Noorderplantsoen is an urban public park
in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands, situated slightly north of the
city center. Its name is Dutch for northern public garden.
History
In 1874
the Vestingswet was passed. This law allowed cities to expand outside of the
city walls and fortifications. Since the fortifications were no longer in use,
they were transformed into a public park. The earth ramparts were incorporated
in the park architecture and the moats were turned into ponds. The architecture
is of an English garden style, characterized by meandering paths and serpentine
ponds, inspired by wild nature. The shape of the park still reflects the former
purpose of the area: the long but narrow park curves around the old city. The
park includes an Art Nouveau bandstand and a small restaurant.
Until
the mid-90s the Noorderplantsoen was split up by a busy road, but a referendum
in 1994 decided - with a narrow majority - to close this road for motorized
traffic.
Events
Every
year a number of events take place in the Noorderplantsoen, of which the
Noorderzon Theater Festival is well known. This cultural event takes place at
the end of August and is visited by over 125,000 visitors. Many theater, dance
and music groups from The Netherlands and abroad perform during this 11-day
festival.
Another
well-known event in the Noorderplantsoen is the plantsoenloop. This run through
the park is held annually in October or early November and attracts about 500
runners. In 2007 the 50th edition of the plantsoenloop took place.
Thursday 23 August
2018, we have our next topic event given on River Island and is all about The
Netherlands. We have DJ Trees and Artist Angel with a performance of Andre
Hazes.
There are several posts on this blog about The Netherlands, Holland and the Dutch people.
All credits are for
Deepert who did the organization of this event!!
André
Hazes
André
Gerardus "André" Hazes (30 June 1951 – 23 September 2004) was a Dutch
singer in a genre called levenslied ("song about life"), popular
music about everyday life sung in the Dutch language. André Hazes was one of
the most successful singers in this genre. Hazes recorded 31 studio and live
albums and he released 55 singles.
André
Hazes was both a cult figure and a very successful mainstream pop artist. He
earned both reputations by being the most successful baby boom generation
interpreter of "het levenslied" -- the Dutch equivalent of American
country songs or the French chanson. "Het levenslied" (the life song)
evokes the lives of ordinary people in simple and recognizable terms, often
with a melodramatic touch. Hazes rose to fame in the 1970s, with hit songs like
"Eenzame Kerst" and "De Vlieger." He secured his mainstream
success well into the '80s, and although he was obscured somewhat in the 1990s,
Hazes returned to the spotlight in 1999, staying there until his early and
unfortunate death in 2004.
André
Hazes was born in Amsterdam on June 30, 1951, in the working-class neighborhood
of De Pijp. He fell in love with music -- especially rock & roll and the
blues -- at an early age.
Albert Cuyp markt. Amsterdam, Nederland, 22 oktober 1959
When he was only eight years old, André was
discovered by Johnny Kraaykamp, Sr., shortly after which his single
"Droomschip" was released, but it failed to bring success. Sometimes,
lightning does strike twice, because in 1976 -- when Hazes was 26 years old --
he was discovered again, this time by no less than Willy Alberti. Up until
then, Hazes had gone through a string of jobs: from factory worker to market
salesman. Alberti ensured the release of the single "Eenzame Kerst"
during the Christmas season of 1976. Hazes' first full-length studio album,
entitled Zo Is Het Leven, followed in the summer of 1977, to positive reviews
and good sales. Frustration and tension with his record label, however, kept
Hazes away from recording and the music industry for the next few years. Among
other things, he worked as a bartender. He returned to the recording and
performing fold in 1980 -- with the help of producer Tim Griek, Hazes released
a single "'N Vriend" and a studio album of the same name. 'N Vriend's
successor, Gewoon André, reached the top of the album charts a year later.
The
single "Een Beetje Verliefd" became Hazes' ticket to superstardom.
For Hazes, the '80s were marked by over 20 hit singles and more than a dozen
successful studio albums, as well as sold-out shows, live albums, and his own
(although short-run) television series. In May 1988, Hazes' friend and producer
Tim Griek died. Later that year the Dutch football team won the European Championship,
and Hazes released a single, recorded with the team, entitled "Wij Houden
Van Oranje."
The song grew into a national sports anthem. At the end of
the '80s, Hazes recorded and released Dit Is Wat Ik Wil, a collection of blues
originals and covers of Dutch and English-language origin. Among them was a
version of "The Thrill Is Gone" with Brainbox's Kaz Lux and
"What'd I Say" with Herman Brood. With two new producers, Hazes kept
his production pace high in the 1990s -- delivering at least one new studio
album per year -- but signs of wear, both artistically and in his audience,
were beginning to show (though his sales consolidated and never dropped below
respectable levels).
