi Polkowice. There were more attacks to come, but the one that stuck came from Michel Kreder (Aqua Blue Sport and Dimitri Peyskens (WB Aqua Protect Veranclassic). The duo only had a small gap but held it as the roads narrowed and twisted in the final 10 kilometres. LottoNL-Jumbo took to the front and, although they only caught the dup with 2km to go, there was no real sense of panic. Timo Roosen led into the final kilometre and guided Groenewegen through an important final right-hand bend and dropped him off with less than 200 metres to go. Groenewegen showed every ounce of his superiority in finishing the job. Veenendaal has dedicated a substantial portion of his career to documenting Dudok’s work, including a documentary of his most significant projects entitled “City of Light.” Continue on to Veenendaal’s new website here to explore Dudok’s full portfolio If you have done all of this and still can't find the email The goalkeeper was named player of the match despite a 2-0 defeat to the US I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Sari van Veenendaal has emerged as one of the stars of the 2019 Women’s World Cup. The goalkeeper, who is out of contract with Arsenal this summer, has been a rock at the back for the Netherlands, recording three shutouts and conceding just three goals in six matches in France. Remarkably, it was not even clear if the 29-year-old would be a regular first-team pick in France, as she battled to convince manager Sarina Wiegman to hand her the number one shirt ahead of 33-year-old Göteborg stopper Loes Geurts, who has won 123 caps for the national side. But she managed to convince Wiegman to award her the starting spot and has excelled ever since, particularly in the 2-1 Round of 16 victory over Japan. With the score locked at 1-1, Japan’s Yuka Momiki found herself with space in the box and fired a low shot towards goal. She immediately turned to celebrate, only to see Van Veenendaal springing to her side, clawing her shot away from goal. Lieke Martens then scored a late penalty to send the Dutch through. She shone again in the World Cup final, making a string of impressive saves as the Netherlands succumbed to a 2-0 defeat by the United States. Despite their loss, she was still named player of the match by Fifa. This is not the first time that Van Veenendaal, who captains the national side in Sunday’s final, has shone at an international tournament. In 2017, she started all six matches as the Netherlands won Euro 2017 on home soil, with her consistent performances earning her a place in the Best XI of the tournament., She plays her club football for Arsenal, having moved to the club from FC Twente in 2015. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Paul van Ass has chosen nine Olympic debutants as the Netherlands women attempt to retain their title at Paris 2024 The national coach has appointed Anne Veenendaal as first goalkeeper for the Paris Games while Josine Koning will go to France as a reserve.  Marleen Jochems will be one of the Olympic bolters with 16 international matches ahead of her biggest fortnight to date Van Ass has also appointed Pien Dicke (SCHC) and Rosa Fernig (Den Bosch) as reserves but will stay outside the Olympic village.  Read More: Paris 2024 Olympics: When do Great Britain hockey teams play?Read More: Paris Hockey schedule, match fixtures, results, how to watch on TV The Hockey Paper revealed last week that reserves will not be able to participate unless there is an injury to the first choice squad Xan de Waard and Maria Verschoor will compete in their third Games Pien Sanders and Sanne Koolen played in Tokyo “We are blessed with great hockey players in the Netherlands,” Van Ass said “We have a large group of top players to choose from and we have been at the top in the world for years but it also results in selection moments that unfortunately turn out less well for some It was not an easy task to arrive at our basic Olympic selection and three reserves.” The Dutch will compete in the Pro League in Utrecht and Amsterdam later in June.  This will be followed by the away matches against Japan (14 and 16 July) as the final part of the preparation for the Olympic Games Read More: Olympic field hockey history: Results, winners, placings at every Games Elzemiek Zandee (SCHC) and Julia Remmerswaal (HDM) are outside the group.  