Ecunomist, Year 20, Issue 3

year 20, edition 3

The Ecunomist official magazine of study association ECU’92

drinking

games

PARTY

issue

getting down the morning after

what to do?

with the Dutch Party

Etiquette hosting

a party 1

List of human rights.

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4 5 6 8 10 12

contents

From the Editor From the Board Oh, the Morning After How to be the best Party Host?

Getting Down with the Dutch Photo Page

p.19 26 28 29 30

p.12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Drinking games ECU’92 Stock Exchange Party Hot or Not? Party Etiquette Top Summer Festivals, Europe 2011 Anti-hangover Tips Party Philosophy

Working at, interview The Yearbook committee The Study Trip committee Final Say

Five times a year The Ecunomist is published in a circulation of 1500 for the members, patrons, Ecunomen and external contacts of ECU’92.

John R.Tindel | Julie Ann Goodfellow | Christina Schenten | Milda Jasaite | Alexander Visser Leila Maria Scott | Miles Hilton | Jessica Krom | Sara Zapata | Willem Isbrucker | Kai Strohmeyer Study Association ECU’92 | Janskerkhof 12 | 3512 BL Utrecht | 030-253 9680 info@ecu92.nl | www.ecu92.nl | Printed by Drukkerij Hakker van Rooijen Special Thanks to ECU’92 Board and Klaas Damstra, who wrote about prof.Y.S.Brenner in the last3issue

FROM THE EDITOR striking a balance Dear reader, After a couple of rather serious issues, the Ecunomist has decided to take a break from our usual sedate affairs and discuss something that we all love: parties!

Few people would ever say that partying is not a vital part of student life. Without the occasional party, student life would arguably be the worst time of our lives: nothing but an endless stream of mind-numbing and seemingly futile work that we don’t even get paid for. We live in crappy houses, eat crappy food, and spend our free time reading about stuff that we mostly don’t care about, constantly stressing about tests and finances. Partying is vital for our sanity, but also for our social development. We make connections and friendships in university that will last our entire lives, we get to know people we might be doing business with in the future, and some people meet their long-term romantic partners here.

At the same time, though, we learn to strike a balance, that essential balance between our professional and social lives that will be invaluable in the future. Some of my fondest memories of my (perhaps too long) student career are the weeks when I would go out five times per week, subsisting on a diet of whiskey, coffee, and cheap pizza, sleeping three or four hours per day and still managing to pull off acceptable grades on the final. The general idea is that it can only last a while, though. As a t-shirt I saw once said: “Enjoy it now, because after college it’s called alcoholism”.

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Chances are you’ll probably remember your student life as the best part of your life. After we graduate, most of us will be going to desk jobs where we’ll be forced to sit behind computer monitors all day in fluorescent-lit offices, returning home late with back pain, an ever-expanding waistline and very little energy or motivation to do anything fun. It is for this reason that I think it’s essential that we make the most of our time at university to develop the right balance between The Ecunomist decided to discuss something we all lovE - PARTIES!

our professional and social lives: it’s the secret to not ending up depressed and miserable later on in life. Go out, drink, dance, and have fun.

Don’t go overboard, though. Figure out how much of it you can take while still accomplishing your academic goals and maintaining your health, but most importantly, don’t abandon this mindset when you have your diploma in your hand.

So, dear reader, I hope you’ll read this issue with these ideas in mind.

We’ve put together a set of articles that will help you make the most of your free time at university. Enjoy!

John Tindel

a day in the life of a SECRETARY Dear reader, As you must be dying to know what it is like to be the Secretary of the ECU’92 board, I am more than willing to offer you a look into my interesting life! You must be wondering what I do every day from 10.00 to 16.00, all week long. (And to be honest, so am I sometimes.) Hopefully, an overview of what a do on an average day will give you more of an idea.

At 8.45, my beautiful dreams are interrupted by my annoying wakeup alarm. I press the snooze button, turn around once more, and get out after five minutes. Although being allowed to sleep relatively late every morning is one of the big advantages of being a board member, I usually don’t realize this yet at the start of my day.

The first thing I do when I arrive at the ECU’92 room, is make coffee, because a happy member is a helpful member.

After checking my e-mail, of which half is about Rolexes and enlarged penises, I start making the minutes of the board meeting of the last evening. The largest part of the minutes can be typed out without a problem. Until Onno starts talking. Even when you type with a speed of 216 words per minute (the world record, held

by Stella Parnunos-Garnand) you wouldn’t keep track of what he says. So that part I usually make up.

Later in the morning, more Members enter the room and it becomes a real chaos. I try to make the necessary phonecalls, but I can hardly hear anything. Sometimes, the only way to survive in the ECU’92 room is to just ‘go with the flow’, and chat, laugh and scream along with the members.

After 13.00, almost everyone has left for their tutorials, and peace has returned. Time for me to write a few pieces for the almanacs and yearbooks of other associations. If only I could find the inspiration!

In the end, I fill up the pieces with an extensive story about ECU’92, because what would you write when the theme was “Headlines”, or “Behind locked doors”? Anyway, a bit more publicity for ECU’92 doesn’t do anyone harm!