Even
more importantly, Hazes' lifestyle, consisting of many shows a year and a lot
of drinking, was beginning to take its toll. Hazes was never in the best
physical shape, but at the end of the '90s he had become seriously overweight
and began experiencing heart problems. After filmmaker René Appel made a
documentary about him, Hazes' star rose to national fame once again: Zij
Gelooft In Mij showed Hazes in all his fragility -- both as a performer and as
a husband and a father. His next three albums all made the Top Three of the
album charts, and the compilation 25 Jaar: Het Allerbeste Van reached the
number one position and eventually spent over two years in the album charts. In
2003, Hazes celebrated his silver anniversary as a performer with a concert in
the Amsterdam Arena, immortalized with the DVD Live in de Amsterdam Arena.
In May
2004, Hazes announced that he had hearing problems; as a result, he had to
cancel his concerts. Four months later, on the 21st of September, Hazes was
rushed to a hospital. He died two days later as a result of two strokes and
cardiac arrest. Hazes was given a farewell ceremony in the Amsterdam Arena on
September 27, with more than 48,000 people present. Over six million people
from the Netherlands and Belgium watched the service. Several Dutch celebrities
spoke and/or performed that night -- among them were Trijntje Oosterhuis, René
Froger, and Guus Meeuwis -- and Hazes' band played Gary Moore's "Still Got
the Blues." Though some argue that the evening was over the top (and
perhaps rightly so), Hazes' farewell ceremony stressed his special status as a
performer; not merely loved for his music, he was also adored for being himself
-- a plain and ordinary yet special person and performer. Hazes' single
"Zij Gelooft In Mij" was re-released two days later. It became his
fifth number one single (others were "Eenzame Kerst,""Diep In
Mijn Hart,""Ik Meen 't," and "Wij Houden Van
Oranje").
A year
after his death, on September 23, 2005, Hazes' ashes were shot into the sky.
That same day, a statue was uncovered at the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam,
the place where Hazes was first discovered. After his death, Hazes scored
several more hits -- some of them posthumous duets with contemporary artists
such as Gerard Joling and his son André Jr. An album of these duets, Samen Met
Dré, was released in 2007. It reached the number one slot not long thereafter,
staying there for three weeks.
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural, or planted
space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of
wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of grassy areas, rocks, soil, and
trees, but may also contain buildings and other artifacts such as monuments,
fountains or playground structures. In North America, many parks have fields
for playing sports such as soccer, baseball and football, and paved areas for
games such as basketball. Many parks have trails for walking, biking and other
activities. Some parks are built adjacent to bodies of water or watercourses,
and these parks may comprise a beach or boat dock area. Often, the smallest
parks are in urban areas, where a park may take up only a city block or less.
Urban parks often have benches for sitting and they may contain picnic tables
and barbecue grills. Parks have differing rules regarding whether dogs can be
brought into the park: some parks prohibit dogs; some parks allow them with restrictions
(e.g., use of a leash); and some parks, which may be called "dog parks,"
permit dogs to run off-leash.
The largest parks can be vast natural areas of hundreds
of thousands of square kilometers (thousands of square miles), with abundant
wildlife and natural features such as mountains and rivers. In many large
parks, camping in tents is allowed with a permit. Many natural parks are
protected by law, and users may have to follow restrictions (e.g., rules
against open fires or bringing in glass bottles). Large national and
sub-national parks are typically overseen by a park ranger or a park warden.
Large parks may have areas for canoeing and hiking in the warmer months and, in
some northern hemisphere countries, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in
colder months.
Noorderplantsoen
Noorderplantsoen is an urban public park in the city of
Groningen in the Netherlands, situated slightly north of the city center. Its
name is Dutch for northern public garden.
History
In 1874 the Vestingswet was passed. This law allowed
cities to expand outside of the city walls and fortifications. Since the
fortifications were no longer in use, they were transformed into a public park.
The earth ramparts were incorporated in the park architecture and the moats
were turned into ponds. The architecture is of an English garden style,
characterized by meandering paths and serpentine ponds, inspired by wild
nature. The shape of the park still reflects the former purpose of the area:
the long but narrow park curves around the old city. The park includes an Art
Nouveau bandstand and a small restaurant.
Until the mid-90s the Noorderplantsoen was split up by a
busy road, but a referendum in 1994 decided - with a narrow majority - to close
this road for motorized traffic.
