watch the explosion

  • explosion dancers!

    The explosion Dancers gave an explosive performance on the Brionplein, main square in WIllemstad.

  • ...

HAPPENING

10. okt, 2015

day of the land

Today we celebrate the fifth anniversery of Curacao becoming a land of its own in the Netherlands.

  • fellow citizens

    Our seminar on 'We and the Public Space' in IBB will start next monday. We are looking forward to it. In our talks with people we realize that 'we' isn't the easiest of topics. 'They' is much more often subject of discussion.

  • ..

    What makes you a real Kórsou person? It is tricky to do it right if 'right' is not very clear. Being born and raised here is an obvious distinction, but even that doesn't always cut it . You can stay Makamba, whitey, for generations.

  • back to school

    A day at the UNA, Universiteit Nederlandse Antillen, where we attended a very intersting lecture by Lloyd Janga on city planning, witnessed the mid term project results of the students architecture and planning of Sofia Saavedra Bruno and finished the day with lecture and debate on the Tin Houses. Hosted by Ruben Lacruz and Karoline Helwegen. Stanley Brouwn and COrlos Weeber were art of the panel.

  • the haicut

    We ran in to mrs Edselina who works as an assistent at IBB but as well in a hairdressers. And voila a haircut.

  • 61% Dutch: let them go

    According to an opinion poll 61% of european Dutch finds corruption, fraud & mismanagement a good reason to let go of the Dutch Antilles. As well 55% sees the past not as sufficient ground for financial compensation.

  • Curacao: benevolent dictator

    In an article lawyers Huisman, Bonapart Van Walcheren think a benevolent dictator that operates with absolute power in the interest of the people is the best way to overcome the current political crisis . The article will be published in Carribian Juridical Magazine

  • super dushi

    dushi, darling, has changed into the super dushi brand

  • chi chi

    and chi chi represents a typical curacao woman: happy go lucky full figured older sister. According to the maker.

love is not free

Everywhere on the planet positive feelings are part of selling strategies. Sex sells, love too.

  • made by hand

    slowly but surely the centennial of the ISLA refinery is coming. 2016 there will be a century of Curacao Crude. WIll it be a celebration or closure?

  • .

    We understand that minister Plasterk again will refuse to interfere in the decision of the Curaçao government not to keep the ISLA to environmental regulations. Governemental discretion, he calls it. We understand that so close to the '10-10 the day of the land" he doesn't want to be the kolonial party-pooper.

  • 10-10 celebration

    Coming 10-10 there will be the national celebration of becoming a country: the day of the land. Looking forward to the comments. WIll it have been a good or a bad decision becoming a country in the netherlands rather than a province?

remember the solar panel debacle

Last year the possibilities to place solar panels on your house were severely limtited by energy company Aqualectra. Instead of getting money back for energy you produced you had to pay a fee for having solar panels. Who owns Aqualectra we are unable to find out. We thought we found an American link. Now something interesting has happened. An American company has developed a solar farm especially for Curacao and they are offering this to Aqualectra. Couldn't be the same investers could it?

more background on the energy story here

Curacao sept. 2015

here's the newspaper article

http://www.antilliaansdagblad.com/index.php/nieuws-menu/12036-zonne-energiepark-aangeboden-2

What kind of Tula does Curacao need now?

AH supermarket: black piet part of Dutch tradition

Supermarket Albert Heijn will not avoid using the image of black pete, the servant of folklore figure sint Nicolaas on wrappings and promotional material. Black Pete is part of our tradition, according to a spokesperson. Ofcourse it will be possible for certain branches to just stick to Sint Nicolaas if black Pete causes to much unrest. Like in AMsterdam or Rotterdam. But we will not avoid depicting him. Last years there has been a lot of protest in the Netherlands using this kind of racist imagery. Even the United Nations disapproved strongly and claled it openly racist and not fitting.

watch them play

  • body double?

    Tip: never forget to spray water before you use exapnsion foam. Otherwise it doesn't do expanding. And buy enough cans. If you buy extra cans, don't wait, otherwise your foam will magicly start shrinking again.

