vol. 7 #17 – 16 September 2014
The Sentinel Amsterdam
Integrity, heart, humour
feature
trends
WHAT YOU DO
SIMPLY VOGUE
CULTURE PERSPECTIVES LIFESTYLES TRAVEL OPINION REVIEW TECHNOLOGY ART FILM MUSIC TRENDS RECOMMENDED SPORT
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content
feature - p.04
perspectives - p.12
culture - p.30
What you do
Dam in 60 minutes! Across the Netherlands
Hungary: Budapest – Festival borderland
travel - p.50
trends - p.68
sport - p.78
Hello Beautiful
Simply vogue
The Gold Room
‘Be extremely sporty and relatively healthy’
‘Everyday life has inspired the world’s top designers’
‘The planet will continue on regardless’
‘On the road for 600 minutes’
‘They have so much to show and share’
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more perspectives - p.56
amsterdam city life - p.60
star beer guide - p.62
Outbreak
Bring Back!
The big Lebowski IPA
recommended - p.64
spotted - p.66
film - p.67
Where is this in Amsterdam?
Room 2C
health & well-being - p.70
technology - p.72
sport - p.76
Awareness
User interface
SFFL 2014-2015
The Sentinel Amsterdam
E-mail: sentineldesk@gmail.com Website: www.thesentinel.eu Contributors: Sam van Dam, Jane Watson, The Observer, Dirkje Bakker-Pierre, Evelina Kvartunaite and Andrei Barburas
Editor: Denson Pierre Design: Dirkje Bakker-Pierre - no-office.nl Realisation: Andrei Barburas Webmaster: www.sio-bytes.tumblr.com Webhost: Andrei Barburas
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 sentineldesk@gmail.com.
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‘We were in one of the zones most affected by the most deadly and invisible pollutants known’
What you do not see is what you smell pt. 1 by Denson Pierre
The power of the stories of wars, incursions, jihads, intifadas, paedophilia, bankers’ fraud and other atrocities to move all critical attention away from the quality of the very air we breathe is almost absolute. At around 2004, and as if in another age and country, there were so many decent, i.e., nonscaremongering articles and reports about the manner in which we had firmly decided upon inhabiting current-day Amsterdam (and other cities and areas cloaked by that enormous column of air that flows across from the Ruhr valley in super-industrial Germany). This despite being shown most categorically that we were in one of the zones most affected by the most deadly and invisible pollutants known to, created by, or with their effects made worse, by the actions of modern man. This magazine is not a scientific journal but we are willing to point you in the direction of some set-aside truths. We will break it down into typical Sentinel speak.
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‘Part of the ‘distant’ outer-centre which us Centrics call Australia’
‘I always carry the Sentinel shooter with me’
Some six weeks ago the ladies who look after and style my hair at their salon announced that they had moved studio to be a bit further out from the increasingly unaffordable centre, to the west of Amsterdam. I reasoned that I could keep my business arrangement with them as when I checked the location of the new studio it turned out to be a mere fifteen minutes cycling in an outward, straight-line direction from where I live. It is in fact one of the areas of Amsterdammajor that I am very unfamiliar with as it is also part of the ‘distant’ outer-centre which us Centrics call Australia. To get there this first time I decided to make use of the excellent and punctual bus service that serves this city but which even us bicycle-heads forget is there. The journey took a cool twelve minutes including the stops and the nicely social nature of public transport in this part of the city on a Saturday. It is not the most affluent of the city districts so the
public there seem more used to the rules of engagement in using public transport. It actually felt friendly as we had one of those drivers who obviously loved his job, which involved having these snap-chats with all those who used his bus. It turned out that the new address for my tri-weekly hair appointments was a mere seventy-five strides away from the indicated bus stop. It was only 45-minutes later when done refreshing my plaits and then seeing through the glass door of the studio that one of the buses heading my way back into the city had just gone by, that I relaxed into the knowledge that I could have a few extra minutes to scan the neighbourhood and even see if a photo opportunity emerged; I always carry the Sentinel shooter with me.