Events
Every year a number of events take place in the
Noorderplantsoen, of which the Noorderzon Theater Festival is well known. This
cultural event takes place at the end of August and is visited by over 125,000
visitors. Many theater, dance and music groups from The Netherlands and abroad
perform during this 11-day festival.
Another well-known event in the Noorderplantsoen is the
plantsoenloop. This run through the park is held annually in October or early
November and attracts about 500 runners. In 2007 the 50th edition of the
plantsoenloop took place.
The statue of Joost van den Vondel in the late 19th
century
Vondelpark
The Vondelpark is a public urban park of 47 hectares (120
acres) in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is part of the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid
and situated west from the Leidseplein and the Museumplein. The park was opened
in 1865 and originally named the "Nieuwe Park", but later renamed to
"Vondelpark", after the 17th-century playwright and poet Joost van
den Vondel. Yearly, the park has around 10 million visitors. In the park is an
open-air theatre, a playground and several horeca* facilities.
*Horeca (or HORECA) is an abbreviation used in Europe
for the sector of the food industry that consists of establishments which
prepare and serve food and beverages (food service). The term is a syllabic
abbreviation of the words Hotel/Restaurant/Café.
Near my real life house, here in Groningen, is a
winter event named WinterWelVaart (Winter Prosperity in English).
The winter event WinterWelVaart is held
every year between the Feast of St Nicholas and Christmas. This year between
Friday 20 December and Sunday 22 December, and dozens of chartered ships will
be moored on the Hoge en Lage der A and Pottebakkersrijge.
There are plenty of activities going on
during WinterWelVaart, such as talks, exhibitions, music, activities for
children and lots more. There is a different program every day.
The
event includes a number of special features. There is a Zodiac art route set up
by artists, admission to the NorthernMaritimeMuseum is free, and there is a special Christmas market on the Lage en
Hoge der A.
Last year there was snow during the event
and that gave it a more winter appearance.
Christmas (Old
English: Crīstesmæsse, meaning "Christ's Mass") is an annual
commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ and a widely observed holiday,
celebrated generally on December 25 by millions of people around the world. A
feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it closes the Advent season and
initiates the twelve days of Christmastide. Christmas is a civil holiday in
many of the world's nations, is celebrated by an increasing number of
non-Christians, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
The precise year
of Jesus' birth, which some historians place between 7 and 2 BC, is unknown.
His birth is mentioned in two of the four Canonical Gospels. By the
early-to-mid 4th century, the Western Christian Church had placed Christmas on
December 25, a date later adopted in the East. The date of Christmas may have
initially been chosen to correspond with the day exactly nine months after
early Christians believed Jesus to have been conceived, as well as the date of
celebration of the southern solstice (i.e., the Roman winter solstice), with a
sun connection being possible because Christians consider Jesus to be the
"Sun of righteousness" prophesied in Malachi 4:2.
The original date
of the celebration in Eastern Christianity was January 6, in connection with
Epiphany, and that is still the date of the celebration for the Armenian
Apostolic Church and in Armenia, where it is a public holiday. As of 2012,
there is a difference of 13 days between the modern Gregorian calendar and the
older Julian calendar. Those who continue to use the Julian calendar or its
equivalents thus celebrate December 25 and January 6 on what for the majority
of the world is January 7 and January 19. For this reason, Ethiopia, Russia,
Ukraine, Serbia, the Republic of Macedonia, and the Republic of Moldova
celebrate Christmas on what in the Gregorian calendar is January 7; the Church
of Greece celebrates Christmas on December 25.
Other names
In addition to "Christmas", the
holiday has been known by various other names throughout its history. The
Anglo-Saxons referred to the feast as "midwinter", or, more rarely,
as Nātiuiteð (from Latin nātīvitās below). "Nativity", meaning
"birth", is from Latin nātīvitās. In Old English, Gēola
("Yule") referred to the period corresponding to January and
December; the cognate Old Norse Jól was later the name of a pagan Scandinavian
holiday which merged with Christmas around 1000. "Noel" (or
"Nowell") entered English in the late 14th century and is from the
Old French noël or naël, itself ultimately from the Latin nātālis (diēs),
"(day) of birth".
Kerstfeest
(Christmas in Holland)
Christmas is
celebrated over two days in the Netherlands, i.e. Eerste Kerstdag (First
Christmas Day) on December 25 and Tweede Kerstdag (Second Christmas Day) on
December 26, both of which are public holidays.
While it may seem
similar to what you know, Christmas is not about Santa Claus and reindeer in
the Netherlands. In fact, the Dutch celebrate Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas Day,
the tradition that may have seeded the idea for Santa Claus in the first place)
on December 5, and it is this day that Dutch children get really excited about.