Kappelle and Remmerswaal will continue to train with the Dutch team in the coming weeks Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" a political scientist at Leiden University is an analyst for the Freedom House report Freedom House is an American non-profit organisation dedicated to democracy the report describes the degree of freedom and the state of democracy around the world Veenendaal is an analyst for the four European microstates: Andorra He has done field research in these countries himself which is also why he was asked to be an analyst for these states He has now been working for the Freedom House report for six years you are asked every year whether there have been developments that should make a country's score go up or down.' What exactly is analysed to give a score to a country's democracy Veenendaal stresses that Freedom House does not exactly measure democracy but freedom: two concepts that he knows are linked Freedom House uses a list of some 25 indicators based on which they measure freedom: 'That ranges from the rule of law 'Over the past 17 years, Freedom House measures that democracy is in decline worldwide.' you see that there have been waves of democratisation,' Veenendaal describes as Freedom House measures over the past 17 years that democracy is in decline worldwide 'And you can contrast that with the period from the 1970s' to the 1990s' when democracy was growing worldwide.' countries are also constantly compared with each other: 'to see if it is fair how we rate countries compared to other countries.' And in addition To make his own reports on Europe's four microstates Veenendaal mainly keeps an eye on the news coming out of those four countries he also looks at how other organisations then react to it laws were passed two years ago to curb the independence of judges,' Veenendaal outlines 'Then you see a very strong reaction to that from the European Council You take that into account when assessing the score for San Marino for that year.' Veenendaal emphasises that it is mainly about looking at trends: 'Actually you shouldn't rely so much on very big affairs unless of course things happen that immediately bring down a country's score at things that just happen several times in a row over a longer period of time.' Although Veenendaal does not analyse the Netherlands himself he does know of our country's score: the Netherlands currently has a score of 97% One is how we treat refugees and migrants in the Netherlands This is also where other European countries are deteriorating Stricter laws are being passed in these countries where the human rights of migrants and asylum seekers are compromised And what is Veenendaal’s favourite indicator of the list 'That is the one on 'free and fair elections',' he points out 'Because that is the core concept of democracy also as scholars around the world define democracy.' This article was written based on an interview (in Dutch) with Wouter Veenendaal on Radio 1. Listen to the whole interview here. Institutions, Decisions and Collective Behaviour Identity, Ethnicity and Political Community Leerstoel Koninkrijksrelaties: Democratische vertegenwoordiging in het Koninkrijk Downsize My Democracy? The Democratic Consequences of Decentralization — has cast a worrying light on the health of our small LIFE.com celebrates the at-once humble and remarkable bee by transporting our readers back six decades to a bustling bee market in the Netherlands At the annual bee market at Veenendaal — “the biggest in Europe,” according to LIFE (August 1956) — beekeepers and prospective buyers of bees go through the ancient motions seen at markets the world over for countless centuries: purchasers considering the wares considering the wares again … and eventually As for the striking first image in this gallery LIFE explained that beekeeper Gerrit Norssleman “wore the hood to protect his face and eyes from the swarms had the pipe because its smoke calmed the bees and kept them at a safe distance tougher than the sensitive area of his face were bare so he could handle his bees dexterously without crushing them.” If only the most dire peril facing bees today was the not-so-dexterous hands of their keepers Something worth remembering the next time you bite into a peach a pear — anything that grows with the quiet and 500 grams of amphetamine when searching a home on Jan Roeckplantsoen in Veenendaal on Wednesday evening Cobra fireworks are illegal in the Netherlands They are often used as explosives in attacks on homes and businesses which have become increasingly common in recent months There have been over 50 such attacks in Rotterdam since the start of this year The counter in Amsterdam stood at nearly 30 The police discovered the explosives after secretly following a taxi that had been listed as “suspicious” in a previous case The police decided “to honor the residents with a visit.” the police officers found drug-related activities the drugs and 17 cobras were found,” the police said Virgil van Dijk and Sari van Veenendaal hit out at pundit and say ‘enough is enough’ women’s and youth national football teams are boycotting a leading sports TV programme over the racist comments of a longstanding pundit The Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk and the Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal have led the way after years of the behaviour of Johan Derksen on the Veronica Inside show being explained away as straight-talking humour Advertisers have also threatened to join the players’ protest in response to a recent interjection from Derksen who had likened a man in the blackface makeup of the Zwarte Piet character from the festive