vol. 5 #6 – 21 February 2012
The Sentinel Amsterdam
Integrity, heart, humour
FEATURE
CLOse encounters perspectives
smile lifestyles Opinion REVIEW Technology FILM TRENDS Sport Classifieds
Contents
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CONTENTS
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In this issue FEATURE
p. 04 perspectives P. 14 technology
Close Encounters of the Dutch Kind
‘Amsterdam can inspire some to publicly indulge their repressed desires’
trends
Smile
Cloud Central
‘Smiling is one of the best activities one could possibly practice’
‘Cloud Computing has already brought about a revolution in the workplace’
p.30 sport
Allah save the queen
p. 24
p. 34 more:
The Gold Room
Café/Bar Review ‘t Loosje
p. 18
SPOTTED p. 28 Where is this in Amsterdam?
‘The rise of the right-wing is, in itself, one of the most negative trends’
FILM REVIEW Room 2C
p. 29
book REVIEW Snow Crash
p. 29
CLASSIFIEDS
ColoPHon The Sentinel Amsterdam e-mail: sentinelpost@gmail.com website: www.thesentinel.eu The Sentinel Amsterdam does not intentionally include unaccredited photos/illustrations that are subject to copyright. If you consider your copyright to have been infringed, please contact us at sentinelpost@gmail.com.
Editors – Gary Rudland & Denson Pierre Design, realisation and form – Andrei Barburas & No-Office.nl Webmaster – www.sio-bytes.tumblr.com Webhost – Amsterjammin.com
Contributors: Allison Cohen, Valeria Scimia, David King, Dirkje Bakker-Pierre, Simon Owosu, Steve Austin
fEATURe
‘My first glimpses into the city give me an insight into Dutch culture more interesting than the clichéd tourist exploits’
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Close Encounters of the Dutch Kind: making sense of the locals By Allison Cohen
Often maligned as the ‘Disneyland for druggies’, many tourists flock to Amsterdam with the same destructive enthusiasm of an American hitting the bars the moment they reach the legal drinking age. While the hedonist joys and tolerant attitude of Amsterdam can inspire some to publicly indulge their repressed desires, my first glimpses into the city give me an insight into Dutch culture more interesting than the clichéd tourist exploits in sex and drug tourism. Freshly flown in from the Tuscan countryside, I scan the bustling corridor of Schiphol airport and train station and relish my first opportunity to gain an impression of Northern, non-Anglo Europe. After seven months in Italy, I appreciate that my blondness and inability to accessorise doesn’t instantly give me away as a foreigner. The modern, clean, well-lit aesthetic makes me feel like I’ve firmly returned to the 21st century. Realising that I still need to buy a ticket to Amsterdam Central, I notice lines of people forming behind yellow electronic ticket machines. But the machine doesn’t take cash and distastefully rejects my US debit card. I try again, diligently, deliberately not looking over my shoulder at the line behind me, as it splits off to the adjacent machines. I stand bemoaning my foreignness, while a string of tall, Dutch men breeze past me, their hair slicked back and
leather pointy shoes clicking as they move away. One of them points me to the ticket office. As the ticket agent hands me my ticket, she asks, “Do you know how to travel?” Excuse me, I think. What kind of question is that? I got here, didn’t I? “Yes,” I answer, confidently “which platform?” The agent rolls her eyes and scoffs, “I just asked you if you knew how to travel, and you said ‘Yes’! Platform 3.” On that note, I’m off. Making my way through the streets of Amsterdam, the anticipated sights and sensations are present: the many canals traversing the city, the distinct availability of sex, the overwhelming tourist presence and the scent of marijuana hanging in the air. Around the red light district, a man wanders red-eyed and giddy as he stoops down to pet a dog. Everything seems to be in place. With bikes passing by, I take note of the all bike multi-tasking going on. The ingenuity renders me equally impressed and disturbed: biking with adult or child passengers on the front or back; biking while toting large objects underarm; biking while smoking; biking while drinking beer; biking on a ‘bakfiets’; biking with no hands; biking while texting/phoning... The list goes on. I even witness a woman biking with a baby casually strapped to her chest, and two more children in rear seats! I would relish in the fallout if this were attempted in my hometown of Washington, DC. Unlike Americans, the cyclists don’t seem concerned about the safety hazards, even with young helmetless children in high-traffic areas.