They also receive most of their presents on Sinterklaas.
Christmas is
family time, although the hyper-hysteric commercial style of Christmas that is
found in so many other Christian countries is gaining ground here too,
unfortunately. Rather confusingly, Santa Claus (called de Kerstman) is also
trying to edge his way into Dutch Christmas. Of course, kids are only too happy
to accept two gift-giving Santas, if it means more presents for them.
Families spend
the day together on the 25th. Some attend a late night Christmas service at
church, after which they eat breakfast at home, often in the early hours. In an
increasingly irreligious Holland, however, most people just relax at home and
eat themselves silly. Breakfast usually consists of a brunch with a kerststol
(fruited Christmas loaf) with butter, and luxury breakfast items like fancy
bread rolls, smoked salmon, pates, etc.
Second Christmas
Day is often spent visiting family or, weather permitting, going ice skating or
on an outing. Leftovers are enjoyed on this day.
A lip dub is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. It is made by filming individuals or a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song. There is often some form of mobile audio device used such as an MP3 player. Often they look like simple music videos, although many involve a lot of preparation and production. Lip dubs can be done in a single unedited shot that often travels through different rooms and situations within a building. They have become popular with the advent of mass participatory video content sites like YouTube.
Origin
Jake Lodwick, the founder of Vimeo, coined the term "lip dubbing" on December 14, 2006, in a video entitled Lip Dubbing: Endless Dream. In the video's description, he wrote, "I walked around with a song playing in my headphones, and recorded myself singing. When I got home I opened it in iMovie and added an MP3 of the actual song, and synchronized it with my video. Is there a name for this? If not, I suggest 'lip dubbing'." Lodwick also directed the "Flagpole Sitta" "office lip dub" in April 2007 which The Washington Post covered.
Students in the Digital Media department at Hochschule Furtwangen produced the first university lip dub.
Since then, dozens of lip dubs have been coordinated around the world predominantly by university students. After L'Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) produced a lip dub to The Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" in 2009, the viral video phenomenon gained international acclaim. Universities in Thailand, Japan, Spain, and Brazil made UQAM inspired lip dubs to the same song in the following year.
Yesterday Tim brought to my attention that also the University of Groningen made a Lib dub that I have to show you. And all shot in one take.
A pink weekend it was last weekend, in real and in Second Life.
First there was the Pink Saturday here in Groningen.
Pink Saturday in Groningen went without significant incidents. Estimated between forty and fifty thousand people came to the party. The feast began Saturday with an ecumenical celebration in the MartiniChurch. During the service was entered on the theme "space of encounter '. Predecessor Mary Metzlar called on those present to listen to the other, even though that other another religion or a different cultural background.
No Pink Saturday is complete without parade. It was also participated by about 50 police officers and for the first time by the fire department.
A notable appearance in the Parade was the 40-metre-long Rainbow flag worn by showband Marum. The ' Euro Pride Flag ', as it is called, is specially flown in from Brussels and was already in Warsaw and Rome to admire.
During this Pink Saturday Groningen had the honour of this immense Rainbow flag to show to the public.
Members of the Groningen Municipal Council and employees of the municipality cycled in the parade on pink cycling.
The Feast was musically graced by several performances by, among others, Jim Bakkum, Miss Montreal and the Vengaboys. There was also a particular action of the anniversaries of Gruno's TNT Post harmony in cooperation with the gay choir "Zangzaad".
Next year Pink Saturday is in Haarlem.
In Second Life there was Friday the party at Open Minds. Again I forgot to make pictures.
Also I not made pictures at a party at Club7Arts.
I did chat with Sevenart about gay movies and he recommend to watch Fellini's movie "Satyricon". Its one of his favourites, he told me. "Dead in Venice" is still one of my favourites. I did get a copy of "Satyricon" so I can watch it soon. It seems that good gay movies are made by Italians. ~grins~
Okay, Death in Venice is based on the novella Death in Venice by Thomas Mann and he was German.
Saturday we had our party at T.R.A.C.S. with DJ Racker. He did a great job and we hope we will have him back, as guest DJ, in September.
At 11 CET, the party at Fabulous starts, so when I cleaned the club and put off the lights, I went to the pub for the crazy shorts and skirts party.
Sunday (at 3 am CET) there is always the party at Coral Reef.
Ellbee is so often at our parties and I so less at Coral Reef that I got my Dutch flag swim trunks on at went to the party there.
Again I forgot to make pictures.
In Sweet Grass, also on Sunday, the Tattered & Torn Party.