  • no breasts and a hump

    To compensate for the shrinkage I put newspaper. Now I've ended up with a lovely torso with no breast and a hump. Size wise I am ok waist and hip but missing 6 cm on top, including hump... Artistically it looks fine.

  • road safety

    yesterday evening when returning home we passed a car accident on the corner of our street. A scooter and car crashed. The driver of the scooter was laying on his back, still, nobody attending him. We fear the worst...

  • 2014: 23 trafficdeaths, 10.000 car accidents, 700 injured.
    population 150.000

    http://www.kkcuracao.info/?p=95570

Democratic law? Law of reciprocity!

another one

Tourism: Citizenship on holiday

sometimes we come up with something you could put on a tile

Binnen het koninkrijk der Nederlanden hebben we veel bijzondere natuur en complete natuurgebieden. Vaak zijn het hele ecosystemen die in balans zijn waardoor de waarde veel meer is dan alleen een park of bos. In Nederland spreken we zelfs van een ecologische hoofdstructuur (EHS). In Curacao (zelfstandig land binnen ons koninkrijk) is het allemaal anders. Daar heb je een grotere stad en wat dorpen die worden omringd door Mondi, platteland, kale vlakte met grote mooie cactussen en geiten. een lange kustlijn met afwisselend rotsen en zandstranden omzoomt het hele eiland. Ook zijn er zoutpannen waar een waanzinnige kolonie flamingo's verblijven. En dan heb je het hele grote gebied in het hart van het eiland:  Het Schottegat. Het is een groot industrieel complex met aparte regels en een apart belastingklimaat- een industriegebied waar voornamelijk ruwe olie wordt geraffineerd, nu door de Venezolanen. Aangrenzend aan deze raffinaderij ligt een meer met de naam Het Asfaltmeer. Een grote ecologische ramp midden in ons koninkrijk waar geen adequate actie wordt ondernomen om deze giftige bende op te ruimen... Hoe was het ook alweer...? De vervuiler betaald, toch? Wat een vreemde erfenis van koninklijke SHELL, wie gaat dit opruimen, dat mooie asfaltmeer?

zie link: http://www.milieufocus.nl/factsheets/d/de-vervuiler-betaalt.html

zie ook: http://www.npogeschiedenis.nl/nieuws/2015/juni/shell-curacao-olieraffinaderij-isla-willemstad-vervuiling-1985.html

en: http://www.antilliaansdagblad.com/index.php/publicaties/100-jaar-olie

  • waiting for rain

    It is hot and Curaçao needs rain. This morning dark clouds, rumbling of thunder... Could it?

  • ...

    It is October now, start of the rainy season. But here lately nature has been less than predictable. A year without rain is no exception. Climate change.. These are the first drops, lets hope there'll be more.

car totalled, but we OK.

our car is given up on, but the jeep needs just some improvisation to get back on the road. Everybody, police, ambulanceworkers, standers by give it their best shot. and it works!

On our way to a meeting there suddenly was a car where it wasn't expected....

Bam...

  • dress form

    After an inspiring lecture of David Paulus, fashion designer from Curacao, we got insired too.

  • Wouldn't be a good idea to make dress forms, so that aspiring fashion students can work directly on a form of themselves.
    This is a technique called 'moulage'.

  • It allows for a more sculptural way to work with maerial and form. Great. But first get this model right. After having yourselve taped with duct tape you cut open the form and fill it with foam...

David Paulus on IBB

From couch potatoe to fashion star. David Paulus told us the story of his life. Born in Curacao, moved to Holland at 17, lost himself a bit, got depressed and sat on the couch and watched tv and ate crisps. Finally fed up a friend gave him an old sewing machine and this got him out of the rut. Look at him now: fit and happening. When asked what was most important he said: people, your team. On your own your lost.

http://www.fashionweek.nl/en/designer/david-paulus

https://www.facebook.com/davidpaulusfashion