fEATURe
‘The machine doesn’t take cash and distastefully rejects my US debit card’ It starts to rain and I wonder how it is that the Dutch rely so heavily on biking when the weather is so rainy, windy and generally unpleasant. How do the women keep their hair, make-up and clothes intact during a rainstorm? The slightest hint of rain elicits a sea of umbrellas in Italy. But as the cyclists pass by, they just endure it and get wet. On the corner, I find shelter in a FEBO, also known as ‘the wall’ among the Dutch, which has managed to cut out human interaction from the fast food process entirely. A hot vending machine vestibule separates the clientele from the anonymous employees, who restock little plastic drawers with krokets, hamburgers and frikandellen. The no-nonsense approach of FEBO strikes a chord in me, and it all starts to make sense. The defining thing about Dutch culture is practicality and personal responsibility, often at the expense of romance. Need to bike to a date, interview, or business meeting where a first impression is crucial, yet it’s pouring with rain? Wear a raincoat and hope for the best. Nearly a quarter of your country is below sea level? Build canals and windmills to pump out the water, and build an airport there while you’re at it. Expect a guy to hold open a door for you? Why would he, when you can do it yourself? And while you might think it discourteous, it’s nice to know that others think I’m capable of handling it myself.
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‘Biking with adult or child passengers on the front or back; biking while toting large objects underarm; biking while smoking’
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‘How do the women keep their hair, make-up and clothes intact during a rainstorm?’
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clASSiFiEDS SpORT
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clASSiFiEDS
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SM I LE
perspectives
‘It is the reason why people here act oddly when you smile at them’
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perspectives
‘People offering free hugs have shown up in many cities’
By Valeria Scimia
Everyone has seen happy, spontaneous Dutch people having great fun away from their home country. Think of the movies they have made, like Costa, that embrace their free-spirited, happy summertime experiences. Then, once back home, everything is immediately grey and flat again. It’s rare to see a Dutch person smiling and being outgoing without having had a little alcohol to drink beforehand.
more than those who live in cold, grey ones. This rings true here. In fact, when the sun does come out, everyone looks happier and shows as many teeth as possible.
Sadly, Amsterdam is not the only city where you generally see less smiley faces. Big cities promote rushing around and individuality, and people are too busy and worried most of the time to remember to smile or even accept a Smiling is one of the best activities one could possibly prac- smile. People offering free hugs have shown up in many tice. Often, I hear people complaining that in Amsterdam cities, trying to make everyone remember to take a break and have a good time, living in the moment. So why not people don’t smile at each other enough, or in the same simply smile more? way as when they’re abroad. In warm southern countries it’s quite normal to randomly smile at people, something Medical studies have also proven the beneficial effects that is considered weird and inappropriate here. If you smile randomly at someone, the person sitting in front of of smiling: not only does it improve one’s appearance by keeping face muscles active, it also tricks the brain into you on a tram, for example, you will generally get back a strange look that says, “What are you smiling at?” and the heightening emotions and believing something good is happening, thus relieving stress, improving our immune person would probably look away. I have even been told that if a girl smiles at a guy, he is allowed to think that she system and making us healthier. is interested in knowing him, in the biblical sense. This So, here’s some good advice for people living in Amsterastonishes me and makes me wonder if it is the reason why people here act oddly when you smile at them: they dam, and abroad: smile more, even when it’s rainy and may think that you want something from them. Quite the grey out there. Remember how you feel and behave while enjoying a great holiday. Don’t allow the weather to opposite is usually true; it’s the pure, random spreading determine your shininess. Also, don’t be scared of someone of happiness. you don’t know smiling at you; they probably don’t want anything and are just one of the ‘happy people’. It’s nice Maybe it is really because of the lack of sunshine here? to smile at a person whose eye catches yours. And if it can Many notice how the sun greatly contributes to people’s happiness levels and that people in warm countries smile improve your general happiness, why not give it a try?
