Sometimes in the Netherlands you see the most cutting edge, futuristic, bizarro ideas become reality. So I wonder if anyone flinched when they read in the newspapers over the weekend, that the police department expects to have its first flying police cars within the next 5 years.

Flying police cars, well, its not quite a car. It is more like a little one person smart car with a propeller that can unfold and take the little car up into the sky. The idea is that with all the traffic problems on Dutch highways, police have to be able to get around more quickly and the use of helicopters is too expensive and limited as to where they can land. More commonly referred to as a gyrocopter, the first prototype will be tested in two years and the police expect to be using the first commercial version by 2012.

No where in the article do they talk about using these things in cities. Considering all the tram lines, I doubt the flying police could get far anyway.

The long-awaited day has finally arrived. As of today, 1 July 2008, The Netherlands is officially smoke-free! At last, a night out on the town does not mean coming home saturated in cigarette smoke, coughing from the constant exposure to puffing patrons. A meal at a nice restaurant will no longer be accompanied by wafting smoke, and coffee with a friend won’t merit washing one’s hair just to remove the stink.

What a thrill. After doing some research, I’ve discovered that the smoking ban does affect coffee shops where marijuana is sold. Owners of these shops are rightly concerned about their sales. But it seems that the smoking ban applies only to tobacco and not to marijuana.

What does this mean? Here’s a guess: Tourists (and locals) will continue to visit coffee shops, but will refrain from mixing their joints with tobacco, as pure joints remain within the confines of the law. However, this may lead to an even bigger problem of overly stoned individuals roaming the streets.

Or maybe everyone will just ignore the ban. Time will tell!

Hand made toys, nostalgic sideboards, and traditional candy are only some of the throwbacks one can find a the Winkeltje Kouwenhoven in Delft. A shop that goes all the way back to 1867, it originally specialized in chemicals, paints, glass work, as well as being a pharmacy.

Technically, having become part of the Het Prinsenhof museum in 1985, it is no longer officially a shop. But that doesn't mean you can't walk in and experience the flavors of the late 1800's and early 1900's, or even take some home with you.

The store is located on the Sint Agathaplein 3a, in the heart of beautiful Delft. Several trains per hour leave from Amsterdam Central Station to Delft, the trip takes about an hour, and costs 20 euro round trip.

This is your early heads up for a little known yet very unique event that will take place in the Amsterdam area on July 6th, 2008. It is called "Big Jump" and it involves hundreds of people, possibly like yourself, jumping into bodies of water in the name of water quality and protecting the cleanliness of our water. To reconnect people with their waterways, what better way - than to jump in them.

Big Jumps have been taking place throughout Europe for the past few years in places like Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the UK. This year there are several Big Jumps scheduled, in preparation for the Big Jump XXL in 2010.

To observe, or better yet, be a part of the grand leap, bring your bathing suit (or not) and head over to either the beloved Blijberg beach, or to the IJberg section of Amsterdam at the Markermeer area. There are further explanations in Dutch here. Or directly from the European wide website in English, here. Don't miss this chance, when else will you be able to say you took part in a big jump into water along with several hundred people at the same time, in the Netherlands!?

The Dutch have won three games now, and face off against Russia tomorrow night in the quarterfinals. I live on a busy street, so despite my attempts to avoid watching every football game, I can’t seem to miss the celebrations on the street below me. Even a trip to the supermarket in the early morning hours reveals a country that is afflicted with an illness called Oranjekoorts.

To understand this illness, I turned to Dutch Word of the Day, the blog that has been keeping its readers up to date with the most relevant vocab for Euro 2008. They say those with "oranjekoorts suffer from increased body heat and adrenaline due to a sudden outburst of unusual patriotism and national solidarity,” and point out that this can turn into "oranjegekte," or orange madness (“the word for the behaviour and appearance of Dutch supporters, ranging from decorating your street with orange and national flags, to dressing up as an orange lion”).

Stop by the blog for a bit more football vocab, such as “Paniekvoetbal” and “Hup Holland Hup!” Maybe then you can begin to understand the madness that is currently sweeping across the Netherlands.

The Amsterdam Roots Festival is in full swing over at Oosterpark. It is the 11th edition of this beloved summertime music fest that features sounds from around the world. It is pretty much THE festival for multicultural music and experiencing sounds from the various corners of the planet.

This year is especially important however, as the Roots Festival is at risk of ceasing to exist. The Amsterdam City Arts Council has announced that the festival will receive no funds after 2008, making it virtually impossible for this free music fest to continue. This means not only is the festival struggling to get public and city support, but in fact this could be your last chance to experience the Roots Festival. The action continues until the 22nd of June, so check out the schedule and put on your dancing shoes.

Here's a clip from this year's festival, just to get you going.

The Dutch have won two games and the fervor is growing. I’m sure it’s even crazy in Switzerland. Apparently wooden prisons (48 of them!) have been built to hold all the “Euro hooligans” that evolve during this time period. For those fans that can’t keep it under control, here’s what they have to look forward to (from Expatica):

There were 7,000 offences and about 9,000 arrests and temporary detentions reported by police at the 2006 World Cup in neighbouring Germany, and Swiss authorities are prepared if trouble arises…

It's dark and gloomy inside the cells, which have no windows but a small opening on top to allow 24-hour surveillance through police cameras…Detainees will spend no more than 24 hours in the prison After that, they will either be deported back to their home countries or stand trial in Switzerland.

The first Dutch game has ended, with the Netherlands thrashing Italy 3-0. I saw at least one fan that didn’t make it to game time. I was heading out to meet a friend and there he was, passed out cold, flat on his back on the pavement, in a bright orange shirt. A somewhat less intoxicated friend of his stood watch over his prone body. It was 5:45pm.

The hours went by, and the orange costumes got a little bit crazier. Orange feathers appeared, and even dogs were dressed up to show their Dutch pride. I headed in before the match started, a little nervous for my safety. By 10:45pm, the streets were full of screaming fans, weaving and swerving in their cars and honking their horns. And this is in little Leiden.

Ah, football and the drunkenness it inspires.

Last week I participated in a global event called Bridges for Obama. About 30 Obama supporters met on the Magere Brug in Amsterdam to take photos holding Obama signs and voicing their support.

According to their website, the Obama Bridge Project “is a grassroots initative by international Obama supporters and Americans living abroad. The project is gathering photographs and videos of Obama supporters around the world, posing at, on or under famous or scenic bridges, displaying Obama banners--the bridge being an ideal symbol for the Obama candidacy.”

Amsterdam was sure a fitting edition. Pictures from all over the world are already up here.

This Tuesday, May 20th, yours truly is presenting two documentaries at the former film academy known as OT301. Both documentaries are related to Bangladesh; the first being about the stateless Bihari people, who live in Bangladesh since before the country existed, but are not considered citizens. This film focuses on how this came to be, as well as what life is like for the millions who live in camps since the 1970's.

The second film focuses on the women who work in the garment industry of Bangladesh. Quality of life, work conditions, and big labels are among the topics covered by this film.

Films start at 8:30pm, on the second floor of OT301, which is located at Overtoom 301, right next to Vondelpark. Entry is 4 euro and you'll get to meet me, since I'm organizing it on behalf of a friend who worked on both films.