Special Announce about the Bus Accident in Switzerland

Related Articles:

Swiss bus crash kills 22 Belgian and Dutch children


"A Summary" – Apr 2, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Religion, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Intelligent/Benevolent Design, EU, South America, 5 Currencies, Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Middle East, Internet, Israel, Dictators, Palestine, US, Japan (Quake/Tsunami Disasters , People, Society ...), Nuclear Power Revealed, Hydro Power, Geothermal Power, Moon, Financial Institutes (Recession, Realign integrity values ..) , China, North Korea, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version)

" .... Let us talk for a moment about Japan, and then I'll close the day of messages. There are thousands of souls on my side of the veil and they're just fine, more than fine. We have spoken so often of what happens at the Wind of Birth. I told you, before they even came in, they saw the potential. I looked in their eyes. "You may not last long. You know that, don't you? You're coming into this planet and you may not be here very long. And the passing that you will have with your family will not be pleasant, if any ever are. Why would you come in anyway?" I want to tell you what they said. When a soul has the mind of God, it understands fully what generates peace and what generates energy shift. You can clearly see what generates what the planet needs the most when you are about to arrive. So they said, "We're going to be part of one of the biggest compassion events the planet has ever seen." One earthquake, one tsunami. All of those who left that day will change the earth forever. And it already has. It was the same for the last tsunami as well.

Every single one of them on my side of the veil is getting ready to come back. Many old souls were involved, and just for a moment, if they could give you any information, if they could talk to you right now, if they could speak your language and look into your eyes, they would thank you for your compassion for them and those who are left. And they would say, "Be with those family members who are still alive. Enter their hearts every day and give them peace and keep them from crying, because we're OK." .... "

Forced castrations reportedly found in Roman Catholic care

RNW, 17 March 2012, by Robert Chesal

 (Photo: Wikipedia) 

              

Underage sexual abuse victims were castrated in Dutch Roman Catholic psychiatric wards in the 1950s, according to the Rotterdam-based newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

Castration was performed on young men who were thought to be homosexual, but also as a means of punishing those who blew the whistle on abusers, the paper quotes sources as saying.

NRC discovered proof of the forced castration of one young man and strong evidence that at least ten other abuse victims were subjected to the removal of their testicles. The proof includes court documents, medical records, letters from lawyers and private correspondence.

According to the paper, the practice was reported in 2010 to the Deetman Commission which completed its investigation of sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic church last December. The commission, led by former cabinet minister Wim Deetman of the Christian Democratic party (CDA), made no mention of the castration of abuse victims in its final report.

NRC also writes that a prominent Dutch politician tried to secure a royal pardon for Catholic brothers convicted of sexual abuse at Harreveld, a former boarding school in the Netherlands. The politician was Vic Marijnen, who later became Dutch prime minister.

Marijnen was chairman of the Harreveld board of governors at the time when the abuses took place. He was also vice-chairman of the Netherlands' main Catholic child protection agency and leader of the Catholic People's Party (KVP), which later merged with Protestant groups to create the Christian Democrats.

In a reaction, the church-installed Deetman Commission says it did not publish any findings on the castration of abused minors in its final report because it had "too few leads for further investigation." The commission did not report on the actions of Vic Marijnen because "the case was unmistakeably tied to circumstances which could be traced back to an individual person." In its final report, the commission left most identities anonymous as a means of protecting individuals' privacy.

Related Articles:

Victims call for Catholic castration inquiry

Abuse commission did not investigate castration claim

New research into Catholic sexual abuse

RC leaders convene over sex abuse


"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? 

The Hague: first Shelter City for activists

RNW, 16 March 2012

Photo: Flickr - Atila The Hun

The city of The Hague has announced plans to offer temporary refuge to human rights activists whose lives are endangered. The municipal council ratified a proposal submitted by Green Left and the Democrats D66 on Thursday evening, which will set up the first so-called “Shelter City” in Europe, said Green Left Councillor Inge Vianen.

The two parties want to offer activists a three to six month emergency visa to allow them to recover before returning to their own country.

“A temporary residence permit will be seen as a last option for activists if  they are unable to stay in the region where they’re active or if their safety cannot be guaranteed. What’s important is that they can continue their work, even if it’s temporarily from a distance,” said Vianen.

EU Shelter Cities network

The EU is also in the process of setting up a network of “Shelter Cities”, the councillor explained, a network of European cities where activists whose lives are at risk can live for a while.