‘It also tricks the brain into heightening emotions and believing something good is happening’
clASSiFiEDS
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clASSiFiEDS
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cafe/bar review
CafĂŠ/Bar Review
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cafe/bar review
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‘t Loosje ‘One of the few remaining classic Amsterdam cafés’
By Denson Pierre
‘ t Loosje Nieuwmarkt 32-34 1012 CS Amsterdam; Tel: 020-6272635
drinks they serve. It is indeed a café in which you would really love to work, if café work was your choice. Rating 5
Televised sport One of the few remaining classic Amsterdam cafés in the city centre (bordering the Red Light District), which has kept its full 20thcentury charm and reasonable pricing. It was also the scene of my first sampling of the now omnipresent La Chouffe Blonde in 2000 (it had just won the Public Prize at the World Beer Championships). It has become my all-time favourite beer and is still served here, along with many other high quality beers, lowland liqueurs and spirits, to an always engaged, engaging and happily mixed clientele. Ambiance
Although they offer a lunch service, this café is best relished in the evening, when the beer connoisseurs come out. It is always nicely busy, never raucous and is a prime date café, especially if your prospect claims a liking or knowledge of the best beers in the world. It is also the perfect example to international visitors of what Dutch speakers mean when they refer to something as being ‘gezellig’. Rating 5
Staff/regulars
This café is almost legendary, attracting numerous tourists and interesting students with mature attitudes, due to its supreme location. Other regulars are simply folk who like a good beer in nice company and come from a crosssection of the city population. Staff members are always friendly, pleasant and knowledgeable about the specialised
There is now a 32” flat-screen TV there but it really is not the type of bar at which you would want to spend time gawking at a screen. Full marks for effort in making it possible for those who request it and I am sure many do. Rating 5
Prices
Overall, the feeling is that of the last century, in a citycentre postcode zone that has otherwise totally lost its sense of value for money responsibility to the non-tourist with extortionate pricing levels. A fine glass of Affligem Dubbel at c 3.50 should put you in the picture. Rating 5
Music
Bar staff make the tune selections and play fittingly mid-tempo grooves. Excellent sound system and the music never overpowers. Rating 5
Smoking area provision
Yes, some folk still smoke in Amsterdam, so ‘t Loosje has a substantial, awning-covered terrace area overlooking the Nieuwmarkt, for puffers to enjoy their fix without gassing a bar full of non-smokers, there for the exotic drinks. Rating 5
Total rating: 30/30
(Ratings from 1-5, where 1= Very poor and 5= Excellent) A perfect score! This cafe is almost unique in setting out and consistently succeeding in doing what it wants in terms of its individual style, offering and taste.
cafe/bar review
‘The perfect example to international visitors of what Dutch speakers mean when they refer to something as being ‘gezellig’’
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cAFE/BAR REviEW
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‘Regulars are simply folk who like a good beer in nice company and come from a cross-section of the city population’
classifieds
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clASSiFiEDS
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technology
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‘Cloud Computing derived its name from the symbol commonly used in flowcharts to represent the internet’
CLOUD central TechBit: Sio-Bytes By Simon Owusu
A couple of issues back (volume 5, issue 4), we talked about the shifts happening in the post-pc era and how we are moving away from desktop computers to post-pc devices, like smartphones and tablets. In the previous issue (Volume 5, Issue 5), we talked about the rise of Ultra-books, making us more mobile with powerful machines providing sufficient processing capacity to perform very complex tasks on the go, whereas before, we would have been tied to a desktop computer. These shifts have been accelerated by Cloud Computing, the glue binding all these technology shifts together. Cloud Computing has already brought about a revolution in the workplace and it is now sparking a Personal Cloud Computing revolution in our homes. Wikipedia describes Cloud Computing as “a marketing term for technologies that provide computation, software, data access and storage services that do not require enduser knowledge of the physical location and configuration of the system that delivers the services”. In simple terms, it is a group of technologies used primarily over the internet to deliver an application, information or services from remote locations, consisting of centrally managed