Saint Nicholas celebrations to that of a well-known Dutch activist and Black Lives Matter protester supported by other past and present footballers the national team captains wrote: “This is no longer on the brink This has nothing to do with humour any more has survived a number of previous controversies including comparing a Surinamese-born politician and claiming that the standard of amateur football has been threatened by the increase of players of Moroccan heritage “I will be dismissed as a racist but I really don’t give a damn,” he said at the time The Veronica Inside show has a bar-room style in which Derksen’s provocative interventions have been excused in the past as the price to be paid for freedom of expression But in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent acknowledgement by the Dutch prime minister Derksen’s employers are under unprecedented pressure to act The former Dutch international Edgar Davids said: “It is not the first time that racist things have been said and normally it has always been brushed aside don’t be so upset’… We often say now: athletes have an exemplary role But of course that also applies to the media They are responsible for what they feed the public in terms of information.” The pundit denies being racist and has refused to apologise over the latest row, insisting that “the Netherlands is in very bad shape when internationals and advertisers determine the content of programmes”. Maiko Valentijn, the chief executive of the media agency MediaCom, which purchases airtime on behalf of advertisers in the Netherlands, described the situation in an interview with the newspaper Algemeen Dagblad as being at “breaking point”. He said: “Our advertisers deserve an explanation on how to prevent their advertising from ending up in an environment of ‘content’ that is diametrically opposed to what these brands stand for.” A spokesperson for the programme’s makers, Talpa Network, said: “The statements within Veronica Inside are for the account of the people at the table. Veronica is for freedom of expression and against deliberately hurting fellow people or people groups.” Send help right to the people and causes you care about Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee What's In Your Fridge What’s in Your Fridge is where the Straight asks interesting Vancouverites about their life-changing concerts what’s sitting beside the Heinz Ketchup in their custom-made Big Chill Retropolitan 20.6-cubic-foot refrigerators Adam Vee or Adam Vee when I'm in my music-producer guise I'm a mixing and mastering engineer by trade and the lead singer and guitarist in the shoegaze band the Ludvico Treatment although not for much longer—we're playing our farewell show on March 18 at the Cobalt as I'm moving to Toronto to attend law school this fall I saw a Beach Boys concert with my family in 1995 or so which was great but the first real gig I attended as an autonomous music fan was Everclear at an HMV in downtown Calgary When they played their mega hit “Santa Monica” the audience started moshing and crowdsurfing completely destroying the CD racks in the process Someone uploaded a video of it to YouTube but it's not nearly as anarchic as seemed in my memory Metric headlined a gig at Richard's On Richards (R.I.P.) and played an opening slot at the Commodore the following night I was obsessed with their debut Old World Underground and spent both shows right up front singing along with the other mega fans Emily Haines invited me on-stage and showed me how to play the keyboard line at the end of “Dead Disco.” I'm sure I hit a bunch of sour notes but for a couple of minutes I got to jam with my favourite band at the time This is always a painful task for music nerds so I'll limit myself to live albums to make things easier Spiritualized Live at the Royal Albert Hall This is a cheap way to not have to pick a favourite from Spiritualized's brilliant first three albums but I do really love the energy captured on their live recordings Jason Pierce isn't the most animated performer in rock but the most important part for me—the music—is absolutely transfixing The year after this was recorded Spiritualized opened for Radiohead on the OK Computer tour but I missed out; tickets to the Calgary gig were sold out by the time I got out of school that day I still wonder how different my twenties would have been had I caught a gig like this at the formative age of 15 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Live Seeds Again this spares me from having to pick a favourite record from a formidable catalogue but Live Seeds also features what I consider the definitive versions of “The Mercy Seat” and “From Her To Eternity” Nick is in full proselytizing madman mode here—check out the 1993 gig at the Paradiso club in Amsterdam on YouTube for proof I read that the band hired Neil Young's producer David Briggs to work on Henry's Dream but Nick hated the results and felt like it wasn't the album he wanted to make Live Seeds sounds like