Bend

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DIRECTOR Sarah Guern

EDITORS

Steven Strijbosch Veerne Koops Gerrit de Vreugd Kylie Brons

PHOTO EDITORS Julie Trienekens Caroline Mallrich

DESIgNERS Jori Pol Kirsty van Tilborg

REPORTERS Ferdinand Ferroli Roxanne Bartels Matthias Nachbaur Sander Niers Flavia Davila Hanne Wassink Stephan Knegt Kirsten Spooren Sonia Irama Gerrit de Vreugd

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From the editor

It’s a fact: this magazine is a piece of art Bare in mind that this isn’t one of those magazines made for your entertainment only. It will most certainly require your attention and honest judgement, as this magazine is about the profound

nonetheless I had expected the managing and production process

live in.

produced

rather

than

natural.

and original angles. Although the production process brought us a gets a very negative charge.

developments as a demolishment

Three months ago I volunteered

Enjoy SARAH GUERN

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CONTENT 17 Bye Bye Scars 28 Doubts concerns handicapped Olympic sporter 30 Reconstructing nature 39 The stem cell burger: a solution to the bio industry?

41 The baby factory 52 Electronic evolution 56 Love addicts 59 Kirsten decides…

Western Struggle

More and more people in the age category of twenty to thirty struggle with issues and develop an identity crisis. Questions such as: “Am I good enough?” or “Do I make the right decisions?” come to mind. Three students openly talk about making decisions in life and the struggle that is becoming an adult. Geert Eisma, who is a general practitioner, tells how a crisis like this develops and what people who are affected by it can do to feel better.

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Dr. Frankenstein’s Schnitzel be your favourite dish. By growing small pieces of meat in the laboratory, scientists have already set the cornerstones for the meat revolution. A revolution desperately needed by nature and humans alike.

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Recreate yourself

What do Norma Jean, Stephanie Germanotta and Elizabeth Grant have in common? They are all known for their image change. Feeling like placing yourself on the map? Read this!

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Life Action Role-Playing

Leave your computers and playstations behind and go on a real adventure. Life Action RolePlaying makes the fantasy world come alive.

20 Things beyond facebook

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Digital blur

So much more than a computer game. It’s an escape from reality. An escape in which you can be who ever you’d like to be.

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Sabine and Dave, two individuals, two obsessions. What connects these two completely different people?

Facebook; the centre of their lives.

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Re cre ate your self!

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r

With a little help from the image-coach When we say the names Norma Jeane Baker, Stefani Germanotta and Elizabeth Grant, would you know who they are? Most people don’t. But when we say Marilyn Monroe, Lady Gaga and Lana Del Ray? Yes, that rings a bell. What do these persons (and many other celebrities) have in common? Their identities and images are two different things. They’re ‘self-made’, having built up their own image and reputation. Do you also want to get famous, but you don’t have the right image? An image-coach may help.

Text: Kirsten Spooren Photography: Kirsten Spooren / Matthias Nachbaur / Caroline Mallrich

C

elebrities are just normal people. They started like you and I, but became famous because of their talent, smart thinking, charms and looks. Most of them recreate their image and then get the attention. Marilyn Monroe was born as Norma Jeane and didn’t have a good childhood.

She went from foster home to foster home.When she was 19, she got discovered as a model. They told her that – in order to become famous – she had to bleach her brown hair to blonde, because the model industry preferred lighter models. After that, she became a successful model but they advised her to change her name. Marilyn Monroe was sexy, had a nice flow, and would be lucky due to the double ‘M’. Her star was rising.

Stefani Germanotta was already known, due to her success as a songwriter for The Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears.

She also preformed in front of big crowds. Still, worldwide, she was a nobody until she became Lady Gaga (after Radio Ga Ga from Queen). She also dyed her hair blonde and became famous not only because of the sounds of the music but also because of her ‘different’ style (like the meat dress).

Not all of them needed to become a blonde to be successful. Like Lizzy Grant. She dyed her hair blonde, but did not get the success she wanted. So now she is a redhead with a sexy name and fuller lips: Lana Del Rey. She also changed her style, in both music and clothes. At the moment there is a lot of criticism on Lana. ‘People’ say that she bought a new image (did she get help from an imagecoach?), with the money of her father (the very very rich Robert Grant). New clothes, new lips, new music, new name and even new friends. Lana Del Rey became a brand.

‘Bleach her hair from brown to blonde, because the industry prefers lighter models’ Image-building Okay, back to recreating your image. If you are not happy with your image, you can try to improve it. How do people see you and how do you want to be seen?

With a little help from an image-coach (or imago-coach), you can change or improve you image. A lot of people overestimate their image. It’s not per se something you are born with, you really can change it. How important is your image? Peter Overweel, image-coach and founder of Imagico (www.imagico.nl, website is in Dutch): “Your image is life determining. You can make a lot of choices in life by your own, of course. But most of the important choices in life are made by someone else. On school, work and private, people can spare you or screw you. Why? Because your image does or doesn’t fit in the bigger picture people have. Companies and politics know it: the press can make you or break you.” e

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QUALITY DOESN’T ALWAYS COME AT A PRICE

DE ENIGE GRATIS GLOSSY VOOR AMSTERDAM FOLLOW US ON TWITTER | JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

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With a little help from the image-coach So watch out with what you do and be careful with your image. An image is easily damaged. An embarrassing moment, a stupid mistake or lacking social skills, it can all kill your image.

We know now that your image can make you or break you. But why do people need an image-coach? Peter explains: “Till now, I saw almost no people who developed their image by themselves. They don’t have the knowledge to do so. Imagico tries to stimulate people to do it by their own. We give people points of attention, books and advice.

Like this, people can work on their image by themselves.

A coach can do even more with special trainings and specially created challenges. Most people have ups and downs and a coach helps you stay motivated. You have to be strong to change your whole image, especially for a totally different image.”

“The motivation has to be there already before they start the training. They have to be ready to change completely.

How you want to change, that’s a challenge. A coach helps you and sets out the big picture with you. We teach you to pay attention on some things, how to react and how to develop yourself. There main target is to get the x-factor.”

Does that mean that we need to be someone we are not?

‘motivation has to be there already before they start the training’ Peter: “No, that doesn’t mean that you always have to be polite or dress neatly. For celebs it doesn’t matter: they are who we want them to be and if they want to change their image, they will do that. You can always have a brand new start.”

In order to get a new reputation and a new image, you need to start by yourself. You need to be ready for a big change and to be willing to make a lot of effort. Are you ready to become self-made?

Curious about your image or how people see you? Go to the website of impressmag.wordpress.com and do the test (only in Dutch). On the website you will also find a short video about image-building.

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Western struggle

the quarterlife crisis: a phenomenon of today’s society More

and more people in the age category of twenty to thirty struggle with issues and develop an identity crisis. Questions such as: “Am I good enough?” or “Do I make the right decisions?” come to mind.Three students openly talk about making decisions in life and about their struggles in the process of becoming an adult. Geert Eisma, who is a general practitioner, tells how a crisis like this develops and what people, who are affected by it, can do to feel better.

