Today’s Enlightening Entertainment will be presented in Dutch, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Halo, charming viewers! We are delighted to invite you for a visit in Amsterdam, a city governed by wisdom and creativity. That is why Amsterdam has great attraction to citizens worldwide, and is well appreciated by her own residents. Amsterdam, the capital city with about 767,850 inhabitants, is also the biggest city of The Netherlands. Founded in the 13th century as a trade settlement on the banks of the river Amstel, it became one of the biggest trade cities of the flourishing 15th century known as the Golden Century.

A canal was dug around the initial settlement to protect the citizens. But because of the large growth, houses had to be built outside of the canal, so another canal was created. In this manner, several canals originated around the inner city, all connected by bridges.

Since August 1, 2010, the Amsterdam canal belt has been on the World Heritage Site list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Within the belt, many canal houses were built that reflect the Golden Century up to this day.

They all have identical plots of land, with inner gardens hidden beyond the magnificent facades. Normally, these gardens are invisible for visitors of Amsterdam, but once a year Amsterdam organizes the “Open Garden Days.” On these days, a number of private persons and companies open their gardens for the public, who can be mesmerized by their beauty and tranquility in the middle of this bustling city.

Nowadays, Amsterdam is a cosmopolitan city that sparkles with culture. She is also called Festival City for a good reason, because every year, 75 festivals are organized that attract visitors from far beyond the city’s and even country’s borders. The “Uitmarkt” (Out Market) at the end of August marks the start of the national cultural season: within three days, more than 2,000 artists on 30 stages entertain the 500,000 spectators. Amsterdam also hosts a number of film festivals every year and is home to a film museum and ten cinemas.

One of these cinemas is the magnificent Tuschinski Theatre, where the noted documentary, “Sea the Truth,” had its world premiere in May to raise awareness on the plight of the Earth’s oceans. Of the more than 50 museums in Amsterdam, the main ones are known throughout the world: the Van Gogh Museum, the State museum, the City Museum, the Hermitage, the Anne Frank House, and the Rembrandt House. The young Jewish writer Anne Frank and famous Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn both lived in Amsterdam.

Besides them, there are many more famous people who were born and raised here: the writers Joost van den Vondel, Eduard Douwes Dekker, better known as Multatuli; the painter Karel Appel; violinist and conductor Jaap van Zweden; musician and composer Thijs van Leer; actresses Willeke van Ammelrooy and Famke Janssen; actor, director and painter Jeroen Krabbé; film director Paul Verhoeven; Olympic swimming champion 1968 Ada Kok; chess grandmaster and mathematician Max Euwe; and soccer players Johan Cruijff and Ruud Gullit.

Since long ago, Amsterdam has been characterized by a diverse population. This has partly originated from the overall great tolerance of the city and the fact that there was religious freedom since early on. Throughout the years, Amsterdam has also offered opportunities for livelihoods and a new life for many. Mr. Eric van der Burg is a respected alderman of the Amsterdam City Council and the leader of the Liberal Party.

I think Amsterdam is really a fantastic city to stay in, to live in and also to work in.

Really more than 170 nationalities are living in Amsterdam. It is a city with many theaters, museums, sports facilities, within a ray of a few kilometers. So in short, there is also always something to do here. It is a lively city.

The city council of Amsterdam has been making efforts in all kinds of fields to create an ever greener and more livable city: for instance, existing parks are being renovated and new green zones are constructed. Nature and recreation receive an important function at the outskirts of the city. Also, care for the elderly is an important point as is animal welfare. Mr. Eric van der Burg is responsible for these issues on the city council.

When we return, Alderman van der Burg will share more about the considerate policies of the City of Amsterdam. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Halo and welcome back to our program on the beautiful city of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. With reason, Amsterdam can be called a role model of good governance, thanks to her green policy and care for the weaker members of society. Alderman Eric van der Burg was until recently the director of several care homes. The facilities for the elderly and handicapped persons are close to his heart. Also, as Alderman for Care, he does his utmost to make life for this group as comfortable as possible.

What social programs does Amsterdam have for elderly and disabled persons?

Yes, I have been director, in the elderly sector ( Yes) and also in the disabled persons sector. I was also director of a few facilities for handicapped and disabled persons. (Yes) And we in Amsterdam do a lot about this. And we do this through what is called WMO; the Law of Social Support. (Yes) It is meant so that people can live as long as possible independently. And that means that we have day services for elderly and disabled people, where activities are organized.