At 15.00, the board has it’s general dip. Oftentimes, a simple Cup-a-Soup solves this problem, but this time some more is needed. Therefore, I decide it’s time for the Bachelor of the Week. Every week, one girl of the board sends the other four a picture and contact information of a hot guy, and if Onno is lucky, we send him a hot girl. The chairman of another study association is really cute, so I look him up on Facebook and send around a picture and information about his hobbies, favorite movies, etc.

The day has finally come to an end.

That means, the working day. Because being a board member is a 24/7 job. So after having dinner with two of our committees, we head to a student party, with our ECU’92 Loves You T-shirts on.

As you can see, the being the Secretary of the ECU’92 Board is a tough job. However, I already survived the first half of the year, so the odds are on my side!

Cheers,

Jessica Krom Secretary of the ECU’92 board 5

oh, the morning AFTER

by Leila Maria Scott Oh, the morni n g after .

Yo u ’ r e lying in bed doing a mental face-palm, wondering “Why, why, why?!” Maybe you spent the night working yourself into a dancing frenzy in a club or went out for drinks with a friend. In any case, you’re now kicking yourself in the head for the aches and pains, headache, unexplained bruises and large bill you found in your wallet.

Bits and pieces of the night start coming back to you in flashbacks, embarrassing enough to make you groan out loud in public. These are the trappings of a great night. But perhaps more notable than all the fun you had is the social skills you were perfecting, skills which shape your life every day. No matter what career you choose after graduating, you are going to have to interact with other people (unless you become an accountant perhaps!) We often forget how important socializing is, but here’s a reminder.

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From the time we are born, we are socialized..unless you grew up under a rock. It starts with learning a language, how to communicate and interact with the people around you. We then start to become ingrained with norms; cultural, social and even gender-based (or if you’re like me, you listen intently but ultimately ignore them). But it doesn’t stop there, throughout the rest of our lives we continue to be bombarded by “how to act, what to say” and especially “WHAT NOT TO DO.” With each stage of our lives, we mature socially; holding onto what we consider important and ignoring the rest. This is fundamental in the development of our personalities.

Now, at this most exciting stage in our lives, it’s more important than ever to go out and meet people. Spending time with your schoolmates outside of classes is key; having a base of support during what can be very stressful times, like exams, makes life much more bearable especially when your support group can relate to what you’re going through. It also provides you with a great social network, which will come in handy in the future when we’re all looking for work! You can gain valuable experiences and advice and making friends with schoolmates means that you can rely on them both in and out of university. Knowing who is reliable and who you can trust is great when it comes to getting a group together for a team project. Going out is also good for your mental well-being; it allows you to forget the little things that you have been stressing over and just enjoy the moment…like meditation, but more expensive and physically detrimental.

Going to parties also means that you’ll make friends, some will be “party friends” but you may also forge some bonds that will last a lifetime. Friends are your greatest support group at this time in your life; they won’t patronize you if you fail that business exam and they’ll pick you up off the dance floor when you fall down. Not only will they pick you up when you happen to get dropped by a dance partner clumsier than yourself, but they’ll also pick you up metaphorically, like when you get dumped by that girl you liked or are just feeling depressed by the Dutch weather.

If you’re still not convinced, just remember: you don’t want to look back on your time in university in 20 years and wish you’d done more.

Now that you’ve realized how important it is, instead of asking yourself, “Why should I bother?” try “Why not?” It works for me!

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how to be

THE BEST PARTY HOST?!!

by Sara Zapata Party. Probably a word you hear a lot during your student life and probably the favourite word of you and your friends. Drinking beer and wine, dancing a bit and talking to everybody, sounds really nice. However, this happy and relaxed feeling might change once you decide to host your own party. Pressure and stress might take over. How to make a very good impression?

What to wear when that guy you like so much is coming to your own party? Other worries that might come along when you are thinking of throwing a nice party!

Just read this and your next party is going to be the best party on earth!

Let’s explore some facts that need to be thought of if you want to ensure that your name is going to be in the “greatest hostess” list. Oh! And don’t forget to throw a party after you go through them!

You have probably all experienced this or something similar. You enter a room where a party should take place, and the host is still somewhere else in the house, putting on make-up or putting peanuts in the bowls on the table. He/she is not ready yet, while the guests start pouring in. As a host, neither you get the time to be done with the final touches of the party, nor are you able to give your full attention to your guests. What should you do to prevent this from happening to your own party!?

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First of all, take enough time!!! You will

need this time to make sure everything is done before the guests start ringing your bell. Spend it grocery shopping, buying food and drinks, for making the party-space look awesome and last but not least, to make sure that you, the host, look extremely awesome!! Therefore, plan your time well! If you think you did this and that you have everything under control, and you think you have time enough, just add an hour extra. You can spend this hour to fix some problems that you did not expect to happen, like light bulbs that suddenly stop working or a bell that doesn’t ring anymore and you keep wondering why nobody is coming to your party. However, in case you do not need this extra hour, you can also just use it to chill a bit on your couch and try those peanuts you just put in a bowl, together with a beer, while waiting for your friends.

