Nina Kalliopohja’s Column
By Nina Kalliopohja.
Beauté Totale’s Nina Kalliopohja is now a regular columnist in Diplomat Magazine, treating you to all the tricks of the trade in the look good, feel good department.
Originally from Finland, I put down my roots in The Netherlands some 22 years ago, gaining first-hand experience with the overall challenges that language and culture differences can present to expats. Over time, I have come to love the lowlands and even got married to one of its citizens! During my years of travelling Holland, working as a beauty and dietary consultant and trainer in various locations, I fell in love with The Hague and when in 2009 the opportunity arose, settled down in a unique building at the Willem Witsenplein in Benoordenhout. Here I started the currently renowned clinic Beauté Totale, offering a complete package of treatments for both the inside and the outside of your body, my motto being “looking good starts from within”.
Unhealthy eating habits invariably lead to problems such as weight gain, feeling unfit, and puffy, pale or ill-looking skin, often resulting in low self-esteem. In my capacity as a dietician and a beauty specialist, I love to provide intensive guidance to clients who are looking to slim down or kick-start a new health regime.
For external beauty, Beauté Totale works with top notch products like Image Skin Care (free of chemical preservatives such as parabens), while injectables, lasers and IPL take beauty and skin treatment to a higher level without having to resort to invasive surgical procedures.
Combining these vital elements with highly qualified expert staff and an international atmosphere of luxury and personal attention, Beauté Totale offers her clientele a first class experience, unique in its kind and unrivalled in the wider area of The Hague.
In this edition of Diplomat Magazine, my first advice is on how to get your skin in shape for the approaching summer season.
Just before summer arrives there still is time to deal with pigment spots and rosacea, and early spring is the best time to do so since our pale winter skins allow for the best effect of laser therapy (while in the summer a high UV index tends to slow down recovery of the skin after such treatments). Furthermore, a rejuvenating professional peeling will spring clean your skin and replace the dead top dermal layer with new and fresh looking skin; the perfect base to start working on that healthy, beautiful and tanned look for the summer!
Me and my expert staff at Beauté Totale extend a warm welcome to The Hague’s international community and invite you to come and experience the positive and uplifting effects of one of our special treatments. We look forward to meeting you!
The International Chamber Music Festival in Wassenaar
By John Dunkelgrün.
Music lovers who come to The Netherlands delight in the performances of the well known orchestras, not a few of true world class. Less known are the many smaller ensembles and organizations all over the country that specialize in a particular aspect of music. One such is the International Chamber Music Festival in Wassenaar. Started four years ago its aim is to provide really great chamber music for people in Wassenaar and surroundings. They started a music festival that is getting more and more attention as well as critical acclaim. The festival this year, in the “Dorpskerk” (village church), in the beach pavilion “Sport” and in “De Paauw”, the stately old town hall, will take place on May 23, 24 and 25. Not only is the quality of the music of the highest standard, the small town atmosphere makes the performances uncommonly “gezellig”.
For information and tickets, please go to www.icmf.nl
Memorial Concert, Ciconia String Orchestra
Memorial concert ‘You have not experienced the war’
The Hague – The Hague string orchestra Ciconia Consort will bring stillness and reflection on Sunday May 4th in the Nieuwe Kerk with music that has been inspired by the horrors of war.
Conducted by Dick van Gasteren, the orchestra will play works from Bartók and Haas and concertmaster Emmy Storms will play the solo part in the Concerto Funèbre by Hartmann.
Being a convinced communist, the German composer Hartmann hardly survived nazi terror. Bartóks divertimento is to be understood within the oppressive atmosphere in Europe in 1939. Shortly after having composed this work, Bartók flees Hungary and emigrates to New York.
The cooperation of Mrs Henny Dormits will attach more significance to this concert. She will relate about her personal experiences in the Second World War. She lived at The Hague and was deported to Camp Westerbork and then to Theresienstadt. In this concentration camp the piece by Haas was composed. Later, Haas was deported and murdered at Auschwitz. The origin of this piece will be brought very close to the audience by the guest speaker.