computer servers (“the cloud”), all without users having to know what the technology is, how it works or where it is. Cloud Computing derived its name from the symbol commonly used in flowcharts to represent the internet or any large area network. It is used to describe a technology or group of technologies without detailing the underlying technical complexities. There are three important aspects to Cloud Computing that should be mentioned. They are Connectivity, Applications (or Services) and Storage. High-speed broadband allows us to move large amounts of information from our computing devices to computer servers in remote locations at blistering speeds. It is this speed in transferring information back and forth that makes the Cloud Computing concept viable in terms of connectivity. Then there are Applications or Services. Cloud Computing is about providing a service or an application to a remote user, as if the application were installed on their desktop computer or smartphone, when actually it is running in “the cloud”. The final aspect to the Cloud Computing concept is Storage. As services or applications run in “the cloud”, your information and the applications are both stored on remote servers. This amounts to a lot of data and, for Cloud Computing to work, the central servers need to be capable of hosting large amounts of data. This is accomplished by having large estates of computer servers with vast amounts of storage capacity, in locations the size of
technology
‘For Cloud Computing to work, the central servers need to be capable of hosting large amounts of data’ football fields, typically referred to as Server Farms. Many large technology companies, like Apple, Microsoft and Google, have server farms at multiple locations across the globe, for back-up and redundancy, filled with thousands upon thousands of servers. Technology is at its best when you can use it without having to understand the complexities of the underlying components. You use it without even realising that you are using it. When the great complexity of hardware infrastructure, networking topologies and redundant arrays of storage are all hidden away, you can have the magical and mystical experience of accomplishing the task at hand without the need for advanced computing expertise. Cloud Computing has been around for years and you have probably been using it without realising. If you have ever used a service like Hotmail, Gmail or any web-based e-mail service, you would have had your hand in Cloud Computing.
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Before Cloud Computing, your e-mail client, the program you used to access your e-mails, was an application installed on your local computer. Your e-mail messages were downloaded through the client and on to your computer, taking up storage space. You created, read and sent your messages with the client. With services like Hotmail, which uses the Cloud Computing model, all this has changed. The e-mail client has been replaced by a web browser, connected to an e-mail application hosted in the cloud, and it is from here that you create, read and send your e-mail messages. The e-mail messages are now stored in server farms and no longer take up valuable storage space on your local computer. These web-based e-mail services were probably the earliest forms of Cloud Computing to become part of the personal computing experience. However, they are only the beginning of the Personal Cloud Computing revolution, into which I will delve further in my next instalment.
‘Cloud Computing has been around for years and you have probably been using it without realising’
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SPOTTED
Where is this in Amsterdam? By David King
Answer to: sentinelpost@gmail.com
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Film review
Room 2c film By David King
Rope (1948) James Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock have worked together many times but this little pearl of a film is my favourite of their collaborations. Two young men decide to show off their ‘superior’ intellect and commit the perfect murder by strangling a friend and hiding his body in a chest. They then proceed to hold a dinner party with the victim’s friends and family all invited. There is tension all around as we await his arrival while suspicions deepen.
A book at lunchtime By Steve Austin
Snow Crash
Neal Stephenson, 1992 Allow me to introduce you to one of my very favourite writers, writing in the cyberpunk style about a far from ideal distant or near future. Snow Crash is Neal Stephenson’s third novel. Like many of Stephenson’s other novels, it covers history, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, religion, computer science, politics, cryptography, memetics, and philosophy. The great thing about this particular book is that it feels a bit like reading a Jules Verne novel from this era. The book has a lot of seemingly extremely futuristic (even science fiction-like) and unlikely stuff in it (especially if you read it in the 1990s, as I did), which has now become more like the probable near future. Nanotechnology plays a big role, as well as the virtual world. There are screens everywhere, digital paper and extreme forms of advertising that, unfortunately, I’m already starting to see in my own lifetime. You could say that, in essence, the story is about a voracious world-ending computer virus/pseudo-narcotic called ‘Snow Crash’. You could say it is about the Sumerian culture and language. You could say it is about a terminatorlike good guy, called Hiro Protagonist, whose business card reads ‘Last of the freelance hackers and Greatest swordfighter in the world’. Whatever you say, it’s an exciting read.
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‘Queen Beatrix, who simply isn’t busy with these parties, ignores them, but also slightly rebels against them’
Allah Save The Queen By Dirkje Bakker-Pierre
A positive trend that I’ve noticed in the last few weeks is the subtle but sure chess-type moves our queen has been making against the rise of right-wing politics in our wet and small country. The rise of the right-wing is, in itself, one of the most negative trends I have lived through in my short lifetime of thirty-six years and a bit. Through some kind of evil, magical force, it seems, the wannabe fascists have taken the media hostage, along with the political landscape of this flat, partly artificial piece of Europe. Not a day goes by without newspapers reporting on the latest outrageous comments made by such parties, thereby maintaining focus on them across media. With only 10% of the vote but 90% of the media attention, it feels as if they are the largest party instead of just a splinter group, although 10% is still 10% too many! All of the other parties, in the meantime, only seem to be busy with: a) Reacting to the statements or political goals of the ultra-right; b) Subtly shifting their own political goals a little more to the right, because they think that is where the votes are; and c) Making decisions out of fear of being criticised in the media by said parties. In this way, the right-wing parties have bullied their way into a posi-
tion that gives them much, much more say than any party with just 10% of the vote has ever before had. In this climate, when everyone else is keeping quiet, a surprising and subtle statement emerges from Queen Beatrix, who simply isn’t busy with these parties, ignores them, but also slightly rebels against them. As this right-wing group claims to be the most republican, she fights back by making up her own mind and defies being claimed as part of this movement. In her Christmas speech, she struck them by asking us, the people, to look into a more durable and environmental way of life and to care for the planet, pointing out her understanding that the planet does not have limitless resources. This annoyed the right-wingers, since ‘their’ queen was now in bed with the greens, in their eyes; 1-0. On visiting some mosques while on a recent state visit to Abu Dhabi, she covered her head, as is the tradition; rightwingers were again ‘insulted’, since they hate Muslims and their religion; 2-0. The queen then became personal, as well as political, and made an official statement calling the torrents of comments by right-wingers “Pure nonsense,” and not wasting another word on them; 3-0. A great trend and example for Dutch politics.
classifieds
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Get advice on housing, rental contracts and apartments in Amsterdam www.wswonen.nl/english
www.yourtuliptour.com
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your objective, our resolution.
www.concultancymarketmedia.com
sport
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The Gold Room By Denson Pierre
Peak season is a good time to peek at the top performers, as far as we in the FFG-CL are concerned. Time to draw up the shortlist of players being considered for Player of the Season 2011-2012. The usual factors of points scored and impressions made, both professionally and aesthetically, are placed high up in the criteria but, ultimately, the element of sheer brilliance is the deciding factor. Insufficient time remains for this season to redeem its lack of quality and be considered among the best but, despite this, the following players have stood out and would have done so in more memorable seasons. Teams have been generally poorer this time round and the athletic levels in the Premier League and skill levels in the Champions League mean that no team can reign over others with just the odd star player onboard. Michel Vorm (Swansea City) – Has redefined the spectacular between the sticks. As a relatively short keeper (183 cm), his acrobatic shot-stopping from dead-ball situations and open play has been regularly breathtaking. Yaya Toure (Manchester City) – The measure of his influence in driving and solidifying the Premier League title contenders’ efforts meant that once he departed for the African Cup of Nations, the City team suddenly appeared markedly frailer.
David Silva (Manchester City) – If the first third of the season was all we were to judge this on then he would already be crowned Player of the Season. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) – Effortlessly brilliant. Ramires (Chelsea) – An outstanding athlete who has come into his own and is now showing truly ‘Brazilian’ qualities, while adding heavier scoring to his game. Juan Mata (Chelsea) – As impressive a debut season as could have been expected of a player trying to get a mammoth club playing snappier football once again. Clint Dempsey (Fulham) – Has transferred that ‘American winning mentality’ into his game play and it remains bizarre that a club of greater pretensions has not scooped him up, given his proven and continued high levels of effectiveness. Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur) – Managed to keep his team ticking over impressively whenever he was allowed the opportunity to orchestrate sensible, almost total football. Robin van Persie (Arsenal) – Still among the top scorers and looking very good whenever he is involved in the play. The PotS winner will be announced in the following issue, so get your bets in now.
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Ramires - Chelsea
Š pieter bakker
clASSiFiEDS
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CZECH REPUBLIC STUNNINGLY DIFFERENT !
www.czechtourism.com