My (straight) brother in Amsterdam sends me this email with the subject, “blue is pink.” In Amsterdam, the gay pride boat parade is for everybody: Happy Gay Pride! Do the police not have a gay parade boat where you come from? The inflatable hat is a nice touch. Caption on the boat says, “The police are for everyone,” meaning, as…
This is so bizarre I first thought it was satire: A robbery victim gets arrested and the robber gets fed wine and cheese! Classy. But it’s not satire. Trots op NLmeans “Proud of the Netherlands” and is a fringe right-wing political party that is playing on racism and fear of crime. Is white people drowning in a swimming pool too…
I’m not a big fan of crowds. Mobs do stupid things–both intentionally and through panic. I always like having an out. Interestingly, I’ve always felt a little more claustrophobic in Dutch crowds. I think they’re used to less personal space so they get tighter together (which is also a sign of their general civility). The Dutch also sometimes seem a…
Ahhh, the joys of drug regulation and the strange wonders of Dutch drug policy. The ultimate crime seem to be that this place got too big for its britches. But they nailed them for keeping a stock of more than 18 ounces of marijuana. That is a limit that most if not all coffee shops violate. But this place was…
Hot off the virtual presses, here’s an article I wrote appearing in this coming Sunday’s Washington Post. I talk about the difference in policy and police attitudes toward drugs in Amsterdam and in the U.S.: In Amsterdam, the red-light district is the oldest and most notorious neighborhood. Two picturesque canals frame countless small pedestrian alleyways lined with legal prostitutes, bars,…
Here’s an interesting website about my brother’s home of Amsterdam. It’s specifically in response to Bill O’Reilly’s lies about Amsterdam. In case you think everyone is always wearing orange and dancing, Queens Day only happens once a year. But it is a pretty impressive day. And the boat-ride video makes me kind of homesick. I know those canals well. But…
This just in over the transom: Went to Loveland Festival in Sloterpark yesterday and a great time was had by all except [name removed] who was found by security to have two pills [of ecstasy] on him. Without saying a word, the security guy brought him to cops who took him to the station. After 90 minutes of waiting (no…
This account of the party scene in Amsterdam is from a person who enjoys such things. He’s lived in Amsterdam for the past 17 years. The Sensation dance party, Wicked Wonderland, held in the city’s largest football stadium. The dress code was all white. The party goes from 10pm to 6am. Tickets cost about $100 (69 euros). The placed is…
If you’re a right-winger who wants to call the European social-welfare state “socialism,” so be it. Use whatever word you want for a system that provides housing and health care and education, helps poor people, and keeps the streets safe. I’ll take it. Take the Netherlands, as Russell Shorto does in an excellent article in the New York Times Sunday…
Interesting story here. Meanwhile, in Amsterdam the move to re-criminalize psychedelic mushrooms has been postponed another year. They’re still sold legally in stores. Some of my friends in Amsterdam (from where I write this) are E.R. nurses. They complain to me about the summer influx of drugged-out people to the hospitals. They’re all tourists and mostly casualties of shrooms and…