“People courageous enough to stand up to injustice and oppression in their own country should be given extra protection,” added Vianen.

D66 councillor Joost Sneller initiated the idea.

The Hague UN's second city

The Hague is the United Nations’ second city after New York. It houses 131 international organisations dedicated to the cause of world peace, including the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Dutch premier urged to condemn far-right website

Deutsche Welle, 15 March 2012

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been urged to condemn an anti-immigration website run by the far-right Party for Freedom party. While the party lies outside the ruling coalition, Rutte does rely on it for support.

The Dutch Prime Minister on Thursday was pressed in a resolution by the European Parliament to condemn an anti-immigration website.

Parliamentarians in Strasbourg had adopted a resolution calling upon Dutch premier Mark Rutte "specifically to condemn and distance himself from this 'deplorable' initiative."

The website - set up by the Netherlands' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) - has been active for the past month and has attracted protests aimed at party leader Geert Wilders. It provides a forum for people in the Netherlands to complain about issues including job losses and crime which they might connect to migrants from central and eastern Europe.

"The Dutch government should not turn a blind eye to PVV policies that contradict basic EU values," a statement from the European Parliament said. The resolution described the site as an affront to fundamental values of human dignity, freedom, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Rutte: site does not reflect government

The parliamentary head of the conservative European People's Party, Joseph Daul, attacked Rutte for declining an invitation to defend himself before the EU assembly.

"These are important issues, but evidently not important enough in the eyes of the Dutch prime minister to come and debate them with us," he said.

However, while distancing himself from the site on Thursday, Rutte did not condemn it. "The government has always insisted that the site is the initiative of a political party, the PVV," Rutte wrote in a letter to the lower house of parliament.

"The site does not reflect the views or the policies of the government with regards to job migration from eastern and central Europe," the document added.

While the PVV lends support to Rutte's minority coalition, it is not formally a part of it.

The party advocates a ban of the burqa and has condemned the Quran as part of a campaign to stop the "Islamization" of the Netherlands.

rc/msh (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

Related Articles:

EU parliament condemns Freedom Party website

EU against Dutch immigration plans

'Anti-Semitic' settlers game taken offline

'Anti-Semitic' settlers game taken offline

RNW,15 March 2012, by Heleen Sittig     

(Photo: VPRO) 

Is it satirical or anti-Semitic? An online game on the site of Dutch public broadcaster VPRO has come under discussion. It’s based on the popular board game Settlers of Catan – only in this version the players have to establish colonies on the West Bank.

The VPRO has now taken the game offline because its “satirical aim is now overshadowed”.

The game

Players are required to assume the role of a Jewish settler. The aim of the game is to build as many settlements as possible on Palestinian territory.

'Anne Frank House cards' and 'Wailing Wall cards' can be used to acquire extra points. Players are also required to apply the stereotype 'traditional Jewish trading mentality' and trade in diamonds.

The game is not satirical but anti-Semitic, say both the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, a watchdog for anti-Semitism, and the Dutch-based pro-Israeli Centre for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI).

Hate speech

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has written a letter about the matter to European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding, hoping she could put pressure on the Netherlands to make sure the game is taken offline.

According to Shimon Samuels from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the game is anti-Semitic and racist. As the VPRO is a public broadcaster, he claims the Dutch state is guilty of hate speech using public money.

It’s not as simple as that, says Dutch Minister of Culture Marja van Bijsterveldt, who doesn’t intend to interfere in the case. The VPRO is a public broadcaster but that doesn't mean the government has anything to do with the content.

Anti-Semitism

Chair of the CIDI Joël Serphos doesn’t think the game is merely satirical. In the Dutch press he said that “use is made of traditional anti-Semitic views”. According to him, they might just as well have been put on the extreme right website Stormfront.

The VPRO says that the game – which is the focus of discussion after being online for longer than a year – was intended as an ironic commentary on the Middle East conflict. The makers hadn’t really intended it as a game. “It should be considered a visual column. It’s oozing satire.”

Related Articles:

EU parliament condemns Dutch Freedom Party website

EU against Dutch immigration plans

(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)

"Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age." -  Jan 19, 2012 (Channelled by Suzy Ward)

Swiss bus crash kills 22 Belgian and Dutch children

RNW, 14 March 2012

The Swiss authorities have revealed that 15 of the children who died in the bus accident in Switzerland on Tuesday evening were Belgian and seven were Dutch.