Once these feelings change into serious mental or physical complaints this phenomenon is called the ‘quarterlife crisis’. Being ordinary isn’t enough in today’s society. At least, this is the general thought among those who are somewhere in their twenties or thirties nowadays. According to Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ theory (1943), most people in the Western World

most of one’s talents and circumstances to accomplish all one can.

Elliot Jacques introduced the phenomenon of the quarterlife crisis in 1965. Jacques, who is also the founder of the midlife crisis, didn’t manage to raise much attention for this matter back in the days. In 2001 American psychologists Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner reintroduced the term in their book ‘Quarterlife Crisis’.This book unexpectedly hit a big nerve among people in the Western world. It discussed the confusion of those in their twenties and thirties who live the good life, have all the opportunities but feel unhappy, directionless or are scared to take decisions. This is mainly caused by the number of choices they are confronted with. e Text: Roxanne Bartels Photography: Roxanne Bartels, Sonia Irama, Jori Pol

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the quarterlife crisis: a phenomenon of today’s society The University of Amsterdam researched the phenomenon quarterlife crisis and they came to the conclusion that 72% of the higher educated people in between decisions in life.According to the results there are a number of critical choices which have to be made in order to satisfy the career, the ideal partner and a great taste. The comparison with others while achieving these fundamentals has become the standard of our idea of success. Social media such as Facebook unconsciously reinforces this social comparison process.

more excited image. On the other hand I do the exact same such as beautiful pictures of my friends and me or funny and exciting updates. The reasons I post these things on Facebook is that I want to show my friends my life isn’t boring at all.”

for a way to stand

Today Facebook,Twitter and WhatsApp are one of the many communication channels used by young adults. In contrast to thirty years ago, when one phone for one family was the

seem to keep track of all day long.

others. “I check my Facebook page daily and see all the activities of my friends. I usually compare myself and sometimes I feel a bit jealous or down when I see them having

“The impact of

Facebook just post the fun things online.With the result of me getting a distorted image of the lives of my friends, a better and

“A few years ago I was a big fan of Facebook, I posted many things and I had a large amount of Facebook friends. The impact of posting ‘my life’ on Facebook was huge. All my friends read these posts and I always read theirs as well. you can make your life seem as important as you wish.

Therefore it is not an accurate representation of one’s life.”

Facebook and other social media do to a person’s social life or to society.

feels students nowadays must stand out and be special in order to succeed. “In the world of theatre people have to be special or achieve something extraordinary. Just getting your bachelor or master’s degree isn’t enough anymore.

People expect you to do internships, go abroad, join a sorority, work on a special play or have an interesting part time job. Just being a graduate of the university won’t get you so far.The thought of being in constant competition with

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my fellow theatre students has giving me stressful times now and then. I’m always looking for a way to stand out or be different.”

tives to consider, it is easy to imagine the attractive features of alternatives you rejected; automatically making you less

Liset agrees, “There are 250 students who also study psychology. They will get the same theory as I will. It’s up to

parents I never had the problem of having to make a lot of choices, usually my parents made them for me. Since I live on my own, I often don’t really know what to do in life or which choices are best for me. I fear for making the wrong decisions and it’s this fear that stresses me out from time to time. Am I suffering from the quarterlife crisis? I don’t think ample the pressure to perform and the stress that comes

making choices, which he explains in his book ‘The paradox of choice: why more is less’. “The amount of choices has two negative effects on people. One effect, paradoxically, is that it produces paralysis, rather than liberation. With so to choose at all. Second, when there are lots of alterna

“I have seen an increase in the amount of people who come to my practice with complaints like decision stress and restlessness over the past thirty years. I suspect it has something to do with the amount of choices students are facing nowadays. The number of studies these young adults can choose from is enormous. Therefore it’s not much of a surprise to me that these people struggle”, Eisma says.

Kevin is planning to start studying at the age of bartender at my age. According to them I should achieve

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the quarterlife crisis: a phenomenon of today’s society more than this. I sometimes feel like I’m the layabout of our society. I often question myself: ‘Is this the way people should think of me?’ I have the capabilities to achieve more should take advantage of the opportunities and that is ex actly why I’m going back to school. In the past few months I struggled and questioned myself: ‘Is this where my career is going to end?’ I feel obliged to prove to myself and others

Cause of the quarterlife crisis Doctor Eisma explains people who visit his practice with a quarterlife crisis present themselves as people with a burnout who can’t make decisions. “The idea of ‘do I add something to society?’ is predominant and these people are struggling while coping with reality. Opportunities are end says parents are a part of the problem. “Since childhood possible. And then their child must accomplish more than they have ever accomplished. Creating a huge amount of

making a paper where the patient must answer a few basic questions: ‘Who am I? ‘, ‘In what type of family did I grow up? ‘, ‘What is my problem? ‘, ‘What do I really want?‘.

It ensures that these people start thinking about these what they really want, not what society wants. Many people live a life others or society want them to live. In more serious situations I send patients to a psychologist to talk about their feelings. Other times I subscribe sleep medicines or antidepressants which will help them to solve some of the physical or mental issues they are struggling with.’ ’

Quarterlife Crisis”. In this book she outlines a number of options to control the quarterlife crisis. Most of the options concern behavioral changes such as questioning yourself what purpose you have, weighing the pros, cons and setting boundaries for yourself. j

pressure which can result in a quarterlife crisis.” television programs like ‘Idols’ and ‘The Voice of Holland’ play a big role as well. These television programs show the rapid success one can have. On TV it is normal to be a life it’s rather impossible and unrealistic to think relatively big successes can come in such a short amount of time.

However, people still relate and compare themselves to these created, sometimes fake images.

Consequences and remedies a quarterlife crisis yet. According to doctor Eisma most people who experience a quarterlife crisis suffer from insomnia, a large amount of stress, headaches, stomachaches and sometimes depression. “I always ask

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BYE BYE SCARS

Plastic surgery and working out are not the only Possibilities to change your body rates than in the past. But still, many people don’t favour operations due to fear of needles or surgery is not in line with their principles. For them there are new ways to change their body without surgery. Highly famous entry on the beauty market. Bend goes in-depth.

Women are fascinated with cellulite, bust size, weight loss and fat in the hips, belly and legs. However the

about 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the amount of gel applied, and is performed under local anaesthe-

belly, legs, noses, eyelids, cheeks, ears, etcetera. For breast volume but are neither able nor willing to overcome their fear of the needles involved.

years. “Usually, after one year patients lose 40% of the injected volume, so an annual retouch is highly recommended.”

The challenge of the 21st century is to discover new

ment depends on the bodypart she has to work on.

Apart from this, the skin quality of that part is of great

and simpler ways of changing the body contours are plication of a gel of hyaluronic acid that’s called Macrolane.

treatments she does not perform, such as permanent tations she refuses to cooperate.

No pain, no scars ate, there is virtually no pain and leaves no scars plus women can reinstate their daily routine, right after the

Development major

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by a simple injection. Body volumes are restored and

with the results of an operation you can’t go back a problem as they will only work for a few months,” been performed successfully worldwide.