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‘There wasn’t a petro-industrial fuming machine going’
It is worth pointing out here that I myself live in one of the more ideal neighbourhoods of central Amsterdam. We are nearby to all conveniences and sandwiched between the Vondel and Rembrandt parks. We find ourselves in automobiles mainly only when travelling outside of Amsterdam and find the city to be generally quiet as cities go, with air that can seem fresh all year round. While standing at this bus stop in Slootervaart however, I suddenly and most unusually felt the onset of a headache. I could not figure this out, as such ailments and myself very, very, rarely meet. What could this be about? Was my blood pressure higher than last recorded by my consultant? Did the gentle tugging that takes place around my hair roots at the temples while plaiting create some sort of reverse-acupuncture effect? Quite sickeningly, and by the time I sat down on the bus that arrived five minutes later, was the fact that there seemed to be a film of oily matter formed all over my tongue and overpowering my taste buds. Why was I tasting petroleum-based fuels filling my mouth? I had no interest in distinguishing diesel from petrol as fumes, toxins and particulates simply are... Where had I been? From where I had stood there was a general hospital just across the way, tree-lined roadways, and seemingly clear skies. The disorientation brought on by this pollution to my system was such a shock that I was even able to miss my stop (there were only about 6 involved in the journey) as my brain had instead gone into overdrive trying to figure out these strange circumstances. By the time I got back to this
keyboard and started searching Google Maps, to see if somehow, without knowing it, I had ended up next to a petroleum refinery or some other mass storage facility with a leak, I felt slightly better. What I confirmed was that there wasn’t a petroindustrial fuming machine going on that Saturday at 14:55hrs but that I was - together with the other 15,000 people or so who live within five minutes walking of where I had stood - in a catchment of air fouled by the exhaust fumes coming from the express ring-road of Amsterdam. What I realised further is that it seemed like it was just a matter of the luck to do with how the wind blew; my idyllic lodgings itself lay at a point of equidistance from this forever-filled roadway, but just in the other cardinal direction from it. This was just simply a terrifying find. Immediately, and as if to simply practice my operative maxim about not thinking your situation to be grim until you look into the plight of others, I looked further. The 2004 reports I referred to earlier pertain to the continuously kept-alive cloak of certainty: [*]sources.
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[*]sources.
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Essentially, I am now wondering how suicidal we are as a species. There are so many forms of slow-suicide already being practised by individuals (smoking, obesity/gluttony, hard drink and drugging etc.) and even more sadly, that of the ‘educated’ masses as entire populations, suspending intelligence. We have on one level settled for living in a clearly cancer-inducing environment because we are blinded by almost each and every sort of benefit this decision seem to promise. We live under a blanket of poison in Amsterdam (and most of wealthy Western Europe) and I do not hear those who are meant to be creating policy to help us save our own lives and cells as well as that of our future generations saying much about it. Everyone is instead busy with the distractions (and they are, in light of this understanding) of the new Bluff War(s). We allow thousands to be killed-off so that we can suffocate the life out of hundreds of millions while driving our ugly machines toward the apparently inexorable destruction of humanity. The planet will continue along regardless.
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‘Thinking your situation to be grim until you look into the plight of others’
Essentially, I am now wondering how suicidal we are as a species? There are so many forms of slow-suicide already being practised by individuals (smoking, obesity/gluttony, hard drink and drugging etc.) and even more sadly, that of the ‘educated’ masses as entire populations, suspending intelligence. We have on one level settled for living in a clearly cancer-inducing environment because we are blinded by almost each and every sort of benefit this decision seems to promise. We live under a blanket of poison in Amsterdam (and most of wealthy Western Europe), and I do not hear those who are meant to be creating policy to help us save our own lives and cells, as well as that of our future generations saying much about it. Everyone is instead busy with the distractions (and they are, in light of this understanding) of the new Bluff War(s). We allow thousands to be killed-off so that we can suffocate the life out of hundreds of millions while driving our ugly machines toward the apparently inexorable destruction of humanity. The planet will continue along regardless.
