ING Amsterdam Marathon

The Amsterdam Marathon is by far the most testing running event in the history of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is an extremely well-organized event and is classified in the Golden League category by the International Association of Athletics Federations, the highest level for road racing competitions.

The History

The first ING Amsterdam Marathon as we know it today happened on May 3, 1975. Since that time, the start and finish lines were at the Olympic Stadium. According to certain records, the first person who won the first Amsterdam Marathon was Joergen Jensen from Denmark who ran the distance in 2.16.51. A year later, a European champion and second at the Munich Olympic Games named Karel Lismont came to Amsterdam. She is still regarded in Belgium as the best marathon runner even born on its soil, won in a tremendously hot weather condition. Another legendary winner of the Amsterdam Marathon came to the city a year later. He actually won the Boston marathon in 1975, being able to finish first in an unbeatable 2.09.55.

The Amsterdam Marathon was relocated the year when the Olympic Stadium feel into disrepair. In 1978, there was no marathon in the area, but many of those who organized the event considered the Dam Square as the new starting and finishing area for the event. The Dam Square in fact was the finish venue for one of the city’s most memorable marathons ever – the 1980 Amsterdam Marathon. It is interesting to know that the event actually remained at the Dam Square until 1989, and later Amsterdam’s new start and finish venue became Museumplein.

With the reconstructed arena, the Amsterdam Marathon finally was brought back to its former venue – the Olympic Stadium. In that venue, another memorable event took place and it was the 1996 Amsterdam Marathon when the city saw a rise in the number of its runners, both in men and women categories. The success of the marathon continues even until now and many Amsterdammers have immortalized their names through this event.

The Route

The route of the Amsterdam Marathon is usually fast, free of traffic, and as flat. During the event, digital clocks and refreshments stand line the route, which typically passed through the Vondelpark, below the Rijksmuseum and finishes back inside the Olympic Stadium.

Time Limit

Just like any other sports events, the Amsterdam Marathon has its own time limit. It has been maintained that the full marathon is subject to a six-hour time limit. The participants who fail to run the scheduled distances within the time limits set for the 25 km, 30 km, 35 km, or 40 km markers, as well as those who will exceed the overall time limit will be asked by a member of the event jury to terminate their race and to board the sag wagon for safety and health purposes. However, if despite being approached by a jury and the participants continue to run, they will be asked to do so at their own risk, as the route will be released for road traffic once the sag wagon has passed. And, it is a rule in the Amsterdam Marathon that if the participants terminate their race prior to finishing, they will not qualify for a medal.

Amsterdam News

The History of Amsterdam News

The Amsterdam News is basically one of the leading newspapers in New York City. It was first established in December 4, 1909 by James H. Anderson, with an initial capital of $10. Since its first introduction, the Amsterdam News has been considered as one of the leading black weekly newspapers for most of the 20th century.

Owing to its ideal location in the center of Harlem, the Amsterdam News was the primary talking head for one of the largest African-American communities in the United States. As a people’s mouthpiece, the Amsterdam News generally placed emphasis on covering the black community’s society news. Thus, included in its sections are weddings, engagements, births and charity events.

The Amsterdam News is very popular throughout the city of New York, with the highest circulation of more than 100,000. One particular memorable record in the history of the Amsterdam News is the year 1940s when this medium became one of the four leading black newspapers in the country, along with The Pittsburgh Courier, The Afro-American, and The Chicago Defender.

According to its early history, the Amsterdam News was named after the avenue in which the founder, James H. Anderson, lived – in the black community once known as San Juan Hill. It was also at this area where the first issues of the newspaper were formed, out of Anderson’s home at 132 West 65th Street. It was only in 1910 that the business offices were relocated. Also, during this early period, between 1910s to 20s, the Amsterdam News was wrote and edited by one of the renowned black journalists, T. Thomas Fortune.

In 1926, the wife of Edward Warren, one of the first publishers of the Amsterdam News purchased the paper. It was only in January 10, 1936 that the paper was resold to two West Indian physicians, who served respectively as editor-publisher and secretary-treasurer of the publication. Under their management, the now semi-weekly paper became the first African American newspaper to have all of its departments unionized. It was during this period in the history of the Amsterdam News that the paper started to focus on not only local, but also national events and issues as well. Many well-known personalities then contributed their works to the Amsterdam News, and it was Marvel Cooke, who became the paper’s first female new reporter.

