Sex, drugs and Amsterdam news headlines [August 4, 2012]

So off I go on holiday for a week to somewhere even wetter than Amsterdam - yes it is possible - and return to a collection of cliche-ridden newspapers with all the die-hard staples.  

So thanks Het Parool for keeping up the quotient of sex and drugs and rock n roll on the front pages - with a bit of religion for good measure.

July 31: God is back in the city 

While traditional churches are emptying out, some 1,500 Amsterdammers have joined new protestant church communities - focusing on immigrants and evangelical Christians.  

August 1: Speed is more popular because of the crisis 

Speed is cheaper than cocaine so, thanks to the economic downturn, it is gaining in popularity with the party crowd. The image of speed as being something for losers is being eroded as 'experienced' clubbers make the switch, criminologist Ton Nabben tells the paper.

August 2: Lots of complaints about the cruise zone 

Gay men cruising the woods near the Nieuwe Meer lake are going outside the official cruise zone and upsetting families who don't like being confronted with bare bottoms while walking the dog. The council is going to make it clearer that cruising outside the permitted areas is a no no, with a fine of upwards of 85 euros.   

August 4: Van der Laan goes all out against pimps

Amsterdam's mayor Eberhard van der Laan made an empassioned plea to the upper house of parliament to raise the official prostitution age from 18 to 21. If parliament does not take action, the city council will bring in its own rules to combat forced prostitution, he told senators.