Then, every party again, there is the question of the food. Do you decide to have food at your party or just drinks?

And, if you do decide to offer your friends a bite, what do you want to offer them, just chips and nuts, or do you want to spend a day in the kitchen, making the most beautiful bits and bites? Whatever you decide, just make sure you do it right.

While preparing the food, you might want to keep in mind if you have put a party-theme on your invitations. If you did, make sure that your food fits in this theme. Don’t make hot chocolate, when the theme is ‘colourful summer.’ Above this, it is also very important to keep in mind the overall tastes of your different guests. Do not prepare a barbeque, when you know most of them don’t like meat or are even vegetarian. Next to this, maybe the most important is that you make sure that you have enough food! Make sure that you always have something left in a closet somewhere, even if this is just a bag of chips. Everyone likes food and there should be enough diversity to keep them happy, so maybe two bags of chips with different seasonings are even better to keep in a closet. make sure your music is danceable and mixed in a right way Of course, a good party needs drinks. Enough drinks and enough choice of drinks. Alcoholic, but also non-alcoholic drinks should be available for everybody. You should not be the person that runs around the whole night to make sure that everybody still has a drink in his/her hands, just make sure that there is a place where everybody can get their own drinks.

There is always the worry that

your party is going to be boring, that nobody likes each other and that people just want to leave as soon as possible. The only person that can do something about the atmosphere and the mood that is hanging in the room of the party is you, the host!

You should not be the person, who runs around the whole night

This problem is not really a problem. It already starts when your friends are walking in. Welcome all of them and make them feel welcome in your house and at your party. If everyone doesn’t know each other yet, just make sure that people get to know each other. Introduce them to each other as soon as they walk in and act as an ice breaker in these cases. Of course, spend more time on that one special friend that you invited and for whom you dressed to impress. However, keep in mind that there are more guests, and it is also nice to act like you don’t care and play hard to get.

Furthermore, the music is a really important point in making the atmosphere of the party a good one. Make sure your music is danceable and is mixed together in the right way. Do not try to be funny and put some children’s songs or classical songs in between, with the excuse they are from your little brother or from your aged granddad. Just keep it simple and keep the music going and dance!

Now, it seems that you have hosted the perfect party! The only thing that is not mentioned here, which is probably the most important thing, is that you have to enjoy!! Do not worry too much; your friends are old enough to enjoy themselves. It is very important that you also enjoy your own party and make it the best party on earth!!!

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getting down

by Willem Isbrucker In a recent survey of over one hundred dutch girls, a mere 2% had ever dated a non-Dutch guy. Many internationals have voiced their

dismay about the apparent asexuality of the low land’s fairer sex, and needless to say, this dismal empirical data puts a face to the crime. If it wasn’t for a certain colored district that shall remained anonymous, I would almost be inclined to believe that Dutch girls bore a strong resemblance to a Barbie doll down there.

step

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2 Hair Gel, Lots of It

It’s a height thing...

Chances are if you’re not a native, you’re going to be relatively vertically challenged, a dead give away.

The solution? Thick soled shoes. Try to wear extra socks as well and you might be able to get an extra

centimeter.

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Dutch men all have it, and Dutch girls can’t resist, the classic “Looks like you ran a marathon then stood in a wind tunnel for an hour look”. Start growing your hair, you have to be able to tuck it behind your ears. If it’s black?

3 Dress for Success

This is a must, so listen up.

Button shirt, tucked into straight leg jeans with a good amount of flare. Make sure you connect the two with a good belt buckle, some skinny shoes, and of course a blazer. The jeans say “I know how to have a good time” but the “I’m all business baby” blazer says “I’m all business baby” Get ready to start fending off Bleach it. If you’re bald? Wig girls with a stick. it. The blonder the better.

with the

DUTCH

So where does this leave the expatriates? Are we destined to window shop in the streets of Amsterdam? Hell no. With this full proof plan we’ll be able to infiltrate their parties and clubs, mate with their women, and soon enough our differences will be forgotten. Just follow this simple step by step guide to becoming a Dutch man.

BAM! The lion starts roaring!

4 Get Loud, Real Loud

Calm and reserved in your day to day, but as soon as you get a few beers in you, BAM! The lion starts roaring. Make sure you say everything as loud as you can but still act casual about it like it’s no big deal. On this note, it’s also a good idea to learn a few old Dutch songs which you can sing equally as loud as you stumble from bar to bar.

5 The More the Merrier

That’s what I always say, and from what I have deciphered the Dutch agree.

Having more friends look just like you is a great way to emphasize the previous 4 steps. It helps you be louder, tells people that you also hang out with businesscasual people thus making you easier to approach, and validates the marathon-wind tunnel look.

There you have it! Follow this comprehensive 5 step program and you’ll change your life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go pick up my 10 liter tub of mouse.

Dutch man

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photo Page

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party at tivoli

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drinking games

by Willem Isbrucker

FLIP CUP Players: 8+ Materials: Keg Cups, Beer, Table Instructions: To play this college classic, divide people into two even teams along each side of the table. Place an empty keg cup half off the table in front of each player, as well as a cup with the beer of your choice.