Why change a part of who you are?

No matter how you choose to change your body, gist Leire Hernaez says that when a person decides to undergo surgery for aesthetic reasons rather than

“A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THE NEED TO STRIVE FOR PERFECTION” health issues shows a mental disorder in the acceptance of your body as it is. The dissatisfaction some people have with their image can be due to several

Most popular operations Liposuction 18,8% Breast enlargement 17%

accident and in some cases women are unhappy with the effects pregnancy had on them.

Sometimes an ethnic prejudice, the fear of age discrimination or pressure of the partner, parents or the boss are reasons for these operations. Many people who undergo plastic surgery or alternative methods do so because they have some psychological disorder.

Sometimes the opinions of others unconsciously cre-

A need or a psychological problem?

Mental well-being plays a big role. “A lot of people feel the need to strive for perfection.They compare themselves with super models that have unrealistic waistlines. These comparisons could result in psychological problems.”

The psychologist Leire Hernaez says surgery does delusion to think that self-esteem can be enhanced through cosmetic surgery. The rewarding effect disappears with time. A good cosmetic change can lead to increased self-esteem and a better quality of life. For people who suffer from this, surgery or the Macrolane gel might be the solution to their problem.” j

Most popular non-chirurgic interventions Botox injections 32,7% Hyaluron injections 20, 1%

Eye correction 13.3%

Laser hair removal 13, 1%

Nose correction 9,4%

Fat transplant 5,1%

Stomach correction 7.3%

Eye lasering 4,4%

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Live Action Role Playing Text: Kirsty van Tilborg Photography: Julie Trienekens, Sarah Guern and Kirsty van Tilborg

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Fighting in the woods

Bystanders look frightened and dogs unexpectedly barbarians, magicians and monsters take place. It

Communication SKills Revelation For outsiders Live Action Role-Playing (LARP) is are these people doing this? But for the players themselves, LARP is a revelation. They can escape

LARP is seen as a game, but it offers more than spend many hours sitting behind their computers playing fantasy games. LARP offers the chance to ties. The players discover a lot of communication skills during the occasional LARP-meetings. They stories and acquire the guts to talk to big groups.

These skills are absolutely usable in real lives.

Character

Regular People

a day of LARP. They dress up, give themselves a story for their character. After that, they can play all

j

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Fighting zombie against the villagers.

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‹

‹

This player is taking a break from the game, as you can see by his raised hand.

Magical, healing potions.

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›

‹

The blond villager is tired after the battle.

›

lager after the battle.

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ARTIFICIAL INFLUENCES PROVOKE SPORTS Man-made materials cause uncertainty over fair competition.

What do enhanced swimsuits; doping, climate control shirts and which are used to enhance the performance of professional athletes. we ban them from sports?”

After the Olympics in Beijing of 2008, there was a lot of

controversy about new swimsuits. Speedo-sponsored American swimmer Michael Phelps, who set record after record in his new swimsuit made from material that mimicked the skin of a shark. Many people saw this as unfair competition and said that the swimsuits became too much banned the ‘special’ swimsuits. As a result a lot of people sports could go.

Vague regulation does not have a clear answer to this. While there are strict rules on doping and on materials, there is still a large grey area in which it is not exactly clear whether something is

“There are no clear rules what is permitted and what not.” what is permitted and what is not.

company that makes prosthetics and is sponsor of the Paralympics in London 2012. “At this point there are no

sport organisations mostly look at your running times or, when you have a prosthetic limb, the length of your blunt.

Although the sporting organisations are quite busy with creating rules for athletes with a handicap, I still think there is a lack of regulation.”

Fabricated advantage Rules for athletes with prosthetic limbs are ever-changing.

In 2007, Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius from Southin international competitions for able-bodied athletes.

However, this wasn’t for long. Other athletes thought that

reason to instigate this rule was that athletes could get an advantage over their competitors due to their prosthetic limb.

you sport, stronger forces will press on parts of your body,” will constantly drop all your weight on just one of your legs.

As a result the pressure on that leg will feel seven times as heavy. A normal prosthetic foot would not be able to carry all this pressure. So when somebody loses a part of his or her body and still wants to sport, then this person needs to have a special sport prosthetic.”

Fair competition materials resist extra pressure, have better suspension to

give an extra ‘boost’ in speed that would give the bearer an

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unfair advantage over other athletes. On the other hand, this reason, the decision to ban Oscar Pistorius from the Arbitrarian for Sports in Switzerland.

Is it fair to give athletes with a prosthetic limb a possible advantage on their able-bodied competitors? Or should we allow anyone to compete? Where do we cross the line? It’s these questions that make the decisions of sports j

a question without a simple answer. Sports organisations

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Marije Smits ‘Core stability, a fancy word for vigorously training my abs’

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Doubts Of a Handicapped Olympic sporter

Dutch turner Marije Smits is preparing for the coming 2012 London Paralympics, but her place in the Olympics for disabled sporters is also depends on other factors.The biggest factor being the amount of places the national Dutch team will secure for other athletes.

Text: Sander Niers Photography: Julie Trienekens

H

er situation is comparable to that of the male Dutch turners: Epke Zonderland and Jeffrey Wammes. These two athletes both are qualified to enter the Olympics but there is only one free spot assigned to the Dutch team. On the 17th of July Smits will hear the news whether she can go. Until then she says: “I will keep training and compete on the highest level. I want to prove I am good enough for the Dutch national team. I am very pleased with the progress I am making, but there is still much work to be done.”

Breathing sports Marije is on a real vigorous training schedule, she trains ten times a week, twice a day with the exception of Saturday. Her training is very diverse. “I don’t only train my jumping skills. I also run a lot to get more stamina and train my core stability. That’s a fancy word for rigorously training my abs.”

Next to training there’s also room for other important things, like a masseuse. The best

part of sporting at such a high level is the training internships abroad she partakes in.

“I really enjoy the travelling and training in exotic places like Stellenbosch in SouthAfrica, it brings a whole new dimension to the competition.”

The chances of reaching the finals are very real. She has had a lot of experience in international sporting tournaments so she knows what to expect. “Once I reach the finals anything could happen.”

Doubts Right now everything she does is gathered under the banner called the Olympics. She eats, breaths and sleeps the olympics. “I’m unsure what I will do once the Olympics are over. I might finish my promotion in the field of paediatrics or continue with sport for another four years. Of one thing I am certain: I will quietly think about it while enjoying a big bucket of Ben and Jerry’s.” j

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reconstructing nature We don’t know what we have until it’s gone: arms, without them! Due to ongoing research and far reaching techniques, things in this world are

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DR. FRANKENSTEIN’S

SCHNITZEL

Meat created in a lab might be the future

The world’s hunger for steaks, chicken wings and pork chops is growing rapidly. Within the next 40 years meat consumption will be doubled, causing serious consequences for the environment, animal welfare and our health. Scientists in the Netherlands came up with a seemingly simple solution: growing meat in the lab without the inconvenient animal surrounding it.