Gany made the picture of the winners.
Last, but not least, I have to mention that Gins Allen have a concert on Friday July 8th.
Johan Peter Rehwinkel (Groningen, June 19, 1964) is a Dutch politician. Since September 14, 2009 he is the Mayor of the municipality Groningen. Peter Rehwinkel comes without problems, out for his homosexual orientation.
He was active in the field of integration of homosexuals in society.
In particular, homosexuality in Islam has its attention. He was a member of a recommendation from the Yoesuf Foundation, which deals with the emancipation of homosexuals with an Islamic background.
On 29 August 2008, he married as the first mayor with someone of the same sex.
His spouse is KRO-journalist Michel Zeegelaar. The couple lives in Groningen.
Sunday, June 19, 2011, our Mayor Peter Rehwinkel had his birthday. And who has his birthday, gets presents. In the framework of Pink Saturday on July 2, Peter Rehwinkel got on Monday 20 June in the City Hall handed over a pink bicycle. A gift from the municipal officials. "So, that's a tough one! Great! ", responded the Mayor. For the eye of cameras and photo lenses he cycled a few rounds on his new bike through the Hall of the City Hall.
Although new.... It is an orphan bike, which for a long time unused in the city was towed away, and the environmental Department is spray-painted pink specially for Pink Saturday.
Pink Parade
The pink bicycles are to be admired during the Rose Parade, on Pink Saturday 2 July.
The parade is for employees of institutions and organizations in the city who want to show that they have a ' pink heart '. Gay or straight, that doesn't matter, everyone is welcome.
The municipality of Groningen also participates, on pink cycling. There are in the environmental Department sprayed pink 80 orphan cycling: men's and women's models, large and small. The Councillors and municipal officials share along the way mints out and try to persuade spectators to walk in the parade.
Under the motto: ' nice to meet you '.Charity
The intention is that the pink bicycles are sold after the parade. Thus get the bikes and second or perhaps third life. And supply the buyers with a positive contribution to a sustainable and clean city. The proceeds will go to the Platform Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & transgender (LGBT) Groningen. Peter Rehwinkel: "I would also have to do with this bike: resell."
Last week I wanted to write things about last year and publish pictures that I still had and never found a good reason to use them. But working at the club and the surrounding took more time than I had estimated. So here are my leftovers and updates.
The pictures:
The new words:
Places and buildings at Second Life:
REAL GRONINGEN
Groningen with the snow.
The Groninger Museum reopening after revitalization.
After a renovation project which took over 8 months, the Groninger Museum will reopen its doors to the public on Sunday 19 December. The entire building has regained its original lustre and its colours have been fully restored. Several rooms have been thoroughly renovated by the top designers Maarten Baas, Studio Job and Jaime Hayon. They designed, respectively, the Mendini Restaurant, the Job Lounge and the Info Center, the ultramodern digital visitors’ information centre.Total cost of the operation: nearly 6 million Euros.
The new exposition at it: Russia's Unknown Orient. Orientalist painting 1850-1920
Russia's Unknown Orient tells the story of Russia's (art-)historical bond with its southern neighbours: Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia and the Crimean peninsula. It was a bond that was characterized by a fascination for oriental traditions. The word 'Orientalism' has been in use since the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was a genre in painting which focused on themes such as the Middle East and North Africa.
Many topics are covered in this exhibition, including allegories, travel impressions, everyday life in the Russian Orient and the biblical East. The exhibition presents more than a hundred works by Vasili Vereshchagin, Martiros Sarian, Vasili Polenov, Niko Pirosmanashvili, Aleksandr Volkov, A. Nikolaev, Pavel Kuznetsov, Evgenii Lanseray and others.
The Play button is at the top left of the first picture.
The picture of the winners is, as always, made by Ganymede.
Next Party in Sweetgrass: Sunday January 9th
Ice Skating Party with DJ Bernard
********************
This morning:
GRONINGEN-Because of the cloudy weather was the partial solar eclipse on most places in the province of Groningen difficult to observe. At sunrise around 8.48 hour was obscured the Sun for three quarters.
In 1874
the Vestingswet was passed. This law allowed cities to expand outside of the
city walls and fortifications. Since the fortifications were no longer in use,
they were transformed into a public park. The earth ramparts were incorporated
in the park architecture and the moats were turned into ponds. The architecture
is of an English garden style, characterized by meandering paths and serpentine
ponds, inspired by wild nature. The shape of the park still reflects the former
purpose of the area: the long but narrow park curves around the old city. The
park includes an Art Nouveau bandstand and a small restaurant. 