Meet and greet
Traditionally, bar-restaurant Pavlov, adjacent to the Nieuwe Kerk, will decor for the meeting of audience and Ciconia Consort. This will also be the opportunity to have a chat with Mrs Henny Dormits and conductor Dick van Gasteren.
Children’s programme
Children up to 12 years old may follow a special educational programme under the guidance of a professional music teacher for the little ones. The children will attend part of the concert.
When: Sunday May 4th, 2014, start at 2.30 p.m.
Where: The Nieuwe Kerk, Den Haag.
Fees: children 4-12 years old € 2,50, “ooievaarspas” (reduction card)/youngsters/students € 10,-, other € 16,50/€ 19,-/€ 21,50/€ 25,-/€ 28,50.
For more information, registration of children’s participation in the children’s programme, and tickets: www.ciconiaconsort.nl and sale of tickets at the entrance of the hall.
Excursion for Diplomats + friends
Destination:
Zealand – Deltaworks and Middelburg, Saturday May 10th.
Diplomat Magazine cordially invites Ambassadors, members of the Diplomatic corps their families and friends to the first of a series of ONE DAY Diplomatic Excursions from The Hague. Trip includes transportation by luxury Coach or Minibus, visits to Zealand-Deltaworks and Middelburg, guided tour Middleburg city centre, lunch, soft drinks, champagne, coffee-tea during reception with the Mayor of Middleburg and an official picture for the press with guest ambassadors together with the Mayor. Head of diplomatic missions and their spouses & families&friends will have special reserved seats on the coach. Non diplomats are very welcome when invited by a diplomat or when receiving this invitation by email. Departure at 10am from Carlton Ambassador Hotel, The Hague. Sophialaan 2. You are authorized to go inside the hotel until departure. You can certainly take a coffee-tea or breakfast at Carlton Ambassador, 15% discount if traveling with us. Payment: 69 euros p.p. You can guarantee your seat by paying now a non-refundable amount of 20 euros p.p. The total amount of 69 euros must be paid not later than Wednesday 7th of May. Seats are limited ! You can register Online at: diplotours@gmail.com
Mrs. Gonda Buursma is your Tour Guide.
Your Professional Spanish translation is Mrs. Sonia Meijer, from Direct Languages Center
CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION InfoDiploTours.Middleburg
CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION FORM DIPLOTOURS.REGISTRATION.FORM
Please arrive to Carlton Ambassador not later than 9:30am on May 10th.
Alliance Française Annual Song Contest
The 30th annual French Song contest organized by The Alliance Française of the Netherlands
Sterre Konijn, a 27 year old singer from Amsterdam won the first price in the French Song Contest organized by the Alliance Française of The Netherlands. The event was held on Sunday 13th April 2014 at the Theatre Diligentia located in The Hague and members of the Jury included Tonny Eyk, Bart Van Loo, Hans Cornelissen and Frances Gramende.
The famous television presenter Bart Van Loo, accompanied by the Ambassador of France to The Netherlands, His Excellency Pierre Ménat, awarded the different prices including the first price, “Le Prix Gassan Diamond”. This award was given to Sterre Konijn for her performance which exhibited perfect technical deliverance and personal interpretation using original compositions: “Tout Dit” by Camille and “Nantes” by Barbara.
Catalijne Janssen, 24 from Rotterdam won the category of the “Liesbeth List Prijs Jeunes Artistes” for her theatrical performance where she showcased impeccable voice control singing Jacques Brel’s “Le Diable (ça va)”. Tonny Eyk, one of the members of the jury, had one word to describe Catelijne’s performance… “Wow!”
The price offered by TV5 MONDE was a Public’s Choice Award and 35 year old Daan Hofman from Amsterdam emerged the crowd’s favorite thanks to his intense performance of the song “Mathilde”… also from Brel. In the words of another jury member Bart Van Loo, the performance was “Pit, puf, power and peps.”