a band taking back their songs and making them their own again 1963 Something that is often missed in the streaming versus physical media debate is the significance of album credits/liner notes and the role they play in the preservation of music history I first heard this album online and tracked down an LP copy which tells the story of how this particular concert was recorded but left in the RCA vaults for over two decades This album presents an entirely different Sam Cooke than the one the world had seen or heard up to that point David Bowie “★ (Blackstar)” I'm a massive Bowie fan (my band covered his 1997 album Earthling in its entirety just for kicks) and Station to Station is one of my favourite records ever The day that ★ was released I was furiously studying for the LSAT and really shouldn't have been procrastinating but I just couldn't stop watching the music video Musically it's the closest thing to Station he'd done since that album and the beautifully cryptic visual accompaniment definitely adds to the song I couldn't and still can't recall the last video that had captivated me so completely—this is the music video that made me start caring about music videos again I'm not sure I'll see another that I love quite this much I don't much like coffee but I'm obsessed with coffee-flavoured beer It's the perfect drink for a relaxing evening spent watching movies or drinking alone with a great book—because who needs social pressures anyway Moroccan-style hummus even though it seems to give me heartburn on a semi-regular basis the first time I bought some there was a manufacturer recall due to an E I came back for a second one which was also subjected to the same recall Fate seemed be to telling me to give it up but I still love the stuff Caffé Barney on Granville used to serve a penne that combined mango chutney and goat cheese which was a novel flavour combination that I couldn't get enough of I started adding mango chutney to my veggie burgers and have never looked back I only wish local restaurants would take a cue from me on that.. The Ludvico Treatment plays the Cobalt next Friday (March 18) Your hair was short-cropped and dyed orange Politics in Malta is characterised by deep polarisation between the country’s two main parties and high levels of voter turnout in elections. Wouter Veenendaal explains that these two features are directly tied to the country’s small size as is the prevalence of clientelism and corruption All of these elements were evident in the response to the murder of Maltese journalist and anti-corruption activist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 On October 16, 2017, a car bomb killed Daphne Caruana Galizia Malta’s most renowned journalist and anticorruption activist I travelled to Malta to conduct three weeks of field research consisting primarily of interviews with politicians The goal of this fieldwork was to study how the smallness of Malta affects interactions between citizens and politicians and how this can be related to record voter turnout levels Malta’s legacy of profound partisan polarisation Malta is not only the smallest, but also the most densely populated member state of the European Union. Its nearly 500,000 citizens live on three islands that together only cover 316 square kilometres. In combination, smallness and density have created a heavily networked society in which citizens and politicians are in constant politicians continuously reach out to voters creating a blurred boundary between professional and private relationships This contact almost always relates to personal queries of voters, ranging from people’s housing situation, jobs, taxes, health care, and pensions to really personal issues like disease, loneliness, or relations within the family. Due to the fact that elections in Malta are often decided on the basis of a few hundred votes politicians face considerable pressures to address and alleviate such personal concerns The smallness of Malta thus creates powerful incentives for clientelistic exchanges which form the basis of most interactions between citizens and politicians The prevalence of patron-client linkages can be related to extremely high turnout figures in Malta which always exceed 90% (without compulsory voting) Because personal connections with politicians are an important means of citizens to obtain goods or services to individual voters it matters a great deal which politicians and parties are elected into office As one interviewee responded when asked about these record turnout levels: “Because it’s Russian Roulette the smallness of Malta also enhances politicians’ capacities to monitor the participation of individual citizens representatives of the two main political parties keep track of who voted and who did not and absentees will be reminded of their duty to participate The lack of political anonymity created by the smallness of Malta thus also contributes to clientelistic politics and high levels of political participation In addition to extreme