Text: Ferdinand Ferroli Photograpy: Ferdinand Ferroli Illustrations: Jori Pol

Humans

are omnivores. We eat all kinds of meat, everything that can be transformed into energy. There are a few exceptions, like kittens. They are spared the destiny of landing on our dinner tables due to simply being cute.

The global demand for meat is ever rising. Once provided by local farms, the modern supermarket offers now animal muscles in all their different varieties. In restaurants, it is not uncommon to find beef on the menu that comes all the way from Argentina. Bacon has advanced to the ambrosia of pop culture. And to top it off: there are more chickens living on this planet than people. Meat is of great importance nowadays. Ordinary beef, pork or chicken from cramped livestock farms are from the past.

‘Ordinary beef, pork or chicken from cramped livestock farms are from the past. ’

The science that is meat A project at the Eindhoven University of Technology in The Netherlands, is exploring the possibilities of the synthetic creation of meat. Professor Daisy van der Schaft is the head of this project. She is one of the 25 scientists around the world who are dedicated to this field of research. She is an expert in growing tissue for medical purposes. Her experience in the food industry came as a coincidence. It all started when she agreed to become supervisor of a project of PhD students. She soon found herself tinkering on artificially produced meat.

A simplified, fast-forwarded version of what she actually does would sound like the following: “First of all, I take a piece of meat, isolate the adult stem cells and let them divide into large numbers. Secondly, I place them into a scaffold and grow them into a muscle,” Professor van der

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Schaft says. Adult stem cells can be found in every part of the body. The isolation of the stem cells takes several hours. She works with regular meat from the butcher to extract the necessary single cells. Taking cells from living animals without killing them is possible. However, in this early stage it is more convenient to do in it this way.

The extracted stem cells are placed on a scaffold in an elaborate nutritious gel. Scaffold is basically made of tiny pieces of velcro. Mind you, the closing mechanism our favorite shoes used to have before we were able to tie laces. Back to the lab meat. Eventually, petri-dishes with the potential meat are put in an incubator at 37 degrees.

The stem cells are tricked into believing that they are still inside a body. After a week of deception the muscle is starting to take its shape. A workout in form of occasional electrical or mechanical stimulation increases the growth of the muscle, but this is not necessary.

Professor Van der Schaft knows that growing the meat is just one piece of the puzzle. “At this moment it won’t taste like anything yet. Though, adding some fat tissue or blood cells might help. Adding taste to a tissue is no

‘The evolution from mignon takes one thing above all: money’ problem. I think texture is of greater importance. If you have something gooey, it won’t feel like it is meat,” Van der Schaft says.

In terms of quantity, there is still room for improvement as well. Three weeks in the incubator currently results in a piece of meat which is half the size of a stamp. You will need hundreds of those to form just one simple meatball.

A grant by the government has been stopped, causing the project to depend on private funding. e

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Meat created in a lab might be the future

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The evolution from meatball to filet mignon takes one thing above all: money.

Currently, private investors like big fast food companies are playing their cards slowly. “This is still quite controversial and it is too new for them. They want profits within at least five years, and don’t see artificial meat making money within the next five years”, explains Daisy van der Schaft.

With sufficient funding, artificial meat could be ready for commercial use within the next ten years. On the other hand if investors remain deliberate, it can easily take 20 years. An alternative to our present meat production system may not seem important, but it definitely is.

Meat is heating up the earth The concept of artificial meat was first mentioned by Winston Churchill in the early 1930s: “Fifty years hence, we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium.” Of course this was a time when many people in the western world were not

‘The meat we are eating was brought up under conditions we wouldn’t even wish to our worst enemies’ able to afford a piece of chicken to accompany their potato.

Today we live in abundance, but the meat problem still remains. We eat so much meat that all the livestock actually does play a huge part in global warming. Third world countries, catch up with the industrial world and so is their demand for meat. Within the next 40 years the global meat

consumption is estimated to double. The meat production as of today is already causing 18% of the CO2 emissions worldwide. Even more harmful to our climate are the amounts of methane gas emitted. Scientists from Oxford and Amsterdam University believe that these emissions could be cut by 96% by relying on lab-meat.

Another downside of the way we are producing meat is that it is not proportionate. That means that we put much more food, water and energy into a cow than we receive in steaks in return. The production of one kilogram of beef requires approximately 15,000-20,000 liters of water and an amount of grain that equals by no means the energy contained in one kilogram of steak. It is simply a really bad investment of resources.

Happy pigs and mad cows Beyond all these facts and figures there is one aspect of the meat business remaining which we are not very comfortable talking about. The origin of the bacon strip on our plate. We are not so naïve to think that this strip of bacon has once been a happy pig that died due to being old. Though, we are really good in ignoring where our meat comes from.The meat we are eating was brought up under conditions we wouldn’t even wish to our worst enemies.

More demand means, more competition resulting in a fatal price dumping spiral. In this spiral, conditions for animals can only get worse. Farm animals don’t live on farms anymore.

They are inanimate products in mass-production factories.

Movies like “Earthlings” by director Shaun Monson create stomach-turning awareness of what happens behind the scenes of your delicious hamburger.

You don’t have to be an animal-rights activist or vegetarian – in fact you don’t even have to like animals – to be affected by the way the industry produces meat.The confined space in the factory farms fosters the outbreak of diseases. To counter that animals are fed antibiotics which eventually end up in the cheap chicken breasts in your supermarket.

Meat from the lab could be produced under hygienic conditions, keeping it clean of diseases and medication. e

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Meat created in a lab might be the future So there are in fact a lot of reasons why we should support artificially produced meat. But the hardest part will be creating acceptance of lab-food.

A question of the right marketing “I would personally eat it, because there is nothing wrong with it. It is not genetically modified, there is nothing strange done with it, it is made in the lab. The muscles are basically grown in the same condition as in the animals. I wouldn’t have problems with that, but how do you present that to the public?” Van der Schaft says.

Ingredients made in the laboratory have long conquered our modern food. However, taking the animal out of the meat production seems like a huge step. It is easy to accept some taste-enhancers or colorants; who understands all those cryptic formulas on the packaging anyway. Artificially grown meat on the other hand has quite an unappealing notion to it.

“Some people are making up names like ‘petri-pork’ or ‘tubemeat’ and when people hear those names they get scared. I think the biggest hurdle is to have people accepting it. We can do a lot of science, a lot of research to develop meat, but if people don’t want to eat lab meat, it doesn’t make sense,’ ’ Van der Schaft says.

Dr. Koert van Mensvoort, scientist, artist and blogger, has dealt with the question of marketing this meat. His ideas for an industrial design of lab-meat are going much further than just the artificially grown beefsteak: “What we should not do is create fake versions of existing meat products.

We need to address the specific opportunities of the new technique and envision new products from there. Think for instance of a sushi like raw meat culture that would be possible because lab grown meat contains very little microbes, or meat that has the structure of fruit.”

It is not only the image problem that has to be overcome.

If one day the process of culturing meat in the lab turns out to be more efficient than factory farms, the fight against the “traditional” meat industry begins. In the United States scientists working on stem cell meat are already experiencing resistance from certain food lobbies. However, in the United States there is also increasing support for the cause. Big American organizations like PETA (People for

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Ethical Treatment of Animals) are already funding research on behalf of animal welfare.

The price of change With or without lab-meat, people are starting to realize the changes in their food. Awareness for food issues has been increasing over the past years. There are not only stuck-inthe-seventies hippies who are longing ‘back to the roots’.

Nowadays ‘Organic’ is a keyword following us everywhere.

Organic is a choice for people who are fed up with growthhormones and gene manipulation in their food.Though, the choice is quite misleading, because ‘organic’ comes with a price. A price that isn’t affordable for everyone. Some people simply don’t have the choice. Unfortunately, income level is one of the biggest predictors of obesity in the western world.

Meat produced under lab-conditions doesn’t need to be infused by antibiotics. Even the amount of fat can be controlled. Once scientists figure out how to grow fish, this can even become more affordable.

Are we ready for the meat revolution?

The possibilities of a meat revolution are quite real, even if not in the very near future. Growing pork in the incubator doesn’t mean that the traditionally produced meat will

disappear altogether one day. But we might accommodate ourselves to the idea of choosing between farm- or labmeat. In the end, we are the ones who insist on our cheap hamburgers. We will have to adapt to maintain this lifestyle but such a change will inevitably raise the question of food ethics.

Is culturing muscles in the laboratory playing god?

Modern technology gives us the power of actively altering life’s key components. Science is already capable of manipulating animals’ genetic code to make them glow in the dark. The purpose of those experiments is very questionable. Artificially grown meat on the involves no manipulation of genes and can improve our lives as well as the environment.

Eventually it will all come down to one question: will consumers buy it? Despite all of the advantages a weird feeling remains. It may be that natural distrust in science that we tend to have or it really is an ethical conflict. If it’s the latter then the question arises: when did we decide that it is ethical to lock up thousands of chickens in pitch black stalls with just as much space as an A4-sized piece of paper?

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Are you into International Journalism?

Join The Minor !

//////////////////////////// International Journalism Minor MIC 2010-2011

More information: Marloes Geboers m.a.geboers@hva.nl, +31 20 5951817 Enrollment via minoren.hva.nl Students outside HvA: www.kiesopmaat.nl Foreign students must contact the International Office of MIC, Babette Leeh: b.Leeh@hva.nl, +31 20 5954744 Media, Information and Communication P.O. Box 1025 1000 BA Amsterdam Visiting address: Rhijnspoorplein 1 1091 GC Amsterdam Tel. +31 20 595 1700

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The stem cell burger:

a solution for the bio industry?

Text: Gerrit de Vreugd Photography: Filckr / Chichacha

Herbivores and animal lovers jump the we don’t need

To support, or not support?

no stem cell burgers bandwagon.

Imagine we possess the knowledge and technology

Hanneke van Ormondt, campaigner and spokeswomen of ‘Wakker Dier’ is relatively positive towards

under the right circumstances stem cells can multiply themselves endlessly. If this were the case no animals have to be killed in order to provide us with meat.

This sounds like a world changing scenario for vegetarians and animal rights activists as a lot of them don’t eat meat out of principle reasons.

This all sounds wonderful, but is the production of

Vincent Kagie, campaigner and spokesman of the ‘NVB’ (Dutch vegetarian association) doesn’t favour the technological advances made on stem cell rethe use of embryos for getting these stem cells is unethical, therefore we aren’t generally supporting the

rights activists? Two of the largest Dutch organisations and their opinions were divided.

‘Herbivores and animal lovers jump the we don’t need no stem cell burgers bandwagon’

The future is now It is unclear whether stem cell research will provide us with ‘stem cell burgers’ in the future. However we do know that vegetarians and animal rights activists meat. Nonetheless, Hanneke and Vincent did agree on one thing. Both of them don’t intend to eat one of is a much simpler, better solution: not eating meat at all.

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Hilversum

Radio Netherlands Worldwide Since 1947, Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW) has been the Dutch public service broadcaster abroad.

Millions of people consider RNW their independent, unbiased and reliable source of information on developments in the Netherlands, Europe and throughout the world. We also report regularly on transnational issues such as the environment, human rights and international law.

RNW provides news, background and cultural programmes. We cater to Dutch-speaking audiences abroad and to foreign audiences with limited or no access to free media, for whom we make programmes from a Dutch-European perspective. These are broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week in ten languages: Dutch, English, Spanish, Indonesian, French, Arabic, Chinese, Papiamento, Sarnami and Portuguese.

More information can be found at www.rnw.nl

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THE

FACTORY

WITH THE CORE INGREDIENT HEALTHY EGGS life. Though, almost all the people in the world have the same picture perfect view

Text: Flavia Davila Photography: Caroline Mallrich Illustrations: Jori Pol

Nowadays

medical advances are increasing our opportunities. ‘In Vitro Fertilization’ (IVF) creates

The Reproductive paradise

Egg donation allows women, with unhealthy eggs, to

infertile women”. Egg donation is a common practice, usually with a purpose of assisted reproduction.The prices are lower and there is more tolerance in respect to fertility treatments. In addition, egg donation is very well paid (500-1000 Euros). Under the current Spanish legislation egg donation is completely anonymous. The donors have risks.

in Europe. To illustrate, in some countries the donor´s identity remains anonymous while in others this is not the case. A few years ago, a change in legislation took place in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. It gives donor-conceived children the right to know the identity a significant decrease in the amount of donor eggs. Most

the age of 45.

In countries such as Denmark and Sweden, egg donation donor. For this reason, it is only allowed to use leftover gametes of patients who are undergoing IVF themselves.

In Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Austria egg donation is not permitted. People living in these countries have to go

anonymous donors. Nowadays, Spain is the country with the highest percentage of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with donated eggs. e

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to donate to FIV Recoletos Medical Center in Madrid. The process of donating was not as easy as she expected it to

participate in the egg donation process. The growth of the estrogen pills to prepare my uterus; I had to take them

the risk and this is where her egg donation story starts.

Growing the eggs psychological and gynecological test to determine her

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slightly swollen and that she suffered from head- and stomachaches every now and then. She noticed that her period lasted longer and was more painful than it was days after starting the treatment the doctors told her it was time for the extraction.

donation remained anonymous. Under no circumstances

this is a result of the egg donation”, she says.

of myself. I was helping people, who cannot have children on their own”.

is one exception in which the center can contact the

The intervention with local anesthetic lasted for ten minutes. During extraction the doctors made use of a

to him or her,” she says.

another room to rest until the effects of the anesthesia j

the psychological test until the extraction was over

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Things Beyond Facebook The lisa thing and the dave move Sabine (21) is an economics student, JK Rowling fan and Facebook addict. She has never met Lisa, the girl who’s Facebook-page she checks everyday. Dave (25) is a freelance journalist, actor and Facebook addict.

He has never met half of his 1200 Facebook-friends. For Sabine and Dave Facebook is more than just a daily routine: it’s a part of their lives.

Text: Hanne Wassink Photography: Hanne Wassink

o

in Amsterdam, just a few meters away from the Prinsengracht is the place where Sabine lives. She has a threeroom apartment in an antique building, shared with two of Sabine’s girlfriends. It’s a location so popular, the majority of students would sell body-parts for it to live there. How-

She sits behind her computer. She checks the Facebookpage of a French girl, Lisa. “She has hazel brown eyes, not too dark, not too light. She has a size small, I know this because once I could actually see a size label in one of her pictures.” Sabine stops talking, takes a sip from her green herbal tea, takes on a serious look and continues. “ Lisa lives in Paris, in the 14th district. She studies art.

Vogue “Maybe that is why she takes such beautiful pictures; they are very ‘Vogue style’.You could see her for example walking in a vintage Chanel coat, with red lipstick on, in the old neighborhood of Montmartre.The next day you could see

a picture of her in old jeans, without wearing any makeup. I love that she has class and casualty at the same time.

There’s just so much life in her pictures. Sometimes it makes me tired I think this way.”

A few of Sabine’s friends know about ‘The Lisa Thing’ and they try to understand. “I am not sure if they completely understand what it means to be so drawn to someone’s Facebook-page; to someone’s life in fact. Actually I don’t think they do, it’s a very complicated situation. I consider it as an addiction. Some people need to smoke everyday, I need to check Lisa’s page everyday.”

Fly like Dave Somewhere else, in a small apartment in Oud-West, Dave is standing in the middle of his living room. He holds his feet steady on the ground, wide away from each other. His

circle, “It’s Daaaaave”, he sings in an absurd low voice. e

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“This is ‘The Dave Move’, I invented it myself. Well, I almost did. I actually stole the ‘It’s Daaaaave part’ from the TV-show New Girl. You know, that show with Zooey Deschanel? I quickly going to post a picture of The Dave Move on Facebook. Can you take one with my iPhone?”

Dave likes to be at the center of attention and he has no problem admitting that. “Why should I? If I wouldn’t say it on my Facebook page. I am a writer and an actor, whatever I do. People always see me in the spotlights. All my life I have been trying to avoid boredom. I absolutely hate it. I like to be funny, I like to be myself and share my life with others, 1200 others to be exact. To be honest.”

Arrogant or humoristic?

girl in a picture with a small hat on, she’s standing in front of a big Monet style painting. Sabine then nervously lowers her voice a bit. “That’s Lisa’s room, I have seen many pictures of that painting. I think her mum gave it to her. I’m sorry but I’m kind of nervous about this, whenever she posts new pictures and I recognize something, the hairs in my neck stand up. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t always enjoy watching these pictures.”

“As long as Facebook exists, ‘The Lisa Thing’ exists”

“I don’t really know how I got this great number of Facebook-friends. I guess people just like me. Is it arrogant to say that? It is a fact: many people react to my updates.” Dave’s page shows many interesting things: personal events such as his birthday party, movieclips he posted of himself, many updates (most of them funny) and a link to his personal

“I have a blog that I link to my Facebook-page. On this blog I write about my life. This blog is the only place where I’m more serious about the things I’m dealing with. For me it losophies about life, ideas and thoughts. They’re all different from another. Last week I wrote an article about The Dave Move! Did I mention that?!”

“The funny thing about Facebook is that you never know what you can expect” Pressure The Lisa Thing comes and goes, according to Sabine. This means there are periods Sabine forgets about Lisa and hardly checks her page. Periods of stress because of exams, when she is on a holiday or when she has a boyfriend. She either forgets or she’s distracted for a while. Nevertheless, for a while is not forever. “As long as Facebook exists, The Lisa Thing exists, that’s how it works.”

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Passion Sabine sighs and laughs. She understands that her little obsession is unusual and might be a shock to others if they

be absolutely disgusted and scared even. What can I say; I hope someday The Lisa Thing will become a ‘Nothing Thing’.

Lisa and Sabine aren’t friends on Facebook. Lisa is the girlfriend of Sabine’s ex-boyfriend. “It’s a long story and it makes no sense at all, but that’s how I know Lisa, and that’s how she got to control my life. If she ever closes her Facebook-account, I really don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Awkward

dead in someway. In this position Dave continues talking.

“I like to make these kind of pictures of myself, or let others take pictures of me acting dead like this. There’s just something extremely funny about it; a kind of awkwardness.

Just imagine scrolling down your news-feed and seeing this image of me. Wouldn’t you laugh? That is the funny thing about Facebook, you never know what you can expect or what will draw your attention.”

Dave hopes to be an example for others, to not be forgotten. He hopes that someday people will do The Dave Move and remember his name. “What I would like to achieve? To get people obsessed with me of course!” j (Due to privacy reasons names and facts have been changed.)

His face leans to the right in an unnatural position and his

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Blur ‘We create our own reality and even entire societies’ Living without internet is unimaginable these days. We ourselves. For some people “entertaining” means logging on to an online society where they live a second life. In this article we will explore the premise that makes up an online alter ego.

Text: Sander Niers Photography: Sander Niers / Guild wars

Tom van Haarst (25) is a normal guy, he has a job a

girlfriend and a nice apartment. He enjoys going out for a drink and hang around with friends, nothing out of the ordinary or so it seems.

Tom spends a large portion of his spare time living an online life next to his offline life. How does he cope and what is the attraction of joining an online society?

With over 3900 hours of game time under his belt it is safe to say that he might have lost touch with reality a bit. But did he? Tom is living together with his girlfriend and he has a good job. So when measured with offline standards his life is considered to be normal. And yet he hangs around online a lot, how does he manage? “I find that combining real and online life is not that hard, I consider it a hobby. Something I do to unwind. Other people might watch TV after a work day. And I enter World of Warcraft.

I really enjoy keeping contacts with all the people I have met online.”

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Tom thinks joining an online society is all about social contacts “I have meet up with several people I have met online, a few guys came over from the UK. And I am going to attend a wedding in Bulgaria. A friend I met through World of Warcraft is getting married and I am invited as well”. As you can see, he made many social contacts through the use of artificial societies.

Ever since the emergence of the human race we have been seeking to escape the current reality. Why do we have this ever growing desire to be more than we actually are in the present? It might be one of the ways human beings develop themselves, a mindset that enables us to continuously improve and grow. In the old days people found relief in telling each other stories about magical lands far away, about monsters and hero’s, about magic and religion. As the time progressed these stories were written down, and people began to lose themselves in books rather than in the spoken word. We found salvation in the written word. Though, our need for excitement and the unknown was not satisfied. The premise remains the same as people always seem to look for ways to escape from their day-to-day lives.

Mankind evolved and so did technology. We found new ways to liberate ourselves from reality through film and music. Especially the last three decades enhanced technology tremendously which enables us to long for more. We create our own realities and even entire online societies with their own folklore, laws and heritage.

Societies in which people can walk the lands as a mighty

warrior or a noble mage. Back to reality, the moment we just have to return to the here and now. Compared to our sweet escapes, a place in which we have very little power.

The first digital commercialized online societies started to appear in the 1990’s. Games such as meridian 59 and ever-quest were among the first that offered people a reliable way to escape reality. Although these first online communities are nothing near the size of our modern online worlds, they were the first steps to alternative

‘There is a very thin and online’ worlds. During this time, chat rooms and online message boards (forums) were on the rise as well. People were seduced to stay home and chat the night away or take part in different discussions. This was the first shift in social behavior as people were able to connect through the internet. Face to face interaction wasn’t the only way to make social contacts anymore. In combination with the growing western individualization, people were more receptive to the growing online possibilities. e

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The real and digital world are intertwined Online societies reached the majority of society by late 2004. Big companies started to see opportunities in creating and maintaining vast online societies. Everything changed when ‘World of War Craft’ was released in 2004.

Actually it was not the first of its kind but it was the first online society that bound millions of people to their online world called Azeroth.

What makes people coming back?

These online society’s and worlds are all nice and dandy, but they need a certain number of users in order to sustain. After all, no one likes to be walking around in an unpopulated world. This is something that developers of successful online worlds know all too well. So what makes people coming back over and over again? This brings us back to the beginning of this story, to the core of human beings, we always want more. The developers continue to expand the story, lore and history. It can also be in the little things such as new quests users to embark on, or maybe new pieces of clothing users can collect. Everything in order to give the user a sense of progression. progression is at the heart of all online societies. Whether it is a forum where user level rises with every post made, thus gaining more popularity in the respective online world.

Or whether it is a game, the key to success is offering a feeling of going forward.

‘Other people might watch TV after a day of work, I enter World of Warcraft.’

Think about every hour you invest in your online avatar makes him stronger, more versatile, more exiting to play.

And this is what users thrive on: growth.

It strengthens every single online society. To achieve something in the real world usually takes way longer than it does online. Graduating, for example, at least four years of studying is needed in order to get recognition in the form of a diploma or a masters degree. In online societies forms of progress and recognition come at much faster pace. This causes users to crave for even more in an even shorter amount of time. Users want to put their mark on their online societies, just as everyone would desires to leave their footprints on planet earth or even the moon.

There is a very thin line between offline and online.

The boundaries between off- and online realities are fading.

Lifelong friendships and even marriages are being forged through online societies. Rare items in online worlds, like a legendary weapon or a special piece of clothing are now being valued in the real world. For this reason those online items are being traded for cold hard cash. There’s even real-estate in online worlds that is being sold offline for real money. Second life is one of the online society’s in which virtual living space is being sold to the real world.

Special real-estate agencies that focus on online property are sprouting up and are working for clients such as Nike, Coca-cola and Adidas.

When you walk through the virtual world of second life you could visit a virtual Nike store.

The difference between what is actually real and what is artificially created is becoming smaller and smaller. j

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Electronic Evolution Instruments strike back Talking about major developments in culture and the way of amusement, some might say things haven’t changed much during the last few decades. Nowadays people still love to go out, dancing, drinking, smoking and having fun together.

The only thing that has changed, is the kind of music people dance to. History shows us that the evolution of music went hand in hand with the development of the way of life. But when ‘Swing’ became ‘House’ and ‘Bebop’ became ‘Drum and Bass’ something very significant happened with what we understand as music.

Text: Matthias Nachbaur Photography: Matthias Nachbaur

What was man made, became computer controlled. What

used to be a result of human action, is now the product of circuitries. Electricity found its way to what once was purely acoustic and it made things a lot easier for people to be musicians. However, it does raises questions, like: “Is electronic music taking over the use of (ancient) instruments?”

Technologic improvements Olivier Meijs (33) is the founder and owner of the DJ School in Amsterdam. He has been teaching students how to be a good DJ for four years and though technology progresses and producing music becomes simpler, he explains that mixing records still is a bit more complex. “Everyone can be a DJ, or at least a lot more people try to be one these days.

The improvements of technology allow great possibilities for everyone. The software could nearly do the mix on its own,” Oliver states. According to him being a successful DJ is more about having a good sense of what people want to hear. A DJ nowadays should be understood as an interface between the audience and the technology he is working with.

“Being a DJ is more than the technical stuff. It is about the choices you make.”

Oliver Meijs, DJ School Amsterdam

role of the artist. In a lot of cases electro music was and still is pre-programmed and recorded. But as the software can take over that part, the artist is free to anticipate on the behavior of the audience. An artist can trigger effects and play samples whenever he or she thinks it’s the right moment to do so. Oliver thinks that due to the possibilities we have today, playing electronic music is not just mixing records. It can be a live performance, where the artists are able to interact with the audience. As a very interesting future development the visuals of a performance will probably play a key role in this. e

‘Being a DJ is more than the technical stuff. It is about the choices you make’ Oliver Meijs, DJ School Amsterdam

The continuous improvement of technology is not only changing the way of electronic music but also changing the

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Roots

It took a long way of technical improvements until we got to the point we are today. Electronic music stems from the invention of the first electronic instrument, invented over a hundred years ago in 1919. The Theremin is an instrument with two radio frequency oscillators and two metal antennae. It’s not just the first electronic instrument, but also the first one, which had to be played without physical stimulation. The Theremin required a lot of skill in order to play decent sounding music.

Nowadays the Theremin is still going strong in the electro scene. This is quite rare for such an ‘old aged’ musical invention, because in time dozens of other electronic instruments were invented and played. Most of the instruments had a short period of success and were forgotten after some time. However, as the years progressed instruments became more and more well elaborated and people learned to like the typical sounds of electronic music. Nevertheless most of the popular electronic music stem from two major inventions made during the fifties and sixties.

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Sampling

With the birth of the first playable synthesizer, in the mid-sixties, electronic music took the biggest step towards the world of pop music. A Synthesizer is an instrument that creates and modifies sounds with the aid of electronic circuitries.

Synthesizers always were improved over time and they still count as very popular instruments. Today most of the typical electronic sounds we know and love are produced in a similar way as a synthesizer does.

The second major development that contributed to the popularity of electronic music was the tape recorder. It was invented during the Second World War and its invention gave birth to a whole new music genre in the fifties. Musique Concrete, as it was called, was about recording sounds of nature and industry and mixing them together into one piece.

This movement laid the foundation for what we know as sampling. Sampling is a technique where various sounds of any length get recorded in order to use them in a composition.

Similarities Within the last few years peoples’ interest in how to create electronic music has grown enormously. This growth is in no small part attributed to the improvements regarding usability and accessibility. Due to computer technology the production process became a lot simpler, paving the way for a lot of people to become an electronic artist.

Something that required a lot of hardware is now done with special software, which is available on PC or Mac. The internet is filled with home-productions of disputable quality since the production of electronic music became simpler and faster. Everyone is capable of producing

something that sounds similar to what is played in the clubs, however what constitutes quality is the ability to keep a human’s touch within a musical piece.

‘Technology is progressing really fast.

The job of an artist is to keep the heart and soul in all of this’ Raphael Urban, Artist

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Raphael Urban (21) is quite aware of the importance of the balance between electronic music and the human touch.