[*]sources. sootfreecities.eu > milieucentrum.rotterdam.nl > knmi.nl > eea.europa.eu >
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‘There are so many forms of slow-suicide already being practised’
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Dam in 60 minutes! 12
Across the Netherlands
By Sam van Dam
perspectives
‘Once I leave the city behind I am surrounded by nature’
As I cruise through the little villages and towns that are spread out like sprinkles (Muisjes) I realise how practical it is to live in such a tiny country as the Netherlands. With a good tempo I should be at the border by nightfall. I enter Hilversum and admire the buildings used by the television broadcasters to supply our country with mind-numbing content, 24/7. I follow the signs in the direction of Soest, where one of the royal palaces can be found surrounded by trees and a lovely park; always a pretty sight for eyes made sore by road-dust. The next stop is Amersfoort, one of the bigger cities in this part of the country. I have a coffee at a service station there to recharge my batteries. Cycling this kind of distance not only requires a different mindset to that of my typical tours for this
column, but also a constant supply of power food, meaning nuts, chocolate and good quantities of refreshing and inspiring beverages and water. Further along I make my way through a string of tiny villages and more flat landscape that features cows, horses, sheep and many species of birds, making me feel as if I’m already far away from Amsterdam, even though I’ve not even covered half of my intended distance. Something else that makes a trip such as this more challenging is that the road signs for cyclists are not always present, so leading to me becoming lost and having to retrace my route every now and again. This costs me valuable time that I’d have much preferred to use in keeping clear of the impending darkness rather than trying to guide myself by Google Maps on the tiny screen of my smartphone. Even this app is not too helpful as the settlements I was then passing through were so tiny that the search giant did not even list them. Somehow, also asking directions from locals to the Germany just gets me surprised looks but no good advice. Naturally I do not allow delays and setbacks to discourage me and I happily pedal on and on eastwards, toward our most significant neighbour, where I know some delicious Bratwurst is waiting to be eaten; one of the many reasons why I’m on this trip in the first place. After some more hours I cruise through Apeldoorn and set my focus on Deventer, the last bigger city before I enter the proper stretch of countryside that continues until I’ll penetrate German territory. This is a tricky part of my trip. The signs pointing me in the direction of Enschede disappear and those available are trying to lure me into fields and forests that are nowhere near the places I need to get to, and once again the locals are of no help, even though they’re trying. After having cycled around for some 180 kilometres, I finally have to give up and find a train station, or spend the night in one of those forests. Not my preferred option, especially since I did not pack any overnight camping gear. My legs hurt a bit and my buttocks is ecstatic to be able exchange the saddle for a proper seat on the train as we slowly roll into the sunset in the direction of the nearest Bratwurst grill.
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I am taking you on a very special trip; we are going for a ride across the entire country and instead of the usual 60 minutes, we’ll be on the road for 600 minutes - 10 whole hours of cycling through the beautiful Netherlands. I had decided to go to Germany for a long weekend. The starting point is the Amstel station, one of our main transportation hubs, that conveniently provides an array of signs for cyclists to find their way in any desired direction. I choose the route towards Hilversum, the media city of our lovely country, as it will take me eastwards, in the general direction of the border with Germany. Once I leave the city behind I am surrounded by nature and all its perks within half an hour, a very pleasant change and I enjoy the sights and sounds of the Dutch countryside. Cows calmly graze by the side of the roads, horses canter across the meadows and swallows fly so low by my bike that I’m a bit worried that they might get sucked into the whirl of my frantically whizzing wheels.
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‘With a good tempo I should be at the border by nightfall’
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‘Becoming lost and having to retrace my route every now and again’
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‘The proper stretch of countryside that continues until I’ll penetrate German territory’
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t s e p a d Bu
Festival borderland 31
By Denson Pierre
It would seem like if you wish to have all interested parties be punctual while in Budapest, all that you need to do is have a tour arranged to one of the city’s more than 120 thermal baths. Not all of these, we were to discover, were as grand as that to which we were headed soon after breakfast. We made our way directly to the mother of all medicinal, therapeutic and part-pleasure hot springs and spas. Szechenyi Baths is a completely impressive and stylish facility. It shows off such attractive architecture from the early 20th century, and of course the eighteen (18!) pools used to treat and please. Three pools of different functions are set outside and the indoor fifteen are made more use of as the majority cooler months dictate that their spa and sauna conditions are in high demand.
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‘A completely impressive and stylish facility’
By the time we regrouped and were readying ourselves to do a picnic on one of the city’s pleasant green spots, we could see that the queue for the bath was growing. In fact, by then it was snaking out of the building and along the pavement to its front. We were early and locals are said to rise later on weekends, so we were lucky not to be crowded out by the masses. Budapest residents are granted free passes on weekends to these revitalising, watery, cultural institutions. At our lovely picnic lunch I was to be reminded of funny occurrences which I thought were part of history. My strict vegetarianism was established on the previous day and I was courteously handed a specially made sandwich with “vegetables and no cheese”. It always pays to inspect what you are about to bite into as on taking a look at the fillings of my snack-meal I noticed the unmistakable discs of a compressed and thinly sliced animal flesh and gristle product. It would seem like the Hungarians have animals which grow on trees or from the earth. Either that or they have not found a good translation for vegetarianism in their particularly unique language. There was fruit and wine available so
there was no further comedic drama. Just at the point when the press group started slipping into siesta-mode we were reminded that we had to make our way to the festival area for the press conference arranged for the local and international journalists. A coach ride to as close as it could get to the activity area and a 25-minute walk saw us being right on time for this show, as it turned out. The press conference was being held in an enclosure fashioned upon the traditional (including Soviet-era) Eastern European fair. So there we were, we had used our Sziget passports to get past the checkpoint and now we were, together with some 120 other journalists, sat and stood waiting for the organisers to take their places and deal with our questions. The first realisation once everyone settled into their seats was that the sun was scorching. A supply of about five, small, garden umbrellas were handed out which provided shade for about fifteen people. Luckily I had one to share with my Italian bench mate. I have been to a few press conferences in my time and this one turned out to be a little bit different to all others. It was extremely fine to have the founder, financial director, programme director and the marketing head of the festival before us. Once the rules of the press conference were announced however, things took on a Cold War movie-like atmosphere. The vast bulk of the questions were somehow those the panel already had with them and as they went through these I did not detect any member of the gathered throng of professionals being accredited with penning even one. It was the case that these ‘questions’ provided a chance for the panel to tell their story and that story was the one rehearsed. By the time the floor was open to the journalists, most everyone were already beaten-up by all of the strong
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As part of the city tour and our Sziget Festival programme reporting, I must say I enjoyed quiet mirth at the speed at which my press colleagues could duck into the changing area and re-emerge in near-naked and excited states. I do not do hot pools myself but I totally enjoyed seeing the happiness in the eyes of colleagues as they filed in to spend 90-minutes soaking joints and skin. They actually all looked refreshed directly after their visit.
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‘Locals are said to rise later on weekends’
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‘We had used our Sziget passports to get past the checkpoint’
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‘Sziget Festival is growing in its numbers’
Sziget Festival (that which I experienced of it) is growing in its numbers while at the same time facing proper challenges from the competition, even if the brand itself is clearly defined. On the ground the vibe does not seem too flexible and the musical aspect seems to be positioned too far to the background of the entire feel and scene. I did not really meet anyone who had come along to purely walk around with tens of thousands of other people and have a lot of waiting to do for acts which were expected to be more appealing. It is difficult for me to sign-off on it as I find the island to be the best imaginable location for such a festival, with a super city literally a few minutes away. Currently festivals are an almost explosive trend across Europe and I can strongly recommend Sziget to anyone but be honest in also saying that it is unique and that uniqueness is not necessarily what people seeking out modern festivals are after. Music quality and variety drives the best festivals these days and as we were doing our final guided tour around the vast grounds we could see and hear that most bases were covered but something did not fill the majority of the international press corps with super excitement. Sziget is hard to figure out toward the long term. It is a huge event, over multiple days in the beautiful heart of Hungary, but it is priced and marketed
as an international fair. Of the over 450,000 visits to the Island of Freedom made in 2014, more than 70% would have been made by non-Hungarians. On my final morning and lunchtime I made sure I caught a walk along the Danube for as much as I could, within reason and time. There certainly is a positive energy to the river and I hope the current draws Budapest residents and Hungarians to become a bit more relaxed and open-minded as it is too much of a shame that the politics there and the general attitude expressed by residents can come over as something from too far back in the past for Atlantic-side sensibilities. This is absolutely no report of a downer however. On that Sunday morning I was provided with the most precise directions to a grand cafe which shows live, topflight, international football by the chirpy gentlemen at my hotel reception. I was to spend a few hours just hanging and then lunching with the locals there. They are nice but have difficulties showing it. This makes for a paradoxical situation as they have so much to show and share that you know could be inspiring. I like the first impressions I received from Budapest but feel sure that I will need to spend more time there to develop a more fully balanced perspective. Great architecture and monuments after all do not talk back and they are surely not edible or able to provide economic stimulus, simply by just being there. Partners on this press trip: artotel.photowebeu.com/budapest > dudapesttuktuk.hu > gotohungary.com > szigetfestival.com >
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sunshine and the extreme length of the conference (the staged bit) itself. The longest stories somehow were narrated in Hungarian and so would then be translated... The probing questions which did eventually come and were to do with crowd control and safety, press access and the lack of a healthy variety to the food on offer across the fairground were met with decidedly defensive responses. Those to do with the budget and attendances etc. were already adequately answered on the press release we had received earlier.
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‘Currently festivals are an almost explosive trend across Europe’
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‘Over 450,000 visits to the Island of Freedom made in 2014’
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‘They have so much to show and share that you know could be inspiring’
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‘You will find it hard to get back to normality’
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Hello Beautiful ‘A great excuse for becoming lazy, depressed and sorry for myself’ By Jane Hutchison
“You have Cancer” Those were not the words I was expecting to hear at the age of 35 while feeling fit and with there being no family history of any form of cancer. I considered myself to be extremely sporty and relatively healthy. I had never previously even owned a microwave or eaten ready-meals. But there I was sat in the doctor’s room in July 2012 with Grade 2 invasive ER & PR Positive breast cancer. It had already spread to my lymph nodes. I was told I would need surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy; I would lose my hair and it would take an entire year of treatments until I could possibly go back to ‘normal life’. Just like that I was on the British National Health Service [NHS] conveyor belt of treatment.
else to do, you will eat biscuits and drink fizzy drinks, then after you have put on about twelve kilograms you will be so depressed that you will find it hard to get back to normality.” Instantly alarm bells started ringing. The number of people who must receive this negativity was sure to be mind-boggling and the easiest thing for me to do would have been to go along with it. What a great excuse for becoming lazy, depressed and sorry for myself. I instantly knew that I needed to challenge this negativity being fed to me however. Initially I naively went along with the NHS treatment system as I was told I had no time to make decisions and had to act then. “Don’t read blogs or look at websites other than that of Macmillan as they would just make you fearful and confused”
One memory that sticks out in my mind is the negativity Before I had time to think properly, I was undergoing I was offered by doctors and nurses in the first week to my first operation. The speed of play was so rapid that support diagnoses: “You will have to give up work, sit I felt like I was walking into unknown territory. This and watch daytime TV all day as there will be nothing
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‘I was walking into unknown territory’
thought conjured a sense of isolation that sent my anxiety levels sky high. I didn’t know anything about the treatments the doctors were suggesting and I certainly wasn’t comfortable with the knowledge that chemotherapy could possibly make me infertile. I had two weeks to decide whether or not to go through the procedure of ‘fertility preservation’ [freezing of my eggs]. What was I supposed to do? How was I meant to know which choices were the right choices? I soon started researching every aspect of cancer I could get my hands on. My comfort came from an unlikely source — my very own curiosity. Quite quickly I understood that I needed to show the raw and uncut side of cancer. I knew once the hospital treatments had ended that the healing process didn’t stop there, so I researched alternative ways of healing myself. I began cultivating ideas around breast cancer awareness and thinking of ways to put my design abilities to best use (I ran a design studio in London). I also began undergoing alternative therapies and self-healing exercises which in combination allowed
me to live in a manner that I had never given much thought to before. As I became more deeply immersed in my journey, I realised that there was a huge opportunity to give back to society in a meaningful and pertinent way. At the very least, I wished to help close the emotional void that many with cancer can feel. I wanted to explore the spiritual and meditative aspects of looking after your health. I wanted to illustrate the power of having a positive outlook while on life’s journey. The Hello Beautiful Foundation was born while I was undergoing treatment. It is a charity that explores the issues that arise when we, or our loved ones, are faced with breast cancer and the importance that emotional awareness and positivity has in this reality. Our exhibits and other awareness campaigns are designed to highlight the benefits of living a healthy, non-toxic lifestyle — a lifestyle that starts with personal happiness and extends into health, nutrition and social responsibility. We actively bring artists, brands
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‘Explore the spiritual and meditative aspects of looking after your health’
‘Changes needed to be made’
and other activists into this conversation in the hope that together we can achieve a better understanding of breast cancer and in finding sustainable ways of preventing this illness.
so work could wait. I even carried on playing regular netball with a picc line [24/7 peripherally inserted central catheter. It is long, flexible tube that is inserted into a vein, in the upper arm and extended until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein of the chest, near the heart, to obtain intravenous access] and although I could hardly breathe during matches and sometimes walking 100 metres seemed like running a marathon, that very sporty and persevering spirit saved and made me into the person I am today.
As a community, we aim to not only provide a support network for the persons and families that have been affected by cancer, but also to provide a central location for traditional and alternative therapies to coalesce for the ultimate benefit of mankind. My treatment had continued on although it was the most arduous challenge I have ever faced in my life, and chemotherapy has side-effects that makes the flu seem like a fun day out. I never let my spirit go. I may have looked like death and lost a lot of weight, even after having to inject myself with steroids for four (4) days after each chemo session. I continued to work and scheduled my chemo to take place on Fridays, leaving me the weekends to recover. Recovery time stretched longer and longer after each treatment; after my last chemo session I didn’t have the strength to get out of bed for two weeks! This was over Christmas however,
Treatment eventually ended and I went along, accompanied by my mother, for my ‘final chat’ with the nurse after radiotherapy. It ended like it began: “Take it easy as it will be really hard getting back into society and everyday life, slowly think about starting to work again or using public transport, seeing friends and doing exercise. You will be depressed for months, maybe years, but it will get easier” There was nothing I could say so I just looked at my mum and winked. When we left the room we smiled and knew that changes needed to be made.
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Jane Hutchison is co-founder of: hellobeautiful.org > hellolovestudio.com >
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The Mediterranean as it once was.
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www.visitgent.be
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Outbreak by The Observer
May be acquired upon contact, with infected fruit bats, What is that? Beginning two days to three weeks after with feelings of weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, fever, blazing across West Africa, as a raging bush fire, through blood or bodily fluids in countries such as Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and most recently the tumultuous city called Lagos in pulpous Nigeria, it is notoriously baffling Ebola. Made its devastating entrance in the tropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa in nineteen seventy-six, Laid somewhat dormant for a couple of years, after it reduced so many to rears. Emerged six months ago as a viral outbreak, one thousand -plus lives so far to take. The virus seems to be mimicking Houdini, disappearing and reappearing busying the medical fraternity. Ebola respects patient nor doctor, taking the life of the very health practitioner. What a vicious epidemic, causing governments to panic. Using drastic measures such as quarantine, armed police, soldiers to detain frantic protestors and states of emergency, May the gods have mercy!
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by that time it already had Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo transfixed.
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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.
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Contact:
Jaroslav Cernosek +420 602 228 797 Mail: jcernosek@centrum.cz
JC Tours
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amsterdam city life
: K C A B G N I R B GRATIS FREE By Denson Pierre
Once you settle into Amsterdam you find that all year round there are events and cultural excitements that are actually free to access = gratis. Most new arrivals are amazed as the idea of the city or region funding, for instance, a couple B-rated bands doing open-air concerts in the Vondelpark, is just pleasant, especially on a nice day when your own entertainment budget is closer to zero euros. With Amsterdam being such a creative city as well as one full of the highest concentrations of marketeers, there can seem no end to the number of opportunities [promotions, tastings, gimmicks, studio, gallery and project openings etc.] to enjoy sponsored consumables and even gadget goodies at and not have to dip into your pockets for them. At a certain point I thought it possible to chart the series of freebies on offer and somehow plan ‘fun’ around them, as with beer and wine being the same price as bottled water, it meant that they are often available. If this was one of my thoughts then it seems like the entire thing has gone out of control now with adults engaging in commerce here so conditioned by this gratis air. They quite simply do not think they should pay for things they do not value
in the same manner they value their own skills and jobs done. No one seems to want to pay for anything these days unless it is a product or service from a large or multinational organisation. Small and medium-scale businesses (especially in the arts, hospitality and construction etc.) are suffering especially from the syndrome. It has also become perversely normal for Amsterdam hospitality establishments to choose to simply not pay invoices for those intangible services (marketing, copywriting, advertising and PR etc.) and instead only react when debt collector reminders turn up. Artisan contacts report on completing jobs and then being made payments of way under what was agreed as if it is suddenly and almost criminally, the role of the business or individual to decide the monetary value of a job. These all lead immediately to troublesome confrontations and extra and unnecessary costs incurred in rectifying them, naturally. It is still possible to record the faux excitement of a local (newcomers soon learn it) when you mention it or when they are explaining the state of a function or service they received as being free or gratis. It is one of some sort of weird victory over reality, a reality in which someone is always paying for things and everything else is made possible by persons creating things that have value, if only of the time and knowledge they have used to make it or make things run or improve. Bring back a re-evaluation of what folk can expect as ‘free’ for promotion etc. and a re-education of everyone under-55 to the fact that the boom years before this recession deeply distorted the understanding of how commerce works in the minds of citizens. Pay as you go and it recycles money more fairly. There really never is a free lunch.
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A generation ago, my own international wave of young hopefuls moved to Amsterdam. Any myriad of reasons had led to us taking a chance at a different culture which seemed so well packaged to offer a predominant ‘freeness’; we never thought the Dutch locals would have an even more exaggerated take on that meaning and we certainly could not foretell that it would be a phenomenon which now causes dis-ease.
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Star Beer
star beer guide
The Sentinel Star beer guide By Denson Pierre
THE BIG LEBOWSKI IPA
(A.B.V. 6.5%)
‘The nicest ring possible to a new beer’
For now, and as to why they are in here, has to do with how a group of Amsterdam’s mature beer lovers, hailing from backgrounds as diverse as being scenarists and hospitality professionals coming to create a brand and beer that makes an impression. The Big Lebowski seems to have the nicest ring possible to a new beer, brewed by big men
with what is clearly going to be a properly scaled future. The Big Lebowski comes to town in October. The Big Lebowski is brewed by Cinema Brewers, Dikninge, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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The new naming sensation of the Amsterdam craft brewing scene (Cinema Brewers) have come up with an ideally and funnily named pale ale that surely catches attention. The beers from the Cinema Brewers are not yet able to be categorised in the first rung of star beer selections but are highlighted as experienced beer people with an honest approach to the fine art of quality brewing. Their first beers released into the Amsterdam market are earnest, wholesome tasting and well presented. All necessary refinements have been promised to come into the mix over the next couple of years however, as it is never really possible to launch near –perfect beers.
recommended
Stadscafe van Mechelen, 12/09/14
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ENDED RECOMM
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.