The objective is to flip your cup from right side up to upside down and then chug your beer as fast as you can. This is then repeated in a relay race along your teams, the first to complete this ultimate test of teamwork win the round. Repeat until you can no long flip a cup.

Beer Pong Players: 2+ Materials: Keg Cups, Beer, Table, Ping Pong Ball Instructions: Form 2 triangles out of keg cups (6 cups each) at opposite ends of the table and fill each cup halfway to the top with beer. The players stand behind their respective beer pyramids and lob the ping pong into their opponents cups. A successful shot and the other person drinks the cup. It’s also a good idea to have a spare cup with water on hand to dunk incase any balls go astray. Quite possibly the greatest export out of America right after democracy and fast food.

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Beer HUNTER Players: 2+ Materials: Beer Cans, Box Instructions: Ever heard of russian roulette? This is just like that, but with beer. Have an unbiased friend shake the living hell out of one of the cans, essentially turning it into a beer bomb. Replace the beer in the box without letting the players know which one it is.

Each player then takes turn bringing the beer up to their face at an angle, and opening it. Not the bomb?

You have to drink it. If you’re the sorry soul who gets the wet head, you lose. The winner stays dry AND gets more drunk. It’s a win-win.

worlds’ strongest man

Players: 2+ Materials: 12 pack of beer (cans) Instructions: This is alpha and omega when it comes to getting drunk ASAP in game form. If you’re looking to get your stomach pumped, step up, because the winner of this game is declared the Worlds Strongest Man. The objective is to drink you beers faster than everyone else, shotgunning the 1st, 4th, 8th, and 12th beer. Puke, and you’re disqualified, this game isn’t for the queasy, so man up.

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ECU’ 92

Stock Exchange Party

by Miles Hilton ECU 92 parties can be cool, REBO parties are cooler and ECU 92 stock market parties could be the next big thing. Previous ECU 92 parties have put a lot of effort into making our parties a more fun and unique experience.

Of course, it is nice to see your mates dressed up as Fred Flintstone or your girlfriend sticking glowing neon sticks down your pants. One thing that I have noticed is that we should get people to consume more alcohol, since it seems to be impossible to get good music for these parties and make people dance, like back in the day when trashy techno was yet to

it seems to be impossible to get good music for these parties be discovered in Germany (not Holland!).

People knew how to dance and would be terrified by Lady Gaga’s inability to dress or sing decent lyrics that you would sing with your 5 year old daughter.

Does this reflect our identity as ECU 92? The Royal Ball a few weeks ago appeared to be a success. May I remind you, drinks that night were all inclusive. Of course, we are students and try to always keep a low budget. A student

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needs some form of justification to spend more money on parties. All you can drink is just one example. This is not necessary.

Price dumping of drinks could just ignite the dance floors and boost ECU 92 popularity even outside our faculty.

Economics is our field of expertise, we love bargains and consuming our favorite commodities: whiskey, vodka, gin and rum. But constant prices are boring, aren’t they? What if we could let prices be decided by levels of demand, the amount of drinks ordered at a given time and perhaps the growth rate of the crowd coming into the bar area?

Screens or a projector could depict information, similarly to what you see on stock exchanges

charts. In Berlin, London and Australia, this concept is a great success implemented in bars and clubs. A supplier of one of these systems, a German producer called barstock (www.barstock.de) is offering basic sets at a starting price of 75 Euros.

A club in the German student city of Göttingen has used this concept and added a special trading floor, an area in which you feel very much forced to buy a drink because from every angle you see the prices flashing up and down on screens showing charts of prices for all drinks. Prices will eventually peak at some point, demand will not go up any more and the program can be set to stock market crash and the result of that is absolutely beautiful: Prices go down and the punters have yet another reason to buy more drinks and eventually get drunk. Drunkenness kicks in and you more buy more drinks, regardless of prices. The stock market crash should of course be announced later in the night, after 12 o’clock by somebody who is in charge of price setting and profits made.

Our favorite commodities: whiskey, vodka, gin and rum With the addition of a “futures market,” large orders up to e.g. 5 drinks, can be made. The price thereof is paid and the bearer of the contract may trade it in for this order at a later time when prices have risen. You will, of course, be the BOSS if people see you with 5 beers on a tray when the price of a beer is at 5,50 Euros. It would also give the opportunity to trade the futures contract with others so that you could actually make money during the course of the night. Of course, futures contract would not be quite appropriate for this kind of deal because no specific date for trading

in for drinks is given, therefore it would be far simpler and cooler to call it “bonds.”

A very cool addition would be three price indices for all beers, long drinks and cocktails, which would give info on average price.

Drunkenness kicks in and you more buy more drinks, regardless of prices.

With this system it would not be wise to use chips representing a certain amount of Euros.