And finally, the jury decided that the Citroen’s Price for Creativity would go to the Flemish singer Boredas Dionys, a 30 year old from Oostende, for his self-composed songs which demonstrated a high quality of talent as well as originality.
The French Song Contest has been known to produce singers who are well known today such as Wende Snijders who won in 2001, Alderliefste in 2005 as well as Zazi who emerged winner in 2009.
Please find here some links and a YouTube photo album of the evening :
http://www.
Cyprus hosting next DMG at Carlton Ambassador
Important notice: By invitation only. Guests are admitted if they receive this invitation directly from the Embassy of Cyprus, Diplomat Club The Hague or Diplomat Magazine. Members of the diplomatic corps, government authorities (including functionaries from MINBUZA), judges and staff from International courts&tribunals are automatically admitted even thus they do not have received a formal invitation. Your personal ID&business card may be requested for security reasons.
Ukraine accepts ICC jurisdiction
Direct from the ICC.
Ukraine accepts ICC jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed between 21 November 2013 and 22 February 2014.
The Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Herman von Hebel, received a declaration lodged by Ukraine accepting the ICC’s jurisdiction with respect to alleged crimes committed in its territory from 21 November 2013 to 22 February 2014. The declaration was lodged under article 12(3) of the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, which enables a State not party to the Statute to accept the exercise of jurisdiction of the Court.
The Registrar informed the Ukrainian Government of the effects of the declaration in accordance with the ICC’s legal framework, namely that the ICC now has jurisdiction over possible crimes that might have been committed in the context of the above-mentioned situation and that the provisions of Part 9 of the Statute relating to international cooperation and judicial assistance apply. The declaration has been transmitted to the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor for further consideration.
The acceptance of the ICC’s jurisdiction does not automatically trigger an investigation. It is for the ICC Prosecutor to decide whether or not to request the judges’ authorisation to open an investigation, if the Prosecutor considers that the information available to her establishes the existence of a reasonable basis to open an investigation. If an investigation is opened, it will also be for the ICC Prosecutor to decide, on the basis of the evidence collected, whether to ask the ICC judges to issue arrest warrants or summonses to appear for persons charged with the commission of crimes falling under the ICC’s jurisdiction.
Background: The ICC is an independent, permanent court that tries individuals accused of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The ICC is based on a treaty, the Rome Statute, joined by 122 countries. A State may decide to ratify the Rome Statute but may also make a declaration under article 12-3 of the Statute declaring its acceptance of the Court’s jurisdiction. The UN Security Council may also refer a situation in relation to any Member State of the United Nations.
Removal of Syrian Chemicals Passes 86% of Total
The Director-General of the OPCW welcomed delivery of a further consignment of chemicals to the port of Latakia by the Syrian government today. The chemicals were immediately boarded onto cargo ships upon arrival at the port and removed from the country.
This raises the overall portion of chemicals removed from Syria to 86.5% of the total, including 88.7 % of all Priority 1 chemicals. Today’s consignment was the 17th to date and the sixth consignment since 4 April, marking a significant acceleration in the pace of deliveries to Latakia this month.
“This latest consignment is encouraging,” the Director-General said. “We hope that the remaining two or three consignments are delivered quickly to permit destruction operations to get underway in time to meet the mid-year deadline for destroying Syria’s chemical weapons.”
President Meron awarded Grand Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite
On Tuesday 16 April 2014, Mr. Theodor Meron, President of the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), was awarded the insignia of Grand Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by the Ambassador of France, Mr Pierre Ménat, on behalf of the President of the French Republic. This distinction, which was created by Général De Gaulle, is a recognition of President Meron’s life dedication to international law, as “one of the main actors of the emergence of international justice”. It is also the acknowledgement of “un grand ami de la France, de sa langue et de sa culture”. 