(Photo: NOS news)

Twenty-eight passengers were killed in the crash in a tunnel on the A9 motorway between Sierre and Sion, north of the Alps. Among the dead are the two bus drivers and four other adults.

Another 24 people are injured, many of them seriously. Three are reported to be in a coma. The schoolchildren were travelling back from a skiing holiday in Val d’Anniviers when the bus veered into the wall of the tunnel. The front of the bus was pulverised and many of the victims had to be cut out of the wreckage. According to eyewitnesses at the scene just after the crash, the seats came loose, throwing the children forward.

So far, the authorities have been unable to explain what caused the crash. Police say the drivers had observed driving and resting regulations and that the bus was not travelling too fast. There was no other vehicle involved and the road was in good condition.

Parents of the victims have been taken to Switzerland by two Belgian air force planes. They are accompanied by Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, the Prime Minister or Flanders, Kris Peeters, and Deputy Prime Minister Steven Vanackere. They were seen off at the airport in Melsbroek by Belgian King Albert II and his wife Paola.

The children went to school in the Belgian provinces of Limburg and Brabant near the Dutch border.

According to the Swiss news website Swissinfo.ch the alarm was raised at 9.15 on Tuesday evening. Over 200 people were called to the scene of the accident. This included 60 firemen, 30 police officers, 15 doctors, 12 ambulances, eight helicopters and three psychologists. The rescue operation took more than eight hours.

It is one of the worst bus accidents in Switzerland in 30 years. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte expressed his "intense sorrow" after hearing the news. Queen Beatrix says her thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragedy.

Related Articles:

Special Announce about the Bus Accident in Switzerland

Coach driver ‘busy with DVD before crash’

Swiss probe deadly bus crash as families arrive

Ten Dutch children on Belgian disaster bus

Gay couples make wedding plans amid angry Catholic sermons

'It's not like we are all going to be marching into Catholic churches in bridal dresses,' says one gay man at Designer Civil Partnership show

guardian.co.uk, Alexandra Topping, Sunday 11 March 2012

Christine Hepworth, left, and Heidi James examine a selection of rings
 at the Designer Civil Partnership show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Photograph: Teri Pengilley for the Guardian 

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds/ Admit impediments," declared the bard of Stratford in his 116th sonnet. And at the Globe theatre in central London on Sunday – even as Catholics were being urged from thousands of pulpits across the country to oppose gay marriage – there was no shortage of same-sex couples ready to heed his encouragement.

At the Designer Civil Partnership show at Shakespeare's erstwhile theatre, excited couples discussed the colour scheme of invitations, whether wedding "favours" were a necessary part of the big day – and the decision of the Catholic church to wage war against government plans for gay marriage.

"I think it's disgusting. We are not second-class citizens and the idea that this archaic institution should dictate how we live our lives is appalling," said Matt Turrell, 37, a photographer specialising in civil partnerships. "At the end of the day, the union of two people should be about love. Why should we be denied the right to express that publicly?"

On Sunday a letter from two senior Catholic archbishops was read in 2,500 parish churches during mass, arguing that a change to the law would reduce the significance of marriage. Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, and Archbishop Peter Smith, the archbishop of Southwark, urged their flock to sign a petition against the move, telling them it was their "duty to do all we can to ensure that the true meaning of marriage is not lost for future generations".

This has a profound impact on people like Evelyn Len, 29, a practising Anglo-Catholic who is due to marry her partner next May. They will have a civil ceremony, but have found a priest who is willing to do a religious blessing. "I would like to get married in a church, and it's very frustrating because I think lots of priests would like to be able to," she said. She was "at peace" with both her religion and sexuality, she added. "I go by what I think Christ would say. I try and keep that in mind when people get angry about it – people have taken these stances, not God."

Her partner, Shelley Webster, 29, saw the debate in a positive light. "When I was a teenager, I never thought the stage when I would be able to have a civil partnership would come," she said. "We've got a long way to go, and the pace of change is slow, but at least it is happening, it is being discussed."

With a string quartet playing in the entrance hall, intense discussions on whether ushers should wear matching cufflinks, and stalls displaying everything from chocolate macaroons to crystal-encrusted table centre pieces, this was a wedding fair much like any other.

But gay couples are still made to feel excluded because they cannot marry in the same way as heterosexual couples, according to Chris Ford, 30, and his fiance Andrew Ogilvie, 32. The couple, both nurses, were told they could have no religious element to their service and described it as the first barrier they had faced as gay men.