We have elderly transportation, which is available if you cannot use regular public transportation any more. We have “Alert.” That means when you live in your house and something happens to you, then you can push a button and then people come look to see how you are (Yes). We do everything to let people live independently as long as possible.

We want to leave the big complexes, where people live together, a little behind us and go more towards smaller complexes in the neighborhood. Because we think it is very important that elderly and disabled persons do not stand outside of the society, but also are really integrated within the society.

We just heard what Alderman van der Burg and the Amsterdam government is doing for the elderly and individuals with disabilities in the city. What is the Alderman of Animal Welfare doing for the animal residents in Amsterdam? One thing is her “ecological connection zones,” which ensure that the city is arranged so that different species have passage from one part of the city to another.

In Amsterdam, we do a lot in the field of animal welfare. We have to start with animal boarding and also shelter for animals that are found in the streets.

The City of Amsterdam also finances an animal ambulance, and there are several hostels in Amsterdam where wounded or found animals can be brought and given care.

The animal ambulance started as a volunteer project where volunteers said: “If there are wounded animals, we will go to them and then we go help.” Meanwhile, it has become a professional organization, financed by the City of Amsterdam. The animal ambulance takes care of wounded animals.

At the moment that somewhere animals get wounded due to an accident for instance, then the animal ambulance will go there, and bring the animal back. And on the spot they can also already just give care, just like a real ambulance. If the animals have to by carried away, they can subsequently be brought to the animal shelter.

In the Netherlands, there are not only homes for elderly people, but also homes for elderly animals, including specialized places for birds, reptiles, former racing horses, and former circus animals who otherwise would have had no place to go.

So we have separate farms for horses that worked on land before, that were used as competition horses, and where now these animals are taken care of until they come to pass on. We have in The Netherlands the foundation, “Ape,” located in Almere and which cares, for instance, for monkeys. They also see if the animals cannot go back to nature. If it is not possible, then they can also spend the rest of their lives there.

Recently, Amsterdam government stated that it would rather have no wild animals in circuses and decided to discourage their exploitation, as explained by Alderman van der Burg:

During the last community meeting we spoke about animal welfare and specifically (Yes) about the animal welfare in circuses. And the viewpoint of the community council of Amsterdam is that wild animals do not belong in circuses.

The city of Amsterdam says: “Wild animals are not meant to be kept in circuses and serve as entertainment.” (Yes) We have also decided now in the city that if there are wild animals in the circus, that the services for wild animals are good. (Yes) And we strive to have no more circus where animals play a role, in the long run.

Regarding the many creative and kind achievements of Amsterdam for its residents, Aldeman van der Burg explains what guiding principles he has found to be important to serving the city well.

What I think is important is that you always look not only to how you always can arrange well for everyone. Arrange well for big groups, but groups consist out of individuals, (yes) and if you arrange it well for the group, it does not always mean that you also arrange it well for the individual.

So always keep paying attention to that one person. And also, make sure in any case that you occupy yourself only with the big things, but also translate it to the small things. (Yes) People benefit when it is arranged well for the individual and the person him/herself.

As we found out from Alderman Eric van der Burg, there’s a lot more going on in Amsterdam that we can appreciate than meets the eye. The greatness of this city can be felt, not only in its love for culture, but its value of her various members, human and animal, and the consideration and care extended to them. May the goodhearted and forward-thinking Dutch city of Amsterdam and all her residents prosper in peace and happiness.

We sincerely thank the City of Amsterdam for its gracious cooperation and supportive spirit that helped make this program possible.

For more on Amsterdam and The Netherlands, DVDs are available at (click on: Toerisme)

Thank you for your pleasant company today on Enlightening Entertainment featuring Amsterdam, a sparkling city. Now, please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News. May joy and kindness accompany you each day.

While her mother and sister were away at work, Virginia Rojo saw “Papa Jesus” in her dream, urging her to wake up and save her baby brother. The six-year-old did just that as the house was being engulfed by flames.

When I looked at her with fresh burn in her face, there were tears in my eyes for the ordeal she went through. How in her tender age could (she) have an instinct of saving her sibling during the fire?

Join us as Virgina Rojo from the Philippines is honored with the Shining World Heroine Award from Supreme Master Ching Hai, Saturday, September 18 on Supreme Master Television.