Since its introduction, the Amsterdam News had championed a number of civil rights causes. As found out, the paper joined forces with other black papers during the Second World War to fight for civil rights in the armed forces. Then, in the 1950s and 60s, it was at the forefront in chronicling the events of the civil rights movement, like the well-known Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama, the Freedom Riders bus burning incident, as well as a number of riots.

The Amsterdam News started to pay attention on Malcolm X, and it was in the year 1958 that this paper began publishing one of its popular columns, the “God’s Angry Man”. In 1971, the paper was bought for $2.3 million by a group of investors which included Percy E. Sutton, a former Manhattan Borough President.

In 1983, Wilbert A. Tatum and several Harlem business associated purchased the paper, and they eventually began controlling interest. It was in December 1997 that the daughter of W.A Tatum named Eleanor Tatum was appointed to the position of publisher and editor in chief of the newspaper. Their management continues up to the these days.

The University of Amsterdam

First founded as the Athenaeum Illustre in 1632, the University of Amsterdam was built to educate students in Trade and Philosophy. During the early days, when this establishment was not yet a proper university, the lessons were generally given at the homes of the professors, and until the nineteenth century, the Athenaeum remained as a small institution, with no more than 250 students and eight teachers.

In 1877, the Athenaeum Illustre saw its boom when it was changed to Universiteit van Amsterdam, now known as UvA or University of Amsterdam. It was also during that time that the University of Amsterdam was permitted to bestow the highest educational degrees.

Since the name change, years of rapid growth lay ahead. By 1900, it was recorded that there were about 900 students studying at the University of Amsterdam. This number had risen to 2,500 by 1935, and to 7,500 by 1960. The following years, more fields of study and research were introduced and the new university departments were formed.

The University of Amsterdam these days has already more than 22,000 students. It is also worth noting that from Trade to Philosophy, the original Athenaeum Illustre had expanded into a comprehensive university offering almost 60 disciplinary fields. Of these fields, the field of technology is an exception.

With its number of students, the University of Amsterdam achieved the title of being one of the major comprehensive universities in the whole continent of Europe. The title is also attributed to the university’s budget of 487 million euros. The University of Amsterdam currently has a strong internalization programme and as an Amsterdam-based university, they offer a number of Dutch and English language courses. In addition, the University has seven faculties covering humanities, social and behavioral sciences, economic and business, medicine and dentistry, science, and law.

It is further interesting to know that the University of Amsterdam offers a comprehensive range of academic study programmes. They also publish scholarly articles of around 7,500 every year. As it is highly claimed, the fundamental academic research of the university is top of the international league in a number of respects. And, in terms of their applied research programmes, it has been noted that these programmes are often of interdisciplinary nature and they generally often focus on the social issues.

What’s more interesting to know is the fact that the University now has a number of great libraries and museums. In particular, there is the University Musuem, Art and the UvA, Allard Pierson Museum, Museum Vrolik, Schriftmusuem J.A. Dortmond, UvA Computer Museum, Zoological Museum Amsterdam, and Libraries. All of these carry a great collection of necessary materials like documentation, records, art crafts, and a lot more.

Finally, as a well-known and reputable institution, the University of Amsterdam now strives so hard to offer an inspiring and broadly oriented international academic environment where both members of the staff and students can enhance their capabilities to achieve an optimum result. It is interesting to know that the University of Amsterdam is now characterized by a critical, creative and international atmosphere, open minded and strongly engaged with society. And, since it was founded in both the historic and modern buildings spread throughout the city, the University greatly forms an integral part of the Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Weather

Planning or thinking for a visit to Amsterdam? Wondering what kind of Amsterdam weather would there in when you get there at this period of time? Well, if what you are after is Amsterdam weather, then the Internet will surely help you in finding the right place to visit for Amsterdam weather forecast.

Generally, there are a number of sites out there in the web that present weather forecast for the Amsterdam area. It is highly presented from those forecasts that in Amsterdam, there is actually of good weather any time of the year. The typical weather in the city ranges from a little around freezing with in winter to beautiful sunny days in the summer. Also, during the winter season in Amsterdam, little snow is often seen, while during summer, the temperature is typically around 25 degrees Celsius. It is just so normal in this area that you will find people or even you yourself often carrying an umbrella even on the hottest of July days, as summer rain in the morning sometimes precedes the arrival of bright sunshine later. Many of the Amsterdam weather forecasts further suggest that Spring and Autumn in the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands are pleasant, but can wet.