"I was gobsmacked," said Ogilvie. "Automatically you feel second class, that your union is not valued in the same way. It's not like we are all going to be marching into Catholic churches in bridal dresses, but you just want to have the option. Civil partnerships are good, but they are not perfect."

The archbishops' decision to label the changing of the legal definition of marriage a "profoundly radical step", which would strip the union of its "distinctive nature", was hurtful to religious gay people, said Shaz Riley, 46, director of the Butch Clothing Company, who was giving advice to potential brides who wanted to avoid a big white dress.

"I have gay Catholic friends who will be no less than heartbroken at what is happening today," she said. Reacting to the archbishop's comments that "marriage is intended for the procreation and education of children" – and that this should exclude gay people – she said: "It's a very sad day. That the church can tell us we will go to hell, or that we can't have families in this day and age, is astonishing."

She and her partner Sue – who introduces herself as Mrs Sue Riley – had a civil partnership ceremony, but would have preferred to have married. "I refer to her as my wife, she is my wife and we are very happily married, no matter what the law might say."

While the new dean of St Paul's Cathedral the Very Rev Dr David Ison has called on the Church of England to embrace gay marriage, the archbishop of York, John Sentamu, joined the Catholic-led opposition. "I happen to believe that to change the law in the end would be forcing an unjustified change," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. But the prime minister has made his support for gay marriage clear. "We believe people should have the option of civil marriage, irrespective of sexual orientation," a spokesman said this week.

Gino Meriano, 49, founder of the Designer Civil Partnership show, cringes at the term "civil marriage". Doling out fizz to anyone within striking distance ("Clare will see you right for Lambrini"), he is in the unusual position of campaigning for civil partnerships for straight people. "This is the 21st century: gays want marriage, straights want civil partnerships, there are single mothers, there are househusbands. You can't stop the progress of society," he said. "We are not hard done by, we have no chip on our shoulder – we just want equality."

Standing in the sunshine overlooking the Thames from a balcony at the Globe, Natasha Marshall, 31, and Debbie Cross, 38, tuck into the bubbles, chatting about the wedding rings they have just chosen for their civil partnership in September. The pair, who have been together for 13 years, would have liked the option of a civil wedding, but seem unconcerned about the fact that they will not yet be able to have a religious ceremony. "Church weddings are boring anyway," said Cross. "We're going to have a lot more fun than that."

Related Articles:

Pope denounces gay marriage lobby to US bishops

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack)

“ ... You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.The only identity that has any fundamental or lasting relevance to your Soul is your Divinity. Any other way you may label or identify yourself is transitory. It changes from one incarnation to the next. ..."

"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.)

(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)

"Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age." -  Jan 19, 2012 (Channelled by Suzy Ward)


"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? 


"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.)  - New !  

Dutch smartphone apps digitize wanted posters

Deutsche Welle, 12 March 2012

Cops in the Netherlands are hoping that their citizens will check their phones for suspects. One was created by a Dutch startup that outsources to Kosovo.

In the Netherlands, wanted posters are now going digital, giving the Dutch police a way to boost their crimefighting capabilities via smartphones. Two new applications are empowering ordinary people to assist authorities in capturing suspects - and they're starting to have modest, but tangible results.

A couple weeks ago, the Amsterdam police were looking for two suspects accused of pilfering a senior's bank account. The cops had pictures of them. So, Commissioner Bart Driessen alerted the public.

"On a Friday afternoon we put two girls, women the age of 20 and 23 - we put them on the Internet," he told DW. "Saturday morning, they both were on the police station, and [they said] ‘Hey [we're on] that app, you are looking for [us]?,' ‘Yeah, we are looking for you - you're under arrest,' and they're now in prison.”

The suspects saw their mug shots on the Amsterdam police's smart phone app, DePolitieZoekt - In Dutch, that means: “The police are looking”

"They were recognized not only by themselves, but also their friends and surroundings, they saw, ‘Hey you're on the Internet,' he added. "It's, yeah, shaming. That's a good word. Shaming of them."

Dutch law enforcement says they
have made a few new arrests thanks
to the software 

Thousands of downloads so far

DePolitieZoekt was released in November for the iPhone, Android and Windows Mobile platforms. The app has more than 115,000 downloads so far. It features a gallery of essential digital wanted posters.

They include photos and in some cases embedded videos of the wanted suspects, such as a recent one of a suspect who is believed to have stolen 144 liters of gasoline instead of the 35 liters that he'd paid for. Anyone who recognizes the suspected gas thief can tip off police directly from the app. Fill out a form and hit send. It goes directly to the investigators on the case.

