Crisis or challenge? The Netherlands, like many other countries in Europe, is experiencing a bank crisis, a euro crisis and a crisis on the housing market. Many Dutch people are pessimistic about the future. They're hunkering down, watching the pennies, and beating off the blues.

But Adjiedj Bakas, a trendwatcher, isn't. He points to the previous major crisis in the 1980s, when numerous exciting new initiatives were born.