turnout figures, Maltese politics is also notoriously polarised and 1980s political tensions occasionally turned into open violence While ideological differences between Malta’s two political parties (the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party) have gradually faded politics in Malta remains very tribal and bipolar with little room for neutral or independent voices and views The murder of Caruana Galizia – who had uncovered a series of corruption scandals implicating prominent Labour politicians – sparked new outbursts of hostility with Nationalists holding the Labour government responsible for creating the environment in which this murder could happen and accusing the government of frustrating subsequent investigations into the assassination Patron-client linkages can be regarded as an important source of this tribalism since the wellbeing of voters to a large extent depends on who is in power an election victory for the opposition can almost become an existential threat Since such partisan appointments amplify the control of the party in power weakening (semi-) public institutions that are supposed to function in an impartial or neutral manner clientelism and patronage exacerbate the dominance of the party in power and manifestly corrupt officials have simply retained their jobs The smallness and interconnectedness of Maltese society also stifles people’s willingness to voice criticism of corrupt behaviour because of an awareness that one might need connections with transgressing politicians sometime in the future the Maltese ruling party responded by questioning the integrity and neutrality of these investigations Yet whatever the outcome of these European inquiries they are unlikely to affect the fundamental characteristics of Malta’s political culture it is highly doubtful whether Caruana Galizia’s murder will actually result in genuine political reforms in Malta For more information, see the author’s accompanying article in Political Studies Please read our comments policy before commenting Note: This article gives the views of the author not the position of EUROPP – European Politics and Policy or the London School of Economics J think that sending text is worth wider dissemination for knowledge sharing cognitive and utilitarian purposes among EXPERTS for discussion new cutting-edge ideas and as e- learning materials for better understanding the real corruption in management practice Experienced executive brings thirty years of pioneering SaaS and enterprise technology experience to the business  NewVoiceMedia a leading global provider of omni-channel cloud customer contact technology today announced that Frank van Veenendaal will join as a Director to NewVoiceMedia's Board      (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140910/705584-a )      (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150616/223507 ) Van Veenendaal served as Executive Vice Chairman of Salesforce for three years and held a number of executive leadership positions at the company since 2001 during which time he helped drive the company's considerable growth he served at several leading high-tech companies Van Veenendaal's experience of helping to pioneer enterprise adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions will be extremely valuable as NewVoiceMedia continues to develop its portfolio of true cloud solutions and accelerate its rapid international expansion "NewVoiceMedia's solutions are allowing enterprises to move away from outdated legacy systems and embrace the cloud to deliver personalised unique customer experiences and create stronger sales and service teams" as well as a multi-billion dollar market opportunity NewVoiceMedia is poised for considerable growth I look forward to working with the management team and playing an active role in helping shape the future development of the company" customer service and sales acceleration expertise to our board as well as tremendous perspective that comes from growing an emerging SaaS company to a market-leading position" well-established partner for NewVoiceMedia Frank's insights will be instrumental as we enter into the next phase of our growth" NewVoiceMedia's cloud customer contact platform revolutionises the way organisations connect with their customers worldwide enabling them to deliver a personalised and unique customer service experience and drive a more effective sales and marketing team The company now serves customers spanning 128 countries and six continents For further information, please visit http://www.newvoicemedia.com AppExchange and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com NewVoiceMedia ensures complete flexibility Spanning 128 countries and six continents, NewVoiceMedia's 400+ customers include Topcon, PhotoBox, MobileIron, TNT, Lumesse, Qlik, JustGiving, Canadian Cancer Society and Wowcher. For more information visit http://www.newvoicemedia.com or follow NewVoiceMedia on Twitter @NewVoiceMedia Do not sell or share my personal information: