vol. 6 #10 – 30 April 2013
The Sentinel Amsterdam
Integrity, heart, humour
1
feature
travel
empire of the sun
whistler
2
in this issue
perspectives - p.16
amsterdam city life - p. 69
Empire of the sun
Dam in 60 mins: Haarlem
Bring back
‘Queen Beatrix came and there was so much symbolism’
‘Predominantly visually defined by its old buildings’
‘Van Gogh is the pinnacle of Dutch painting’
trends - p. 76
health & well-being - p. 78
sport - p. 88
The politics of royals
Turquoise
The Gold Room
‘Our entire tiny country seems to have travelled back in time‘
‘A very specifically coloured and very well known gemstone’
3
feature - p.04
more travel - p. 38
café/bar review - p. 56
advertorial - p. 64
Whistler
Café Parck
Save Sandy
star beer guide - p. 70
sentinel recommended - p. 72
spotted - p. 74
Jopen
Where is this in Amsterdam
film review - p. 75
technology - p. 80
sport - p. 84
Room2c
User Interface
On the Volley
The Sentinel Amsterdam
E-mail: sentinelpost@gmail.com Website: www.thesentinel.eu Contributors: Sam van Dam, Ananda Welij, Sandy Duijsens, Andrei Barburas, Dirkje Bakker-Pierre, Evelina Kvartunaite and Simon Joseph
Editors: Gary Rudland & Denson Pierre Design, realisation and form: Andrei Barburas & No-Office.nl Webmaster: www.sio-bytes.tumblr.com Webhost: Amsterjammin.com
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.
4
feature
Mary Magdalene – Jan van Scorel (1535)
feature
‘It was hard to believe that it had been more than ten years’
By Denson Pierre
On Saturday 13 April Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum (Empire Museum) officially re-opened to the public. It was hard to believe that it had been more than ten years since this centrally located masterpiece of grand architecture closed its doors, along with the highlight of any cycle trip around Amsterdam (the decorative and acoustically exciting arcade). Queen Beatrix came and there was so much symbolism involved with this particular royal opening, given the imminent changes at Casa Orange-Nassau, but even the queen was upstaged by nature itself.
5
Empire of the sun
6
feature
The Milkmaid – Johannes Vermeer (1685-1690)
feature
‘One of the leading museums in the world was about to re-open’
Articles in The Sentinel have chorused laments about the length and severity of the winter of 2012-2013 but, as if on cue, just as one of the leading museums in the world was about to re-open with fanfare and outdoor performances, the sun burned through the weepy, grey clouds to lift the temperature substantially, along with local spirits for the first time in 2013.
Back to the Rijksmuseum; I use the term Empire in the title because if it really wanted to be called the National(e) Museum, it could also have ceremoniously changed its name. The Dutch language, in its purest form, allows this. Names are governed by etymology and the provenance of historical objects. The Netherlands had been a colonial and crown conquest nation from very early on (as the contents of many exhibits shows). One way of looking at the material preserved so well and displayed so expertly is that too much of it was acquired by means that, today, would be considered criminal, akin to looting or confidence trickery. This is not to say that The Sentinel is in any way against museology but it is worth noting that the more ancient Japanese (the Dutch were the first occidental explorers to make meaningful contact with
The Rijksmuseum’s centrepiece remains the most masterful of masterfully technical works by Rembrandt van Rijn: The Night Watch, along with others of his works. ‘Experts’ have speculated all sorts of theories as to why this long-dead amazing painter still fascinates and challenge us to explain why he was technically so extraordinary. Neurobiologists have postulated stereo blindness to explain stories that he could draw perfectly straight lines freehand. What is sure, though, is that some of the great works by Rembrandt will take you some time to fully consider the natural skill that must have been needed to produce them. In considering this and everything else about the Rijksmuseum, I would just like to say something about admission. In such a wealthy country of such a high-rate tax regime, where we subsidise our national treasures so heavily anyway, why is admission not free (as it was on Saturday)? Now, with the refurbished museum open and having such rave reviews it may seem like a silly question, but I contend that if the authorities really wanted Dutch historical culture to be truly and easily accessible then a €15 entrance fee for a curious adult seems scandalous within this context. I mean, what makes the UK, for instance, so economically and culturally rich that it can offer free entry for all to its own National Museum? As always with the Rijksmuseum, I am pretty sure I will make it there at least another four times over the next ten years, as there is just so much to see and study. Today, as I write, the sun shines brightly on the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
7
When the light is switched on in the sky above Amsterdam the city shows its schizophrenic nature. Like some sort of East African savannah scene, Dutch and international residents herd to terraces, beaches and free public events/spaces in tremendous numbers. The grazing behaviour this year even included sportsoriented bars enjoying record takings, as the sudden change of weather into warmth and vital life coincided with another monolithic Amsterdam and national institution: Athletic Football Club Ajax versus Philips Sport (Vereniging) Association in a crucial clash. The game took place in Eindhoven on the day after the queen visited and filled the airwaves with screams, roars and jubilation much more of an everyman’s nature. Ajax won and until late at night the snack bars were doing great business from the alcohol saturated, sunshiny, spring revellers making their way back home, maybe dreaming that such culturally explosive weekends should happen much more often.
this extreme edge of the orient) were said to have come up with a saying about their newly understood trading partners: “Where a Dutchman has been, not even grass grows anymore”.
8
feature
The Nightwatch – Rembrandt van Rijn (1642)
feature
9
‘The Rijksmuseum’s centrepiece remains the most masterful of masterfully technical works by Rembrandt’
10
feature
Cuypers Library – (Restored)
feature
11
‘He could draw perfectly straight lines freehand’
12
feature
Japanese temple guards (circa. 1300-1400) photo: erik smits
feature
13
‘A €15 entrance fee for a curious adult seems scandalous within this context’
classifieds
Get advice on housing, rental contracts and apartments in Amsterdam
14
www.wswonen.nl/english
we are looking for: - Account Manager Market Media - (Internship) International Marketing Executive www.consultancymarketmedia.com
classifieds
Artist? Thinker? Here are some of our local partners.
15
demerkplaats.nl Enter (click) to learn why they work with us.
perspectives
Dam in 60 minutes! 16
Haarlem
By Sam van Dam
perspectives
‘A much bigger bounty was looming on the horizon’
This time I am taking you on a trip to one of Amsterdam’s neighbouring cities and I apologise in advance for this particular journey being slightly further away than 60 minutes by bike, unless you happen to be a sport cyclist. Haarlem is certainly worth every extra minute spent in the saddle.
After biking in a straight line for what seemed like hours, I hit the outskirts of Haarlem and was immediately mesmerised by the attractive skyline, dominated by various church towers and the massive circular roof of the old penitentiary. Like Amsterdam, Haarlem is predominantly visually defined by its old buildings and has a very relaxed vibe of ancient structures mixed with modern elements. Unlike Amsterdam, however, it has a huge square in the city centre where the locals meet up for coffee and a chat when the sun comes out. This creates a very lively atmosphere that is simultaneously idyllic and peaceful. As soon as I sat down in a comfy chair with a hot beverage I had a strong urge to make new friends and start a new life here. Within minutes I had fallen in love with Haarlem and could not stop gaping at the historical buildings, the charming people and the beauty surrounding them. Don’t get me wrong, I am a dedicated Amsterdammer and I never thought I could live anywhere else but, suddenly, it started to make sense that the whole world is doing the Harlem shake!
I forced myself to walk away from the scene, desperately trying to find an ugly part of town that would put things back into some kind of perspective and allow me to return to Amsterdam with a sense of relief and a restored belief that I am actually living in the best city in the world. But it didn’t work; Haarlem seems to be an irresistibly pretty place. I took a ride around town, soaking up as much of the lovely atmosphere as possible, counting the churches and watching the locals enjoying themselves sitting by the water or in one of the many cafés. With every minute that passed, the gnawing feeling that I might have finally found a city that could entice me away from Amsterdam and be a new home grew stronger, to the point of being overwhelming. I forced my bike towards the city limits and slowly pedalled in the general direction of the Dam while a lonely tear ran down my cheek and my mind screamed at me, “What are you doing? Turn around!” I ignored the voice in my head and made it safely to the highway where I followed the cycle path to Amsterdam, all the while considering the advantages of living in a city that is only a few kilometres away from the coast, allowing me to bike to the beaches of Bloemendaal or Zandvoort in no time at all. Very tempting. Sorry, Amsterdam, but I think I’m in love!
17
Leaving Amsterdam via Westerpark, a rather uneventful leg (apart from the regular jumps into a ditch to avoid colliding head-on with the gazillions of bike-racers), takes you past the villages of Zwanenburg and Halfweg, which I largely ignored. A much bigger bounty was looming on the horizon; a place I’d only visited twice before, and only briefly, but which I could not get out of my head: Haarlem, the place after which the famous borough of New York is named.
I couldn’t help but smile at the locals and, being the friendly folk they are, they smiled back at me, almost as if they could read my mind and were welcoming me to their lovely city. All the while the sun happily illuminated the scene as if it was part of a general plan to make the experience as pleasant as possible for any visitor. As I sat there in the city centre with a grin on my face and a Latte Macchiato, the local name for a koffie verkeerd, in my hand, I began to mentally apologise to my hometown for having thoughts like “I could live here, this is really nice!”
18
perspectives
perspectives
‘Haarlem, the place after which the famous borough of New York is named’
19
20
perspectives
perspectives
21
perspectives
22
‘A very lively atmosphere that is simultaneously idyllic and peaceful’
perspectives
23
24
perspectives
perspectives
‘It started to make sense that the whole world is doing the Harlem shake!’
25
perspectives
26
‘Plan to make the experience as pleasant as possible for any visitor’
perspectives
27
28
perspectives
perspectives
‘I might have finally found a city that could entice me away from Amsterdam’
29
30
perspectives
perspectives
31
perspectives feature
32
‘Bike to the beaches of Bloemendaal or Zandvoort in no time at all’
perspectives feature
33
34
perspectives
perspectives
35
36
classifieds
classifieds
37
38
travel
Canada: Whistler means powder ‘From Vancouver it’s only a 2.5-hour bus journey to Whistler’
travel
39
By Ananda van Welij
There are certain resorts that you hear about and always wonder what it would be like to go there. One of these places is Whistler and it’s my next destination. To say I’m excited and curious to see this place for myself is an understatement.
40
travel
travel
‘I am greeted by a cosy fire, an incredibly big bed and a lovely welcome note from the hotel’
From Vancouver it’s only a 2.5-hour bus journey to Whistler. Normally I’m not too keen on buses but I heard that Pacific Coach Lines offers an amazing opportunity to enjoy your drive up into the mountains. Unfortunately it’s a rainy, grey day when I get on the bus. But rain in the city means snow up in the mountains, right? Yes, as I step off the bus I’m greeted by big, white snowflakes. Wet and covered in snow, I check in at the Delta Whistler Village Suites and when I walk through the door to my apartment suite I feel right at home. I am greeted by a cosy fire, an incredibly big bed and a lovely welcome note from the hotel. I quickly change into dry clothes and settle in.
When I wake up the next morning, my excitement is washed away just as quickly as when you knock over your glass of wine. It’s pouring and I really mean pouring with rain! The reason: the so called ‘Pineapple express’: a warm wind from Hawaii that makes its way over once a season. When I checked the weather forecast the previous day I was afraid this would happen, as the freezing level had been rising like crazy, but I tried to remain positive; even when the boss of Extremely Canadian called to let me know that it would not be possible to go backcountry touring. The snowflakes were big last night, but also really heavy. Heavy means wet and wet means not good for the stability of the snowpack. As a result, the avalanche danger has shot up to four; too dangerous. I guess the weather won. Although I was excited to ski, I don’t really mind the down day. I’ve been skiing so much over the last few weeks that my body is sore, my skis need to be waxed and my clothes washed. Luckily I have everything I need to turn my day into a cosy and relaxing one
The higher we get, the bigger the snowflakes become and as soon as we get off, I can’t help but smile. I’m completely covered up and no one can see my smile but the excitement hangs in the air. As we start our first descent, I feel the snow change and become heavier under my feet the lower we go. It’s obvious Steve knows his way around when we ski into the trees and have to keep close to a high wall of rocks. The ledge I’m skiing on is becoming narrower and narrower until not even both of my skis fit next to each other. After climbing a bit more we finally get to the spot Steve was heading for and we dive into our run. Challenging conditions greet us, due to the heavy snow, but thanks to the tips from Steve, I’m finding my way down. At the end of the day I’m tired, my legs won’t listen to me anymore and I become frustrated with my skiing. Time for a hot tub session. Later, while skiing, I meet up with my friend Jamie who lives in Whistler. As we are talking, I can’t help but think again of how lucky I am to be travelling like this, meeting up with friends all over the world and learning so much. It’s not always easy going from one place to the next every few days and sometimes, out of the blue, I can really start to miss my friends and family. I might sound like a spoiled kid right now but I don’t mean to. Sunday morning arrives and it’s already my last morning in Whistler. The skies have cleared and the higher alpine part of the resort has been re-opened after the ski patrol bombed the runs to kick off any possible avalanche. Thanks to skiing with the Extremely Canadian crew, we can take the ski-class line and actually manage a few real powder runs before I have to race back to the hotel, grab my bags and jump on the bus back to Vancouver. I have a big smile on my face, like a kid leaving Disneyland after a super, fun weekend.
41
Time to explore! I can’t wait to have a look around town. Whistler’s centre is car-free and with darkness setting in, all the lights across town come to life. As I’m on my way to the supermarket, wandering around in those big, slowly falling snowflakes, I can’t help but feel like I’m in the winter version of Disneyland. I can’t wait to go skiing here, especially since I will get to go backcountry touring with Extremely Canadian Clinics. What better way to get to know a resort than with local guides?
thanks to a washer and dryer in my apartment suite, the hotel hot tubs, pools and equipment shop. When I wake on Sunday morning it’s still raining but not as much as before. As I’ve switched to a steep skiing clinic instead of the backcountry one, I’m meeting up with my guide/teacher, Steve, from Extremely Canadian and we make our way to the top of Whistler Mountain. As you can see by the name of the resort, Whistler-Blackcomb actually consists of two mountains which vary in steepness and offer different things to different types of skiers.
42
travel
travel
43
44
travel
travel
‘Heavy means wet and wet means not good for the stability of the snowpack’
45
46
travel
travel
47
48
travel
travel
‘I’ve been skiing so much over the last few weeks that my body is sore’
49
50
travel
travel
51
‘The ledge I’m skiing on is becoming narrower and narrower until not even both of my skis fit’
travel
52
‘Sometimes, out of the blue, I can really start to miss my friends and family’
travel
53
classifieds
54
www.yourtuliptour.com
For complete and world class tours of Prague Packages include: • Hidden and playful Prague (for families with young children) • Literary Prague • Prague Architecture through the ages • Religion and the city • The old city at night *These are detailed tours designed for visitors who wish to explore with great detail and not suitable for simply sight-seeing tourists.
Day segments and rates: PR: 08:00-12:30hrs / AG: 13:30-16:30hrs / UE: 17:30-21:30hrs All sessions are priced at u 25 per single adult. Group size upper limit = 8. Accompanied children under the age of five are gratis and school aged children pay 25%. Family package rates are negotiable.
Contact:
Jaroslav Cernosek +420 602 228 797 Mail: jcernosek@centrum.cz
JC Tours
classifieds
55
cafe/bar review
56
Café/Bar Review Café Parck
cafe/bar review
‘A highly recommendable address for some of the good things associated with pleasurable hospitality in Amsterdam’
By Denson Pierre
Prices For alcoholic drinks, Parck will not set you back any more than any other reasonably priced, A-class bar in this part of the city. Where Parck excels and, in my Amsterdam West continues to chic-, gastroopinion, outshines many of the scores of known café/ and fun-up. Café Parck, which took over the bars that also provide food in Amsterdam is that as space once occupied by the seafaringfar as truly excellent bar food goes, I have not seen or tasted better. All this at prices which, for Amsterdam, themed café-bar, De Clipper, has become a can be considered cheap, these days. Parck has bit of a hit and a highly recommendable simplified the originally simple. It serves high-quality address for some of the good things eats but makes it very clear that it does ‘bar food’ and is associated with pleasurable hospitality in not a restaurant. In so doing it avoids the incongruous position, prevalent across Amsterdam, of every café Amsterdam. They do it in an authentic and owner with a licence to offer eats to the public trying stylish manner. to squeeze in, mainly through ridiculous pricing, that they are in fact restaurants and not simply bars that Ambiance serve food. At Parck, on the other hand, I had the most Comfortable and light at the very beginning of a session juicy and delicious bar meal ever. Pioneers of the Twin with a strong red prominent in signature designs, Burger concept, its Portobello Twin saw me returning which, of course, also has a therapeutic effect leading the next day to double-check if it really was that good to a sense of excitement from just being there. They at €9.00. It is. Rating 5++ deliver further on this front. Rating 5 Café Parck Overtoom 428, Amsterdam
Televised sport The importance of this revenue stream has not been lost here and it is an Ajax and Champions League meeting point on those match days. Rating 4
Music Parck regularly transforms itself into a bit of a party bar and has a fine high-fidelity sound system. The staff plays cool music during dining periods and other times before that crescendo. Rating 5 Smoking area provision Parck is a grand, modern, fresh, concept café, handily situated on the corner of a charming residential street and the wide Overtoom. Great for people-watching, so puffers can use the terrace area and take little strolls outside, while they indulge that particular habit. Rating 4 Total rating: 28/30 (Rating from 1-5, where 1 = Very poor and 5 = Excellent)
57
Staff/Regulars It is such a relief to meet refreshing, warm proprietors and their well-trained, enthusiastic staff in this city. It makes you want to spend your hard-earned money. The staff members here are engaging, professional and, well, fun. Regulars include a fair count of the attractive (M/F) set from the neighbourhood and the rest range from international residents to office and workplace groups, who tend to land here to ‘borrel’ after a day’s or week’s work. Rating 5
cafe/bar review
58
‘It is such a relief to meet refreshing, warm proprietors and their well-trained, enthusiastic staff’
cafe/bar review
59
cafe/bar review
60
‘As far as truly excellent bar food goes, I have not seen or tasted better’
cafe/bar review
61
classifieds
62
Je moet er geweest zijn.
classifieds
Authentic and full of surprises. That’s Mechelen. Hospitable and honourable. That’s the people of Mechelen. Come and experience the city’s urban charms for yourself.
Authentic and full of surprises. That’s Mechelen. Hospitable and honourable. That’s the people of Mechelen. Come and experience the city’s urban charms for yourself.
photography © Milo Profi
63
Mechelen Mechelen
advertorial
Save Sandy 64
– ‘Like so many others across the job market, I wonder’ –
By Sandy Duijsens
Oh my Lord, I found out a few weeks ago that my contract will not be extended. I am slightly panicked. Like so many others across the job market, I wonder what will happen next; which road lies ahead. This wasn’t part of the plan! Luckily, I started my own business last autumn: Sandy Saves The Day – Professional Organiser. I’ve decided to focus on this and I am on the search for clients. The Sentinel has been kind enough to allow me the opportunity to introduce myself to you all, so here I am! Sandy Saves The Day! Only now Sandy Needs To Be Saved! Just kidding, but if you like the following text and feel you need to be saved then maybe we can save each other. Companies and individuals hire me in for project management or to have their place of business organised. The projects can be big or small; some of my clients just need someone to help them get started on an organised administration/office, others need my consultancy to professionalise their office/ time management, and others still really need to be saved. They’re lost in their own (administrative) mess
and can’t see a way out. I come along, fix stuff and help them work more efficiently from that moment onwards. I create order out of chaos and help you gain an overview aimed at improving your business. Some companies with back office activity issues and efficiency problems consult me to texture. Other companies have no support staff (yet), but need administrative or organisation support due to growth of their business. I work on these things so they can focus on core business. I create a flowing and workable system, which they can use themselves or delegate to their new staff, should they decide to hire any. Organisations that wish to improve their efficiency, due to shrinkage or to achieve cost savings, consult me to take a critical look at the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing organisational processes and to make changes. I define the problems and bring a fresh perspective; all on a pro-rata basis. If you have read this and find yourself thinking “Hey, that’s exactly what I need!”, then please feel free to visit my website www.sandysavestheday.com for more information and to contact me. The site is in Dutch, but I’m happy to explain it to you by phone or maybe over a cup of coffee.
advertorial
– ‘I create order out of chaos and help you gain an overview’ –
65
advertorial
66
– ‘Take a critical look at the efficiency and effectiveness of the existing organisational processes’ –
advertorial
67
– ‘I’m happy to explain it to you by phone or maybe over a cup of coffee’ –
68
classifieds
amsterdam city life
: K C A B G BRIN VINCENT
Back in 1995, when my life here felt like a perpetual set of movements through the city, interrupted by visits to bars, museums, exhibitions and concerts, one thing stood out on the simplest of levels: Amsterdam was kept spotlessly clean. Over the years I had noticed a great number of more elderly people (usually women) regularly scrubbing the pavement and cobblestones in front of their homes with shopkeepers and artisans doing the same in front of their shops and studios. It was loosely explained to me that these were just good old habits washed down within a little Calvinistic tradition. During the 1990s I frequented a bar on what is said to be Amsterdam’s oldest street. Joining me in defining dipsomania was an Irishman from Connemara with whom I shared a creative naming ability, aligned with good humour. It took us a mere few days to realise that there was a certain impressive frequency and unfailing punctuality to the appearance of a street-sweeping and -washing machine, which would pass by the bar’s narrow street. As a form of respect to our then cleanly Dutch hosts we decided to name the machine that had quickly become familiar to us. My friend PJ christened the machine Vincent, given that we were never short of
69
By Denson Pierre
chats with tourists who had visited the museum of the great man himself. Over the past couple of years in Amsterdam it has become increasingly evident that, due to the cutbacks in municipal budgets, the sanitation service has taken a big hit in terms of man or machine power. I have never seen Amsterdam streets and canals so regularly soiled by long-standing litter and flotsam as I do nowadays. The snowy winter helped to conceal the mess but it really is a concern now that we are into the plustemperature months. I do not expect the little old ladies smiling at me as I walked or cycled past them in 1995 to have the same energy for pavement washing today, but when did you last even see one of those teams of bramble-broom sweepers clearing up after miscreants who refuse to use the thousands of highly visible bins provided? A recession exposes a great deal but, just as Van Gogh is the pinnacle of Dutch painting, The Sentinel says bring back Vincent and more of his kind to keep this beautiful city free of the stain that is litter.
70
star beer guide
star beer guide
The Sentinel Star beer guide By Denson Pierre
JOPEN
(6.8 % A.B.V.)
‘This is one of the best Dutch real beers presently out there’ 71
It is not every day that you get the chance to drink a beer made to an early 16th-century recipe. A brotherhood of Haarlem-based beer lovers and brewers revived this beer for their own pleasure, only to realise they had an international hit on their hands. With ‘real beer’ what you get is an intense taste sensation that signals the agreeable feeling of alcohol being transfused into your bloodstream. Jopen tastes like a mature bitter but one smoothed by flowery elements. This means that after the first sip to acquire the taste, those that follow can be experienced as soft and mildly sweet. With its manly alcohol content, a session ought not to go beyond three glasses. This is one of the best Dutch real beers presently out there and a perfect addition to an ideal beer tasting tour; the best way to take top-quality brews.
Most delicious when drawn from the tap and now growing in popularity across Amsterdam, as it is also available in bottles at quality off licences. Jopen is brewed by Jopenkerk, Haarlem, Netherlands.
recommended
72
Cafe Oporto 10/04/13
We find the best, most fun, most typical, exciting, or local favourite restaurants etcetera in Amsterdam and bring them to you; an easy way to feel like a local.
g 9 3812 SZ Amersfoort
recommended
35 75 - Fax 033 - 454 35 79Connoisseurs Delight filmproef@eurogifts.nl te: www.eurogifts.nl
Fun, Drinking & Music
ORDERNUMMER: 6 ARTIKELNUMMER: 6
Mulligans Irish Music Bar Amsterdam’s best address for live Irish music: Five (5) nights a week! Check our agenda for upcoming sessions.
Kinkerstraat 228 Amsterdam www.operaprima.nl
Amstel 100 1017 AC Amsterdam www.mulligans.nl
To Be Seen and Tasted
Connoisseurs Delight
To Be Seen and Tasted
Cafe restaurant Edel Cafe restaurant Edel is the perfect place for lunch, dinner or to simply enjoy a drink. Edel is a unique place in Amsterdam.
Café Kostverloren Café Kostverloren is a contemporary cafe offering the cosiness of a saloon, an open kitchen and the intimacy of a living room. During summer there is a large, sunny terrace and during winter, an open fireplace!
Postjesweg 1 1057 DT Amsterdam www.edelamsterdam.nl
Incanto Incanto is a restaurant with a classic Italian kitchen. Venetian chef Simone Ambrosin is known for his pure and simple style of cooking with feeling for nuance. The wine list contains over 150 Italian wines. Amstel 2 Amsterdam www.restaurant-incanto.nl
Fun, Drinking & Music
Connoisseurs Delight
Neighbourhood cosy
Café Oporto Café Oporto is a traditional Amsterdam ‘brown cafe’. Welcoming tourists and regular customers alike, they offer televised sports, wireless internet connection and a wide range of reasonably priced beers and spirits.
Planet Rose Planet Rose is the first Caribbean restaurant in the Netherlands, which specializes in Jamaican cuisine. The menu features a daily changing selection of Jamaican/ Caribbean dishes and they ensure that you enjoy the whole experience while dining with them!
Zest Zest is fine food, warm atmosphere and classy drinks with regular semi-acoustic (live) music and DJs (Thursday to Sunday). Amsterdam’s newest and freshest!
Zoutsteeg 1 1012 LX Amsterdam www.cafeoporto.net/home
Nicolaas Beetsstraat 47 Amsterdam www.planetrose.info
Bilderdijkstraat 188 Amsterdam www.facebook.com/clubzest.nl
ENDED RECOMM
2e Kostverlorenkade 70 Amsterdam www.cafekostverloren.nl
73
Opera Prima Patisserie Bistro Traiteur The best place in town for lunch, exquisite high teas or brunches and all of your luxury catering, both private and corporate!
spotted
Where is this in Amsterdam?
74
Answer to: sentinelpost@gmail.com
room2c
Room 2c film Marnie (1964)
By David King
Sean Connery in a Hitchcock movie? It’s true and he shows how well he can act in this classic. After catching his beautiful secretary stealing from his company he manages to force her hand in marriage. Only then does he realise the true psychological mess she is in and the childhood memories she must face up to. A haunting and memorable film from the master. 75
Batman Begins (2005) You know the story and after a puerile series of films from the franchise of the previous generation, something had to give. Christopher Nolan directs Christian Bale in a superbly refreshed take on the capers of the high-flying billionaire with heavy psychological baggage and the coolest gadgets and rides ever brought to the big screen. This movie excites even those with no feeling for super-action-heroes.
By dpmotions
76
trends
trends
The politics of Royals ‘66% of Lowlanders have complete trust in the royal family as an institution’
By the time you read this we Dutchies will have a spanking new King and Queen. Our entire tiny country seems to have travelled back in time over the past few weeks, preparing for this huge event by engaging in old-fashioned songs and activities. Dressed in faded shades of orange we eat soft, wet cake hanging from a string while blindfolded, stick our heads in buckets of water trying to catch sweets and jump into sacks left over from Sinterklaas to race each other or, more often, fall over. All of this is accompanied by people dressed up in authentic, historic costumes; groups of men, women and children performing well-practiced folk dances; and toddlers singing songs about colonial adventures of old, involving oranges and big ships. The word orange comes up a lot and somehow, somewhere in this little universe that is created on 30 April, the Netherlands becomes a completely different place, compared with the rest of the year. A place where everyone is smiling, people are drinking and dancing in the streets, and
77
By Dirkje Bakker-Pierre
there are no rules. Everyone joins in, young and old, as we all suddenly feel that being Dutch is not such a bad thing after all. I have no anthropological or sociological expertise to help me explain this phenomenon, in which nostalgia becomes a kind of positive mass hysteria. Maybe it is the colour orange which, according to the good old “hare hare” singers, is a very happy colour; maybe it is the very cheap stuff you can buy at the ethereal flea market (because we like it immensely when things are inexpensive); maybe it is the feeling of being part of something; maybe it is the alcohol that flows in volume… All I know is that recent research shows that 66% of Lowlanders have complete trust in the royal family as an institution, while only 12% have trust in Dutch politics. So, it might just be a good idea for The Hague to consider an orange dress code.
health & well-being
– ‘It did not become important in Europe until around the 1300s’
–
78
Turquoise By Evelina Kvartunaite
This time around my attention has been caught by a very specifically coloured and very well known gemstone that has been appreciated for aeons: turquoise. Historically, it is interesting that the gemstone was one of the first to be introduced into Europe, via Turkey (along with other Silk Road novelties). It did not become important in Europe until around the 1300s, however. Up to then, it had mainly been prized in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia, and was mostly used in mosaics for its decorative colour, along with other stones and metals. It is important to note that many cultures consider turquoise to be a powerful protection talisman and a guarantee of good fortune and wealth. In ancient times it was believed to strengthen the connection with the spirit world and was, therefore, widely used in funeral
art and decorations. It also symbolises friendship and peace at home, and is said to reflect the qualities of its wearer. This is an important gem that deserves attention. When it comes to physical effects, it is believed to help in alleviating rheumatism, stomach problems and viral infections. When placed on the solar plexus it can help to relax cramps and has strong anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects. Care should be taken, however, as this stone is rather fragile and needs special attention when being worn. It can also be treated for colour and durability, as it fades over time and wouldn‘t hold up to normal jewellery use.
health & well-being
– ‘Many cultures consider turquoise to be a powerful protection talisman and a guarantee of good fortune and wealth’
–
79
– ‘This stone is rather fragile and needs special attention when being worn’
–
technology
User Interface 80
WTF: What The Facebook?!
‘You could and can stalk your friends on the infamous Facebook’
By Andrei Barburas
Not many products or services have the ‘honour’ of a movie being made about them, yet Facebook has one. If you’re interested, just go ahead and download it or stream it; it’s called The Social Network. But that’s not the subject of this piece. Today I will be talking about the multitude of redesigns, layouts and the different ways you could and can stalk your friends on the infamous Facebook. The question on everyone’s lips is: What were they thinking? Elementary, my dear Watson… It’s all about how you, the users, interact with the platform. Let’s look back a
bit and see how Facebook has evolved and where is it going. 2006: Facebook introduces the News Feed, showing all your friends’ activity in one timeline. 2008: Facebook rolls out a redesign to all users, breaking different sections into separate, customisable tabs. Since then, those tabs, more or less moved to the left side, and it seems like they’re not moving anytime soon. 2009: In probably one of its weirdest moves Facebook creates a feed of real-time updates on the right side of the screen. Have you ever used it? For me it’s been hidden since day one; I can’t stand it! Also, in 2009, Facebook redesigns its homepage again, introducing an algorithm to decide which status updates have the ‘honour’ of being displayed first.
technology
‘Enhancements create a spotlight for your page or brand’
81
‘What you need to do is to start adding media’
2010: Facebook reduces the font size of news feed updates and also overhauls profile pages, summarising the user’s information and adding a strip of photos below the summary. Skipping a few years and updates, we arrive at today. Facebook has big plans; it is the biggest change in its seven-year history. Viewing habits are changing. The new design brings larger photos to life on your News Feed. These enhancements create a spotlight for your page or brand. Basically what you need to do is to start adding media (pictures or videos) to make your content more engaging; pussycat videos, potential Gangnam record breakers, and a load of deep inspirational images of ‘something’ with smart text in it.
What’s the purpose of this all? Better ad targeting to ‘serve your needs’. If you have pictures of snow sports, then you know what you’re getting served. Just imagine if for a prank you would create a fictional profile and then post all kinds of stuff, what would the ads be about? Over the past years, literally millions of complaints were directed towards Facebook’s, sometimes egocentric changes, redesigns and ignorance towards complaining users. What about you, John and Janet Doe, did you ever officially complain? Or were you just slightly annoyed and OK again the following day?
82
classifieds
classifieds
83
sport
On The Volley
By Simon Joseph
84
Point blank ‘Depending on what type of music you enjoy, it can make you part of a community’
‘Excess inevitably leads straight to suffering’
One reason for giving up an old addiction is that it is supposed to be an exercise in personal development. To determine your own true identity, I decided, you need to be able to look back into the past, at your roots, to see what shaped you as you were growing up and understand where you came from. To aid this exploration of the self, I thought was worth striving for better, more open relationships with particular friends and family members. But without a ball to get rolling, neither side seems to know where to start the process or how to go about supporting it. Football, it must be said, brings people together and says something about who you are, but my challenge was to find alternatives.
a great deal about your roots. Similarly to football, music helps create a spatial proximity among people, enabling a ‘public intimacy’, particularly during live performances. However, similarly to the way football has gone, music today is mostly a solitary experience and even live performances lack the edge – the battle for supremacy – that live football provides. Music may have helped me get through some difficult times but music alone is no permanent substitute for the beautiful game.
Listening to music has always been great a source of pleasure to me, as it is for the majority of people. In addition, depending on what type of music you enjoy, it can make you part of a community and say
The Olympic Games in London last summer certainly entertained and, from a sporting perspective, the world’s best performers were there for all to admire. We saw real competition on show, mixed with real emotion. The only medals I consciously turned my back on were the footballing ones but I think everyone else did, too. The Olympic Games are not about football and football is not about being an Olympian. Furthermore, Olympic summers are always shared with football’s European Championships, so why not simply enjoy the best of both worlds? Or am I back on the intemperate path to obsession? On the other hand, such events are rare, coming round just once every four years; or, because last year’s games were contested in the town where I grew up, perhaps ‘once in a lifetime’ would be a
sport
better way of describing London 2012. Hardly excessive.
‘Spurs played some of their best football in Thatcherite Britain’
The price us ordinary supporters are paying for this revolution is more than most can afford. But counterMost people who have been through rehab for addiction revolutions, such as FC United of Manchester’s, are would’ve been told that excess inevitably leads straight scarce. Perhaps this is because we are too focused on to suffering. But how can we experience pleasure in our individual desire for glory, deflecting our thoughts life and avoid all that suffering? Some say there’s and influence away from the universal struggle for a something therapeutic about shovelling earth and level playing field. Top-flight football, then, is truly the being closer to nature, that it provides a certain kind of opium of the people. gratification. But that only works if you have a garden, and the two square metres of concrete stuck on to While lost in thoughts on politics and change, I can’t the back of my flat doesn’t offer much in the way of fail to mention the passing of Maggie Thatcher; not landscape. What about all the suffering that football simply because she was Prime Minister during the entails, then? Is it really so terrible after all? Perhaps it first Tottenham riots or that she personally attempted really is all part of the game; inseparable and cathartic to tarnish the Argentinean names engraved on some – a totally natural release of psychic energy that, left of our trophies, but because of the impact she had on unmitigated, could lead to more suffering or perhaps football, in general. Ironically, Spurs played some of even violence. Then again, over the course of a lifetime, their best football in Thatcherite Britain but the game whichever team you support, surely the suffering itself was not so fortunate. For example, having been outweighs the enjoyment. scandalously misinformed about the causes of several disasters, such as Valley Parade and Hillsborough, she It’s been a long time since Tottenham last won anything facilitated the ban on standing on terraces, arguably significant. In the meantime, the game of football has denying supporters of a significant amount of pleasure changed almost beyond recognition. The modern game and ultimately alienating supporters from their is not simply a reinvention of the working-class man’s beloved game. In the absence of the Iron Lady, then, leisure pursuit, it has undergone a total transformation perhaps football will witness the dawning of another into the global entertainment industry it is today. new era. Or will we continue to live with her legacy while she rusts in peace?
85
‘Paying for this revolution is more than most can afford’
86
classifieds
classifieds
87
sport
The Gold Room 88
By Denson Pierre
We have reached a convenient point in the season to comment on EPL managers, given that the teams some lead have failed so spectacularly that their job security is topical. Some seem set for a period of stagnation, while others may move to betterresourced clubs where their talents can be better biomechanically interpreted by top professional footballers. It is also worth saying that the difference made by managers to what actually happens on the field of play is arguably no more than 5%. Football is an athletic sport and the best groups of athletes with the necessary intelligence and skill tend to prevail at any level, and most certainly within the international superstar field. Roberto Mancini (Manchester City): he may have achieved second place in the league and a 65% chance of the FA Cup trophy but would you, as the decisionmaking arm of an organisation that counts its value in trillions, choose to carry on with a manager who has failed consistently over the years where it really matters (Champions League)? A Premier League crown is commendable but to follow this by immediately conceding ground to a rival, to the tune of more than ten points, in defence of that title is scandalous. Someone else should be given a chance to play real-life fantasy football at this club. Harry Redknapp (Queens Park Rangers): down at the bottom and looking sure to be relegated with his band of misfits in West London. I suppose England
fans must only now realise what a close call they had when the FA opted for a manager with a proven, steady approach to team preparation and an eye for reasonably clear tactics. Redknapp is likeable as a happy go lucky winger but I wonder who will offer him a job now, after this extremely expensive catastrophe with Malaysian money? David Moyes (Everton): undoubtedly a decent manager but forever simmering in a bowl of soup that is Everton FC, which cannot find the resources to bring in the five or six truly top-class players required to win something in the modern era. Merely clambering to the edge of European qualification no longer suits the man and it is maybe time for him to change club, as both are in need of refreshment. Roberto Martinez (Wigan): if you’re looking for an example of a football nerd, Martinez defines it. Even after occasional defeats, it is immensely pleasurable to hear this man speak. It is as though everything about his intellect has been coaxed towards football. His apprenticeship from 2007 at Swansea led to his eventual arrival at Wigan, to continue his tradition of good football with a budget far smaller than most other Premier League teams. Surviving relegation over the years has already made him a legend. It is now time we saw what he can do in charge of a team with the quality of players more commonly found on the books at big European clubs.
sport
89
classifieds
90
CZECH REPUBLIC STUNNINGLY DIFFERENT!
www.czechtourism.com