Now, if after mentioning those necessary facts about the weather in Amsterdam, you still want to actually view the forecast yourself, then you better read on. I have included below a few of the resources I have considered for finding the exact and current weather of the city of Amsterdam. Here they are:

WunderGround.com

WunderGround.com is an online site designed for those who wish to know the weather for any city, state or country. Thus, it’s no wonder that here you will find information about the current weather condition in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Presented in the page of WunderGround.com is actually information on the preset condition of the city of Amsterdam, along with a five-day Amsterdam weather forecast.

CNN.com

CNN.com is another great site to consider when the matter is about Amsterdam weather. Just like the above mentioned site, CNN.com features information about the current weather condition of the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It has been presented in the report that the city is experiencing rain shower with a temperature of 43 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, CNN.com presents a five-day forecast of the Amsterdam weather, including a map on the forecast, temperature, and satellite for a much better and larger view.

BBC.co.uk

BBC presents the current weather condition of Amsterdam in different symbols and colors. The weather symbol shown on their Amsterdam five-day weather forecast generally represents the predominant weather expected on the day in question. Note that the result presented on their weather forecast is calculated based on a weighting of different types of weather, so if a day is forecast to be sunny with the possibility of a brief shower, then you will see a sunny or partly cloudy symbol instead of a rain cloud. And, from the Amsterdam weather forecast made by BBC, it is clearly shown that the speed and direction of the wind are the expected condition at midday in the city.

Ajax Amsterdam and Its Stadiums

Have you seen the Ajax Amsterdam playing their part in the football championships? Or, are you familiar with Ajax Amsterdam? Well, Ajax, as many people love to call it, is one of the famous football clubs in the world. It is a club with a very rich history. Accordingly, the Ajax Amsterdam started as a club with a group of friends who got together in their spare time. From this group of friends, the club grew until it became world famous, known for its beautiful and attractive football.

A century ago, Ajax Amsterdam played soccer on a barren little The small Pitch. However, since the club has always been closely connected with the places where it played its matches, the team had moved several times until it settled to a new bigger and more impressive stadium, the Olympic Stadium.

• The Small Pitch (1893-1900) – Before the official foundation of the Ajax Amsterdam in 1900, the club had played soccer on a small pitch at the end of Overtoom in the municipality of Nieuwer Amstel, which had been designated in 1881 as an extension for the Vondelpark. For fifteen guilders, the club was allowed to play on a field for a period of six months. And, it was only during 1896 that the City of Amsterdam pushed through its building plans. The field was then incorporated into the city borders, and so the players had to look for another pitch. Fortunately, they found the Amsterdam North.
  

• Amsterdam North (1900-1907) – In 1900 until 1907, there was a great shortage of football fields in Amsterdam. This is the situation that tempted Ajax Amsterdam to play alongside farmer’s fields in the Builsloterham, Amsterdam Noord. The place was quite a trip for the spectators as it took them to travel with a chain ferry and a quarter-hour walk to reach to field. Dissatisfied with this far away location, the club moved to a playing field only a five-minute walk away from the ferry.

• The Wooden Stadium (1907-1934) – In 1907, the building plans for a new housing at the location in Amsterdam Noord forced Ajax Amsterdam once again to move and find a new playing field. There were actually two football fields found at Middenweg, which was again located in the middle of nowhere in a typical Dutch polder. However, it was here actually that for the first time in the club’s history real stands were established around The Small Pitch. This stadium underwent expansion until it grew to a much bigger field. It is also here where Ajax Amsterdam won four league championships in succession and the number of their spectators increased rapidly.

• De Meer (1934-1996) – The Ajax team moved once again as they realized that the value of a football stadium is not determined by the building costs, but by the team playing in it. The De Meer stadium was to became Ajax home base for 62 years, and it was here where the legendary players built up the worldwide reputation the club now has. But again, the club successes and outside pressure were reasons to move. As the stadium could no longer accommodate the large numbers of supporters, they looked for another bigger place and that they found the Olympic Stadium.

• Olympic Stadium (1930-1996) – The Amsterdam Olympic Stadium has played an important role in the history of AFC Ajax. The area was used for matches for which more than 20,000 spectators were expected or which had to be played in the evening. And, although this stadium had not been intended for football games, Ajax Amsterdam had played many important matches in the stadium.

Ajax Amsterdam has won the national championship 27 times. The club also won 25 important international prices, making the club one of the best in Europe.