Postcard from Anne Frank discovered near Amsterdam

by Aaron Hotfelder on

When a Dutch schoolteacher named Paul van den Heuvel began gathering materials for a history lesson on Anne Frank, he probably had no idea that he’d make a bit of history himself. As he was looking through some of his father’s old books, he discovered an old postcard displaying a Christmas bell and signed with one very famous name: “Anne Frank“.

Curators at the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam have already confirmed that the card is genuine, stating that this card resembles another already in the museum’s collection. The card was apparently sent in 1937, eight years before Anne Frank’s death.

The Diary of Anne Frank is still the world’s top-selling book about the Holocaust, documenting the months Anne and her family spent hiding from the Nazis during World War II.

More here.

Hollywood stuntman to sail Atlantic in popsicle stick ship

by Abha Malpani on

31 world record breaker and former Hollywood stuntman Robert McDonald’s new adventure is to cross the Atlantic in a 15-meter ship made of 15 million ice-cream sticks, that looks like a replica of a Viking ship.

A lot of the sticks were used, steam-cleaned ones and about 13-million of them were donated by Unilever. He made the ship, stick by stick, with the help of his son and 5000 children from Holland; the sticks have been stuck together by salt-water proof glue. This ship is probably the world’s largest handmade recycled object.

McDonald’s creative and risk-filled life stems from the fact that he was injured in a gas explosion that killed his parents and six-siblings, and confined him to 5-years of hospital bed rest. All his feats are motivated by a strong and simple belief that he wants to share with kids: “you can do anything”. Part of McDonald’s fearless stunt portfolio includes climbing the Twin Towers in 1995, and free-climbing the Grand Canyon.

A dangerous expedition but possible; the ship is undergoing various sea-trials at the moment. Apparently, McDonald said that when a boat inspector analyzed one of his planks made of 5000 popsicle sticks, he pronounced it 5-times stronger than steel.(!)

According to a Reuters report, he currently is looking for a crew to sail the ship across Atlantic from Holland to America as well as of course, funding.

Dollars hard to sell in Amsterdam

by Anna Brones on

You may be sick of hearing how low the dollar is, but today we have just another example of how badly the American currency is fairing. In Amsterdam, small currency outlets are refusing to buy dollars for euros, making it difficult for tourists to exchange their money.

“Our dollar is worth maybe zero over here,” said Mary Kelly, an American tourist from Indianapolis, Indiana as reported by Reuters. “It’s hard to find a place to exchange. We have to go downtown, to the central station or post office.”

Small currency exchanges are different than banks and other institutions in that they don’t want to be holding a currency that will devalue and be worth less next time they have to sell it. One euro is currently worth $1.58, compared to $1.47 a month ago. If you want to make your travel money last, it’s probably time to find a job in Europe.

Where to sleep with Socrates

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Located in Amsterdam, the Sandton Hotel de Filosoof (Philosopher’s Hotel) is one of the more high-minded theme hotels in the world. The thirty-eight rooms are all dedicated to well-known philosophers, including Nietzsche, Spinoza, Confucius, and Thoreau (pictured).

The Thomas Hobbes room, I’ve heard, is a little “nasty“, while Plato’s room apparently has a lamp and a wall for perfect for making shadow puppets. Socrates’ room looks nice in the photos, but I’d avoid sampling any leftover drinks you find. Kudos to you if you got those references.

Check out some of the rooms here.

[Hat tip: Tyler Cowen]

Amsterdam moving underground

by Jerry Guo on

In December, I wrote about how Amsterdam is dramatically downsizing their red-light district in the coming years. It seems that’s just the least of it.

Rumors are coming in that within a couple decades, Amsterdam will start building a massive underground city. Engineered already by the architecture firm Zwarts & Jansma, it calls for “a range of underground facilities … at various levels below the city.”

The project will cost some 7.4 billion euros and take 20 years. The good news is that the city’s historic canals will be left in place–thought they’ll have to be temporarily drained. Could we see this elsewhere?

I don’t see why not. Many cities are already building as high up as they can possibly go, just look at Shanghai. The next logical step is down. When I was in Beijing, I stayed in a terrible hostel that was minus four stories down. It felt like I was two levels removed from hell.

###

What strange things have been found on planes?


Click the image to read the bizarre story…