Prices could increase or decrease by a minimum of 10 cents. A trading period is most commonly a trading interval of 5 minutes, which sets the prices of the next period’s prices. The program can be set either to raise prices or lower prices as demand goes up. More typically, if a drink is not sold often enough the system may automatically drop prices to increase demand to whatever level you have set as target. Minimum and maximum price levels can also be kept in a range so that losses, for instance, can’t occur through sale. A consumption bill is used to record all costs incurred, which is then paid before leaving the club. In clubs, for example the one in Germany, all charts are shown on several TV screens and an additional gigantic projected screen. Advertisement could also be fitted into the market updates, as shown on the screens.

I believe that this party concept can really make a change, and hey: We would finally see all the geeks on the dance floor!

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Hot or Not:

Nightclub Etiquette by: Jules Goodfellow Etiquette? Yes, you heard it right. Night clubs have rules to go along with the fun and excitement, however most of the rules are unwritten. Therefore we’ve put them all together in this quick guide. It's no secret, just an art.

Getting in When you get to the club, approach the bouncer and be friendly. Don’t be impatient; when waiting in line to get into a club, the bouncers are literally your ticket in. Do not, and I repeat, do NOT act cocky and arrogant or hassle the bouncer. They hear it all night and will only treat you worse if you try it. If you’ve been predrinking, bite your tongue, because almost anything you say will probably make your condition more than obvious. If they turn you away, just quietly leave and try your luck later. Chances are they won’t recognize you if you didn’t make an ass of yourself the first time around. \

Women like us have it a bit easier when it comes to getting into clubs, for obvious reasons. You guys can't exactly flaunt your physical attributes in order to get into a club quicker (unless it’s a gay bar), but what you can do is use women waiting in line as your ticket in. Don't be sleazy and act like you're picking them up, just be friendly with them. Your goal: to blend yourselves in with the hot girls in line so that you get in as a group. If you have a significant other, bring them along, as couples generally get in easier. You are also less likely to get in if you are a large group of guys, so keep the size of your crew limited or split up while in line.

You are what you wear If you're going to a trendy, posh nightclub, then dress the part. This means wear a nice pair of pants, a classy shirt and decent shoes (not too nice; remember you’ll probably be stepping on broken glass).

If there’s a slob in your group, don’t hesitate to remind them of the dress

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code or you may risk being shunned by the bouncer because one member of your gang is wearing mechanic’s coveralls or work boots.

Clothing Rule of Thumb: It is always better to be overdressed than underdressed because if you’re overdressed, you have a story as to why you look good, however if you are underdressed you simply look socially challenged.

The Dancefloor I love dancing. Most guys can’t dance to save their lives, and if one thing pisses me off, it’s drunk guys who have no idea how to dance and come in packs, sometimes taking over the main part of the dancefloor. There are other people trying to enjoy themselves and they don’t need you and your two left feet to screw it up. If you want to get someone’s attention while dancing, LEARN TO DANCE! Don’t bump and grind with women who are not interested.

Who would've thought that there was so much etiquette involved in going to a nightclub? And don't forget the most important rule: Have a good time!

Remember that there are other people out to have a good time while partying. Don’t be selfish, think with your OTHER brain cell, and you should be fine. Enjoy!

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top summer festivals Europe 2011

by Christina Schenten

Rock am Ring (Eiffel, Germany) 3.-5.6.2011 With headliners such as Coldplay, Kings of Leon and Beatsteaks, here the elite of contemporary musicians can be found. Not only for rock fans! The only unfortunate thing is the price. You should expect €150 and up. But on the other hand, go to one Coldplay and one Kings of Leon concert and you reach similar heights. Only here you’ve got a whole lot more acts in the package. And of course, festival atmosphere par excellence!

Glastonbury Festival (Pilton, England) 22.-26.6.2011 Not much has to be said about this one. The festival is a legend. Wild history, top lineup, incredibly high prices (ca 230€) – and chronically sold out. To make your mouth water anyway (and who knows, maybe a few tickets can still be found on eBay!), here a very short overview of some artists: The XX, Vampire Weekend, Snoop Dog, Kate Nash, Marina and the Diamonds… and many, many 20more.

El Grec (Barcelona, Spain) 13.6.-1.8.2011 This festival is a special one. It is not just about music (although also artists such as Joss Stone and Craig David showed their faces here in recent years), there also is theatre, film, dance and even a circus is around.

The festival is attended by a lot of internationals and bewitches the city for five weeks every year. For people under 25, the very reasonable price is 10€. A good reason to travel to vibrant Barcelona!

Pinkpop (Landgraaf, Holland) 11.-13.6.2011 Here you get some alternative, rock and pop for your money. Headliners are Coldplay, Foo Fighters and Kings of Leon. Ticket sales start March 19th at 10 o’clock, be quick!

Rockit Open Air (Maarssen, Holland) 30.7.2011 This festival hits the electronic taste. With music, theatre and entertainment, it covers everything from House to Minimal, from Electro to Hip-hop. Last year, DJs such as Darko Esser, Benny Rodrigues and Luke Slayter rocked the grounds. You’re in for €35 (“earlybird” special until April)!