He has been making music since the last seven years. After playing with an alternative rock band for 5 years, he started his own project called Urban Dendrite. According to him ‘new’ computer software simplified the whole process of recording electronic music. As many others, he made use of the ‘newly’ provided technology: “All of a sudden I was able to insert thousands of instruments by using just one program on my computer, “ Raphael states.

Combine When Raphael compares the effort of recording a song with an entire band in comparison to producing an electronic song, he states that it’s an uneven match. However, this doesn’t mean that producing good electronic music is easy.

His latest project, Urban Dendrite, has taught Raphael that pure electronic beats feel like music without soul. Therefore he always tries to split electronic beats and analog organic music.

“Technology is progressing really fast. The job of an artist is to keep the heart and soul in all of this.”

Raphael Urban, Artist Especially on live gigs it seems to be important for an artist like Urban Dendrite to use instruments besides the computer to have some interaction with the audience. “People want to see that you are playing and feeling the music they hear.”

Interaction Oliver Meijs and Raphael Urban are both quite positive towards the increasing regularity of the use of instruments within electronic music. According to them the instruments create interaction with the audience as well as a more human and organic sound. All these future trends are most probably leading to a future where electronic music becomes more popular live. Electronic artists will become entertainers who will have to perform on the spot, just as musicians always were used to do. j

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Numbers //

by Steven Strijbosch Photography: Jori Pol Three times, she kissed me. Not really, not maybe. She kissed me in the nights on my pillow, on the pages of my diary. On the right page I start a new day, but never a new beginning. She says goodbye and I forget to say hello.

I do agree with myself, I’m ready. Ready for love, respect and maybe some mouth work - if I’m lucky.

Obviously I understand the formula wrong, the analogy is faulty. In my dreams it is a simple subtraction.

Two eyes, two breasts, two thoughts. It is a mix of regret, doubt and hope: “Is he the one or is he not feelings. I always end up on the wrong track and with her on the sidelines.

I hope, because prayer is outdated. However hope makes me anxious. Afraid that there comes a moment I’ll no longer feel who you are, because I like to feel, as perverse as that may sound.

One after the other is accepted. Approved, click.

I lick my wounds, I block your behavior. I am jealous and degraded and it feels like hell.Those two brown eyes of yours sparkle three-letter words. But your lips remain at two: “no”.

I am kicked back to second choice. Ouch.

Kicked to the place where I can admire her beauty from a distance, the place where she just comes along for advice. I became some sort of gas station, where she charges up for the next mistake.

No kiss, not on the lips nor on the cheek. Not anymore. In fact, she no longer looks in my eyes, not even accidentally. She remains a woman, she leaves nothing to chance. Never again will her hand be on my knee, or will I feel her breath in my neck as she whisdeal with it.

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6/11/12 3:10 PM

// Love Addicts

by Kylie Brons and I felt so alive. I could not stop smiling, I could not call or text and obsessively checking my phone every second. Love, I have been so in love. Every time I fall in love it gets more intense. I am just a slave for love. more and more for pure love and compassion. My that sounds so cute to me, love addiction. Mind you, all that glitters is not gold.

Love addiction is not as innocent as it may sound. A love addict will search for love at the expense of everything, such as career and family. The funny or actually sad thing is that love addicts have a deep rooted need for love. Unfortunately, sufferers from this addiction are likely to have a very miniscule chance to healthy loving. Jealousy, obsession, fear and possession push people away. I have been in relationships with those three characteristics and trust me, never again.

Searching for love is not at all a bad thing on people may become needy and dependent. These two are the perfect ingredients for failure. Many love addicts cannot sustain long-term relationships due to their unrealistic view of love. Besides, this addiction may make it based on romance.

So am I a love addict? I’d like to say no as I prefer to keep my chances for healthy loving as big as possible. You must agree, being in love is the most wonderful feeling one can have.

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6/11/12 3:10 PM

ASVA for students

The ASVA studentenunie believes students should get the most out of their time in Amsterdam. In order to do so, you should enjoy high quality education, affordable facilities and fun recreation.

That is why we offer housing mediation, legal advice, answers to all your questions about studying in Amsterdam and more. The ASVA studentenunie is established in 1945 and has around 3000 members.

ASVA long had the intention to also foresee in the needs and wishes of HvA students (Hogeschool van Amsterdam). In February 2007 ASVA opened a student desk Steunpunt at the HvA location Leeuwenburg, where all ASVA services are available. ASVA will create more services that are specifically aimed at HvA students in the future.

Right now ASVA already organises events like the HvA introduction day (Kersvers), several workshops for HvA-students, ASVA action weeks and a large-scale annual event. Furthermore, ASVA promotes an ASVA student counter / legal office In the Service and Information centre, counter nr. 7 Daily opened from 12.30 till 16.30

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active student life and stimulates HvA student culture by supporting the study- and student associations and student government bodies.

Lastly, be sure to check out Student Language Exchange (www. sle-amsterdam.nl) which is an online forum in which you can meet other students to exchange a language in an informal setting. SLE was founded last year by the ASVA student union and the International Student Network (ISN) Amsterdam.

Services of ASVA

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ǯ6WXGHQW ODQJXDJH H[FKDQJH Binnengasthuisstraat 9 1012 ZA Amsterdam T: 020 525 29 26 E: studentenbalie@asva.nl W: www.ASVA.nl/international 6/18/12 3:22 PM

Kirsten decides...

In this magazine you will find a lot of things about artificial life. Things like living your life through Facebook, getting new boobs by plastic surgery and recreating yourself to get famous. Most people have negative thoughts about artificial or fake stuff. They think about the fake boobs of the girl next door or robots that take away r jobs. But sometimes artificial is good. Like when a handicapped person needs a new leg or when robots save lives. Here you will find a list of accepted and non-accepted artificial things.

Text: Kirsten Spooren Photography: Julie Trienekens, from Flickr; Claire Knights, Bruno Cordioli and Daniel MacDonald

accepted j Prosthesis (fake limbs etc.). j Factory made food (like some hamburgers you eat). j Living your life through social media and games (think

about World of Warcraft and Second life), in normal proportions. j Robot toys (like puppies for kids). j Smart houses (your house is completely ran by a

computer). j Pregnancy via IVF. j Machines in factories instead of people (we may not

like it, but it is accepted).

Not done j Boob

jobs, nose jobs and botox (it’s only accepted when it’s really needed). Think about Heidi Montag, she totally overdid it.

j Grandma’s

who look like 17 years old (what’s wrong with growing old just the way you do?). Think about Madonna.

j Sex

with gigolo robots.

j Living

your life through social media and games (think about World of Warcraft and Second life), all the time.

j Creepy

robots who look like people.

j Laboratory

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carrots (food from test tubes).

6/18/12 3:22 PM

OUR CREW IS VERY SOCIALly ACTIVE this is how they present themselves on facebook

Caroline

Julie

FErdinand

GERRIT Hanne

Jori

Kylie Matthias

Kirsty

SARAH

ROXanne

Steven Veerne

St epha n

Sander

Sonia FLAvia

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KIRSTEN

6/11/12 3:29 PM