Connoisseurs Delight
Café Westerdok Some of the very finest and rarest of beers available anywhere in the world. The warmest Amsterdam welcome. Café Westerdok Westerdoksdijk 715A Amsterdam www.cafewesterdok.nl
recommended
To be seen and tasted
Fun, Drinking & Music
Cafe de Toog 1890’s grandeur fashioned into Amsterdam-West, grand, brown cafe-restaurant-cool. Classy drinks and meals. Nicolaas Beetsstraat 142 hs Amsterdam www.cafedetoog.com
Parck Great fun, beautiful people and simply the best bar food in town! Overtoom 428 Amsterdam www.cafeparck.nl
Mulligans Irish Music Bar Amsterdam’s best address for live Irish music: Five (5) nights a week! Check our agenda for upcoming sessions. 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. Postjesweg 1 1057 DT Amsterdam www.edelamsterdam.nl
Incanto A restaurant with a classic Italian kitchen. Venetian chef Simone Ambrosin is known for his pure and simple style of cooking with great feeling for nuance. Amstel 2 Amsterdam www.restaurant-incanto.nl
Café Kostverloren Café Kostverloren is a contemporary cafe offering the cosiness of a saloon, an open kitchen and the intimacy of a living room. The large terras is great for sunny days. 2e Kostverlorenkade 70 Amsterdam www.cafekostverloren.nl
Fun, Drinking & Music
To be seen and tasted
To be seen and tasted
Cafe-Restaurant Du Cap A spacious and tasty helping to the Mediterranean vibe within Amsterdam’s new ‘West End’ entertainment district. Kwakersplein 2 Amsterdam www.du-cap.nl
Molly Malone’s An Irish pub as it should be and a home away from home! Cosy, friendly, and with its very own character! Oudezijds Kolk 9 1012 AL Amsterdam www.facebook.com/pages/ Molly-Malones-Amsterdam/ 293030997411277
Fun, Drinking & Music
Connoisseurs Delight
Fun, drinking and music
Bax A cosy and friendly local café with a focus on special or interesting beers and good quality food. Open 7 days a week with a professional kitchen offering a lunch and dinner service. Ten Katestraat 119 Amsterdam www.cafebax.nl
Café Rose Red You will not see and sample a better selection of the very best of European beer elsewhere. Cordoeaniersstraat 16 Brugge www.caferosered.com
Gollem Gollem’s Proeflokaal, Gollem and Gollem II represent the best addresses serving the fullest range of top Belgian, Dutch and international beers in Amsterdam. Overtoom 160-161 Amsterdam www.cafegollem.nl
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To be seen and tasted
Café Oporto Café Oporto is a traditional Amsterdam ‘brown cafe’. Welcoming tourists and regular customers alike, they offer televised sports, wifi and a wide range of reasonably priced beers and spirits. Zoutsteeg 1 1012 LX Amsterdam www.cafeoporto.net
spotted
Where is this in Amsterdam?
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Answer to: sentineldesk@gmail.com
film
Room 2c film Angel-A (2005)
By dpmotions
Luc Besson carries out the filming of this Paris showcase in black and white to typically smooth effect. A uniquely French romantic comedy in which a mysterious woman appears to a protagonist fed-up of being down on his luck and at his wits end. Can she save his life and unravel truths that will set him free? Paris, je t’aime.
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In Bruges (2008) Not many small cities can carry a feature length movie on the characteristics of its ‘fairytale’ nature alone. Bruges can, and with Collin Farrell using this movie as a vehicle to show the full range of his Dublin accent in uttering many a foul-mouthed tirade and then some pretty humorous lines, in what is ultimately a motion picture encouraging viewers to visit one of the treasures of Flanders. A crime story with comedic moments but in which the setting is the real star.
By dpmotions
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trends
trends
Simply vogue ‘A parka with a leopard print for € 5000 just because’
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By Dirkje Bakker-Pierre
While haute couture was always meant to be an artistic outlet for fashion designers - a celebration of extravagance, exclusive fashion for the world’s wealthiest, high art, a show-off concept or anything that wasn’t overly functional - the biggest trend on the runway right now shows that its styles are becoming more and more practical. Themes right out of the mundane, everyday life have inspired the world’s top designers into creating everyday things with just couture gravy on top. A complete array of superpractical anti-coldness and wetness autumn/ winter wear paraded down the runway as if it were the slopes of the Swiss Alps, on the way to après ski. Wellingtons, anoraks, parkas, home-knitted cardigans, raincoats, you name it, it was there in abundance. To make things more ‘fashionable’ some were enhanced with a good old leopard print, but those felt like they were just clutching at straws.