Wacken (Wacken, Germany) 4.-6.8.2011 You like it loud and heavy? You like guys in black and with hair longer than yours? Then Wacken is the place to be. This little, contemplative village in Northern Germany is invaded by thousands of Heavy Metal fans once a year.

Headliners are, among others, Avantasia and Blind Guardian. Tickets are quite expensive for 130€, but you sure get something for the money.

Reggae Geel (Geel, Belgium) 5.-6.8.2011 This is the oldest Reggae festival in Belgium. The weekend ticket is available for only €25! The perfect chilled-out summer-weekend.

You’re ambitious and think your reggae sound is better than anyone else’s? Join the European Reggae Contest!

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anti-hangover

by Alexander Visser

TIPS

Going to parties and going out into the late hours is part of every student life.

There is, however, a price to pay for all this excess in awesomeness.

And that is the gigantic headache and whatever else is associated with a hangover. In this article we will give some tips to counter the mother of all headaches, so read on to get your after-party remedies!

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The first tip is a really easy one, put

a glass of water next to your bed before you go to sleep. It doesn’t matter

how drunk you are, filling a glass of water shouldn’t be a big problem. And when you wake up and your throat is really dry, take a sip and go back to sleep. All this without having to get up!

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bad idea

When you finally get out of the bed, there are plenty of liquids to get you through the day. Coffee with aspirin and a glass of orange juice is always a good combo. Whatever you decide to drink, don’t drink milk,

just don’t….

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3

Not everyone feels like eating something after a night out, but it is important to put food in your belly, especially when it is

filled with alcohol and leftovers from naughty thingS.. You can go

the English way: egg, bacon, brown bread and beans. If you are feeling a bit lazy: a peanut butter sandwich is never a bad thing!

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Now you are hydrated and fed, but maybe your body wants to get rid of the stuff you stuffed in your face the evening before. Guys should take all the time they need on the toilet, read something, send some messages and maybe repair some of the damage done last night. This does not apply to ladies, because they don’t poop.

5 If all these tips don’t work for you and you still feel like a dubiously hardened tissue in a teenage room, there is one last tip to tip them all: Go back to

your bed and just sleep off the hangover!

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PARTY philosophy

by Kai Strohmeyer Who doesn’t know the following situation: You are at a party, it is late at night.

Tipsy as you are, you hold your overpriced drink and shake your body to the bouncy beats in the middle of the dance floor. You make crazy and embarrassing economic insider moves like the curly ∂, or maybe you are already on a stage or in a cage, dancing up on a pole, surrounded by the sweaty bodies of all the other young and sexy people who celebrate with you amidst muggy air and under shuttling bright lights. You enjoy yourself in this state of pleasure in the here and now. And then, suddenly, you back-pedal. You pan the room in slow motion, perceive the music and the voices only as dull and far away. You put your drink aside to be able to scratch your head and chin at the same time, so that you can easier handle this wise, existential question, which has come right into your head out of the blue. Who doesn’t know this state of being overcome by this urge to philosophize, asking yourself about the question for the deep sense of partying?

You may have your own answers

already, your own philosophy. Then this article might be interesting for you insofar as it confirms your view, or by contrast it is a contradictive approach and may raise a constructive scientific discourse. If you are one of the few who have never faced this question, this article can help you to arrive at an aim in your search for meaning.

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s a scientific mind and discipulus economicus, the first thing which comes in to your mind in such a situation is of course: What does partying mean for economics? First of all, consider what it means to an economy: Private parties require goods, buying goods means consumption, and consumption stimulates the economy, in this case especially the industrial sector. What, for instance, would the white plastic cup industry be without house parties or barbecues? Not to mention the booze brewers, as parties are a major occasion for its consumption. Next to also stimulating this sector, public parties also mean

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a lot to the service sector. All the bars, pubs and clubs stand for the jobs they create and money they generate. Especially the restaurants which put aside their tables and turn on the music at night give a great example how to act economically by maximizing the use of a location.

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ext to these direct impacts on economy, there are also indirect influences. Parties are a very important advertising rostrum for the music as well as the fashion industry. On top of that, they serve as a place for the synthesis of trends in both sectors and especially help those consumers who want to be hip (and those who want to be alternative) to make a purchase (or non-purchase) decision. All the others are in all likelihood indirectly influenced. In the end, consumption again stimulates the economy. Especially those girls who feel the desire for a new top for each and every party so as not to be seen twice in the same outfit, do a great job in this respect.

What do parties mean to econo-

mists? At least they create one interesting research topic: All kinds of alcohol and also other drinks, seem to be more price elastic at a party than they are in supermarkets. Nobody would seriously buy a six-pack for €12, although €2 is the price you can anticipate in a pub or a club for one beer. Is this linked to the phenomenon of the two-part tariff? Or are party animals very prone to the Veblen effect, with the champaignzees looking down upon the beerboons?

It could also be a quantitative effect rather than a qualitative one, showing how much one is able to drink. Or is the key to the answer the monopolistic power of the bar, coupled with the desire to consume alcohol? Anyway, there are indeed quite a few studies on the price elasticity of alcohol, so surely these kinds of questions must be taken seriously.