Driessen, who oversees DePolitieZoekt, says response to the app has been staggering.

“We can reach thousands of numbers of citizens in the city to warn them or to get their assistance in making it safer in the city," he said. "What we do see is that those smart phone users are very interested in the messages from the police force.”

Bart Driessen, the Amsterdam
 police commissioner, has praised the
new app 

Another addition, Anoniem

While DePolitieZoekt is only being used in Amsterdam, a national anti-crime organization, known as the M. Foundation, launched its smartphone app, Anoniem, just last month. It's sort of like DePolizieZoekt, but this one has no direct links to police.

Each day at its headquarters in a small town in central Holland, the M. Foundation takes about 300 anonymous crime tips via phone calls from across the Netherlands. M. evaluates the tips and sends them to law enforcement if appropriate. The tips have led to thousands of arrests. But one recent call marked the first of its kind.

“There was a street robber wanted by the police, and it was on our app," said, Ruud Smulders, the manager of the M. Foundation, in a DW interview. "And he was arrested a few days after he was published on our app. So there's one success I can say now.”

As Smulders pulls up the app on his iPhone 4, the app shows and animated pistol, followed by a menu, and after a brief moment, he taps it open and starts browsing gallery of the Netherlands' most wanted.

“This one is a robber, and this is a thief, a known thief, and this guy, well, he looks bad," he said with a grin.

While there's certainly a bit of fun to be had in perusing Anoniem's gallery of rogues, Smulders says he hopes more users will put those images into action.

"When you see their photo, when you're sitting on a terrace and drinking your coffee and you can recognize someone, you say, ‘Hey, this is this criminal wanted by the police, and you can swipe on the app, and see all the information, and you can push one button, and you can call us.” 

Timbur Xhabiri was one of the
 Kosovo-based developers for Anoniem 

Outsourcing to Kosovo

But what's even more interesting than these Dutch digital wanted posters, is that they were created by programmers in Kosovo, via SPRIGS, a Dutch company that outsources its programming operations to Prishtina. 

Kosovo's capital boasts a large community of tech-savvy young people and late last year had its first startup weekend.

A half-dozen young Kosovar Albanian programmers work at computers at a repurposed apartment that now houses the technical brain trust of this IT outsourcing company. 

Anoniem is the highest-profile job to date for SPRIGS, which was founded in late 2010, by a Dutch entrepreneur. IT outsourcing is one of the economic bright spots in Europe's second-poorest country.

“Most people here don't know the difference between Poland and Kosovo," explained Thom van der Veen, who works in SPRIGS's front office in Amsterdam.

"But I think it's good for them to see that what we deliver is actually good, and mostly we're quite on time with things. And they're quite impressed with that.”

Author: Nate Tabak, Amsterdam

Editor: Cyrus Farivar

RI ambassador to Netherlands passes away

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Mon, 03/12/2012 

A former Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands, Junus Effendy Habibie, passed away at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta on Monday morning.

Junus Effendy Habibie
(Photo: Kompas.com) 

“The deceased will be buried at Tanah Kusir after ashar prayer time [around 3 p.m.],” 

Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang S. Ervan said as quoted by kompas.com.

Junus Effendy Habibie, also a former Transportation Ministry sea transportation director general, was a graduate of the Navy Academy (AAL) in Surabaya.

He underwent various naval training programs, including the United States Marine Corps Staff-V (Planning) Course in Coronado, California, the US; the Instructor Course at the United States Naval Training Centre in San Diego, California, US; and the US Navy Planning Course and Instructor Course in California, US, all in 1964.

Junus, a brother of former president BJ Habibie, served as the Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2006. He was also a member of the House of Representatives from 2004 until 2006.

Junus is survived by his wife, Miriam, and three children, M. Tauchid, M. Syahrullah and M. Bacharuddin. (han)

Netherlands wants to support Syrian defectors

RNW, 10 March 2012

Syrian guard

The Netherlands wants to encourage Syrian soldiers, government officials and others to defect and distance themselves from the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal said the European Union could help and protect deserters and other defectors.

The minister made his statement following Saturday’s talks with his EU colleagues in Copenhagen. Mr Rosenthal said the other ministers supported his proposal.

The Dutch foreign minister said he was thinking of soldiers, police officers and other security personnel, but also government officials, diplomats and businessmen with close ties to the regime.

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