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ext to economics, partying also holds benefits for society. Parties are a great place for socializing, and especially very special parties bring together people with same tastes and interests, those who would rather like to get to know and hang out with each other. It’s very probable that people who love motto parties like ‘Priests and Prostitutes’ are very different from those who are obsessed by ‘WE ALL LOVE 80’s & 90’s’. Parties can bring

together people, and enforce the forming of different interest groups within society, basically among party folks.

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nd finally, parties also mean a lot for you, student of economics and individual part of society. You as a person have fun, get pleasure and make experiences. This isn’t only useful for the moment; it also gives you great stories to tell for the future, whereas old songs and retro parties give you an opportunity to reminisce. You get to know yourself, your tastes and limits can be tested, which can be good to know, but you also meet new people, can intensify existing relationships and who knows, meet the love of your life. Or your BFF. Parties are also like a market.

They give you the chance to present yourself to others - maybe give you an incentive to do more sports or take a shower? – and to hold out what you’re looking for.

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onvinced? Then grab your glass again, stop scratching your head and chin, bare your teeth in the black light, get back on the dance floor and plunge into the sense-filled ocean of partying.

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working at Harry van Zijl from KPMG

by Onno de Jong

In this issue of ‘Working At’, we visit someone you might be familiar with. Harry van Zijl was the Coordinator Internal Affairs of the ECU’92 Board of 2005-2006 and has been active in a lot of committees. This article is, however, about his current daily life. Harry has a position as an audit trainee at KPMG, one of the biggest accountancy firms in the world.

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fter finishing his masters in Economics and Business at USE last September, Harry opted for the audit traineeship at KPMG. ‘I already met KPMG at an ECU’92 Company Days and during other recruitment activities, so KPMG was a quite straightforward choice for me’. The application procedure consists of several steps.

After doing a number of IQ-and EQ-related tests, it is decided whether you are invited for an initial interview.

After a second interview you get a definite go or no-go.

Harry: ‘I even got a fixed contract, although it was stated in the contract that I had to finish my thesis before I started working at KPMG’.

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Harry van Zijl, audit trainee at KPMG

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lthough Harry is now a fulltime employee at KPMG, his daily life doesn’t only exist of working.

Studying is considered very important as well. KPMG gives you the opportunity to obtain a degree as Register Accountant (RA). ‘Given that USE does not offer a masters degree in accountancy, I had to follow this program elsewhere. Each Friday I follow classes at the VU in Amsterdam. Here I learn the theory I missed during my studies in Utrecht. Given that I’m not the only one in this situation, I got a lot of help in finding the fastest way to get rid of any missing knowledge.’ KPMG pays for your education. In exchange, you need to be willing to do some studying during the weekend.

KPMG pays for your education. In exchange, you need to be willing to do some studying during the weekend.

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hese months are very busy for everyone working in the field of accountancy. At the moment, annual statements have to be audited.

Even for trainees, who are usually spared by the other employees, ‘days of working 9 or 10 hours do occasionally occur’. On the other hand, the summertime is a very quiet period in the life of an accountant. ‘And a very positive thing is that you can trade all the extra hours you worked for days off ’ Harry happily mentions.

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are seen as a full member of the team and you therefore get quite some responsibilities. But this is also why KPMG gives a lot of guidance to their trainees. Each trainee is assigned to a coach. This is someone who is one or two steps further in his or her career and has therefore dealt with problems you might encounter quite frequently. ‘He or she is also the one you turn to if you have any practical issues, something you will certainly experience in your first weeks’, Harry elaborates. Another person who is very important in your guidance is the performance manager. Most of the times this a more senior employee who assists you in setting your goals for the year and how you perform within the organization. Harry’s goals for this year are ‘Focusing on passing all the courses of my RA-education, getting to know my clients better, and finding my way around at KPMG’

ne of the most interesting aspects of the job is the variety in customers you have.

As an accountant you spend most of your time at the office of the customer. In the end the accountant is there to assess whether the claims made by the company in their From day one onwards you are seen as a financial statements are correct. ‘But con- full member of the team and you theretrary to what many people believe we can’t fore get quite some responsibilities. give a 100% certainty, you can’t see every receipt’ as Harry and his colleagues will ne of the most important questions that say. ‘One working method that we often use durcomes to mind during these interviews: ing interim is therefore to check for the proce‘Can you combine working at KPMG with a dures a company uses’. The accountant checks private life?’ The answer is yes you can, howwhether there is enough ‘segregation of tasks’, ever things are different than during your a main theme within accountancy. Harry gives student life.

‘You can still have a girlfriend, see an example: ‘who can give permission for a puryour friends and do fun stuff in your weekend chase order, in order to limit the possibilities of but sometimes you have to skip a party and stay fraud this should always be a process with sevaway from the beer’.

But once again, your coach eral persons involved’. comes in handy: he will watch you to prevent he team of people with who you work con- you from becoming a complete workaholic. So sists of KPMG people of all different ranks. although KPMG’s recruitment slogan is ‘Gááán’ On most assignments you are the only trainee they will make sure that it’s at a reasonable pace!

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within your team. From day one onwards you

If you want to meet KPMG you are kindly invited to join the ECU’92 Dies Symposium on white collar crime (22nd of March) where KPMG hosts a workshop on forensic accounting and someone from the recruitment department will be present to answer any questions. A perfect opportunity to learn more about accountancy and to get to know one of the leading firms in the sector!

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This committee of ECU’92 is a brand new committee.

Not fully surprisingly, we will indeed make a yearbook. This yearbook will be made for all the freshmen. With this yearbook, we will inform our fellow freshmen about ECU’92, about the committees, and about all the activities that have been organized. In addition, the yearbook will contain the pictures and contact information of all freshmen! The yearbook will also contain a lot of amusing and fun content, like stories you wrote, pictures, and other items we haven’t thought of yet.

Around the world

The theme of the yearbook is ‘Around the world’. We chose for this theme because of two reasons. In the first place, there are a lot of international students

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year book committee

at Economics and Business Economics. In the second place, we chose for this theme because our economy gets more and more globalized every year.

We need you!

As much as we would love to write all of the content ourselves, it would be a tough job and it would make the yearbook quite boring. It would be more interesting if the content of the yearbook is written by all the freshmen of ECU’92, and not just us. So if you would like to write a story (in English of course) about yourself, about your travelling experiences, about our globalizing economy, or whatever…Just send your input to yearbook@ecu92.nl.

If you are not sure about what you should write, or if you have questions, please let us know!

We would be glad if we could help you out.

From left to right: Bas van Essen, Loura Vlam, Jana Rautenberg, Jori van der Meulen, Aline Stams, Lisanne Hoekstra and Dea Tusha

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We all have our own ideas when we think about study trips; some will think about ‘’Eurotrip’’ whilst others will think about seeing the Mona Lisa.

However, we at the study strip committee believe we can do better. After an easy victory at the battle of the committees it was clear that this year’s Study Trip Committee was awesome.

However, an awesome Committee is not just something you throw in the microwave. No, we consist of the best ingredients; a muscular chairman known as Jorrit Hendriksma. Accompanied by the stylish coordinator of the board: Heleen van der Meer. Add two bff ’s with a wicked sense of humor: Leonie van Rooden as the Treusurer and Mariska Middelburg as coordinator of promotion & sponsoring. A charming and worldly secretary: Priscilla van Angelen. And to top it off add two more legendary men: coor-

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study trip committee

dinator of location as Diederik Stolk and coordinator scenario book as Thomas Weyn. There you have it, the best committee at ECU’92 which is taking you to Istanbul this year! With a fun group of people and plenty of culture and nightlife it is bound to be an amazing study trip!

We are taking Istanbul to a whole other level; we are going to visit the world class cultural sites and a university. When the sun goes down we are going to change into our party outfits and rock the nightlife. And if that wasn’t enough for you, we are also visiting the bazaar! A huge market where you can buy the things you always wanted! A rug for in the house, or rather a stylish leather jacket to parade around with in Utrecht. Yes we are doing it all and more!

We promise that our committee will bring you a experience you wont forget because we are awesome.

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final SAY

by Kai Strohmeyer Which burdens didn't we take upon ourselves in all those sleepless, torturous nights!

Which horrific pictures didn't we make our eyes bear!

Crazy, mad, insane people, who acted far beyond any rationality in the midst of the night. Partially drenched in sweat. Melted make-up revealed dark circles around overtired eyes. Stubbles crawling out of their porosities looked threateningly scratchy.

Which disgusting odors didn’t we make our noses endure!

Nearly until the eternal fade-out of our olfaction, we lingered in smoky places, where condensed sweat mixed itself with hundreds, if not thousands of different scents of deodorant and perfume, all that playing with the smell of alcohol in oxygen-poor, muggy air.

What harm didn't we make our body and brain suffer, not only consuming alcohol, but a whole range of party drugs! Caught in a state of dizziness for many nights and days. Not to mention all the boisterous noises and the bad music that our ears had to stand.

Was the expectation to have fun, so did we suffer in reality? It did not cause us pleasure at all, but general fatigue and the recovery will still take long.

Often did we wonder for the sake of whom we did all of this.

It was not hedonistic ideas which were on our minds. Yet, the answer is simple, but still served as a never-ending motivation for us.

The only reason for all this was the imperturbable desire to conduct good research, for creating articles which fulfill the high journalistic standards we impose on ourselves. For quality did we party selflessly. For you, fellow students, for you, alumni, for you, staff of the USE, for you, other interested readers! We, the Editorial Committee, hope that you enjoyed this issue of The Ecunomist, and are already looking forward to see you around at the next parties, then of course as experts in this field!

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Jouw studievereniging wil het je zo voordelig en makkelijk mogelijk maken.

Dus hebben ze een boekenleverancier die daarbij past.

Jouw studievereniging werkt nauw samen met studystore.

En dat heeft zo z’n voordelen.

Doordat we snugger te werk gaan, kunnen we jouw complete boekenpakket snel aanbieden tegen een scherpe prijs.

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