Contrary to ‘ancient’ history when fashion designers would scoff at the word practical, they have now, en masse, succumbed to reality. Is it that they find it hard to ignore global warming effects any longer? Is it the recession? Is it a phase or is the haute disappearing from couture and assimilating with practical outdoor and camping gear? Is it a weird type of humour to offer a parka with a leopard print for € 5000 just because it has a haute couture designers’ label? Or is the fact that it is raining more and more in our region, so making it a good reason to spend € 5000 or more on an embellished raincoat? Realistically, is it one of the things that you will be wearing more of the time, making it the most important bit of your wardrobe? Where has this tendency come from? Is it secretly the rise of Putin’s popularity? He is the one celebrity who is always wearing parkas. Even if I do my best I can’t think of any fashion icon being known for wearing practical wear, so who knows, maybe Putin is the next unlikely big fashion icon. Why or how it happened we might never really know, but it’s clear; fashion is out, practical is in. Very handy that we are living in the Netherlands, where as we all know, fashion has hardly ever existed and function has always ruled over style. Finally, it is not just the Russian president, but our country that is in vogue.
health & well-being
Awareness By Evelina Kvartunaite
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How tuned-in are we when it comes to awareness? Are you noticing little things in your everyday life or allowing for serendipity? When was the last time you did something for the first time?
where, as it’s said, the magic happens? Is this the new balance existing between machines and people? That said, how often do we actually allow ourselves to wake up without an alarm clock or leave the house without a smartphone? Do you still have an idea of what would it be like to spend an evening without any device and just be quiet? Maybe it’s a challenge I suggest this time.
I started thinking about this since coming across apps that purport to help you in becoming lost in your own city. This is an amazing thing in my opinion as we have already spent so much time making maps as effective tools to help us get from A to B etc. Yet now we need the opposite? Something that would take us from our comfort zones,
– ‘Noticing little things in your everyday life or allowing for serendipity?’ –
health & well-being
– ‘The new balance existing between machines and people?’ –
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– ‘Do we actually allow ourselves to wake up without an alarm clock’ –
technology
‘Images were obtained via a breach of Apple’s cloud services’
User Interface 72
Hack Erotica
‘Increased concern from analysts surrounding the privacy and security of cloud computing services’
‘Consider the odds of someone in your close circle trying to ‘hack’ into your accounts’
By Andrei Barburas
On August 31, 2014, a collection of almost 200 private photographs of various celebrities, mostly female, and with many showing nudity, were posted on the imageboard 4chan, and later disseminated by other users on websites and social networks such as Imgur, Reddit and Tumblr. It was believed that the images were obtained via a breach of Apple’s cloud services suite iCloud. Apple later confirmed that the hackers responsible for the leak had obtained the images using “a very targeted attack” on account information, such as passwords, rather than any security vulnerability in the iCloud service itself. The event, which media outlets and internet users referred to under names such as “Celebgate” and
“The Fappening”, was met with a varied reaction from the media and fellow celebrities. Critics felt that the distribution of the images was a major invasion of privacy for their subjects, while some of the allegedly depicted subjects questioned their authenticity. The leak also prompted increased concern from analysts surrounding the privacy and security of cloud computing services such as iCloud—with a particular emphasis on their use to store sensitive, private information. Considering the fact that the attack was targeted, you might consider the odds of someone in your close circle trying to ‘hack’ into your accounts as well. In order to avoid this risk, what you need to do is use a good, if not awesome, password for iCloud or for your basic Google account. Hackers love it when you make their life easy by using “password” or “123456. Throw in punctuation, use miXed capS and lowercase, add in s0m3 numb3rs. Also remember that your password can be reset by having a link sent to the e-mail address associated with your account. That’s a
technology
huge vulnerability if that account has an easy password. The complexity of maintaining different, elaborate passwords is frustrating. As a result, you might consider an additional app to save or maintain these complex passwords. A couple of recommendations would be either LastPass or 1Password. But wait, there’s more; you can use 2-factor authentication. With 2-factor, not only do you have to enter a password, but also a code you receive through another means to ensure it’s really you. With Apple, the process involves text messages sent to “trusted devices” and the process is laid out in a pretty clear FAQ. It may sound inconvenient, but once you’ve established that a device is trusted, you won’t constantly be nagged to reconfirm that fact. This kind of security can be very effective against the kind of hack the celebrities fell victim to because it can block account access from a computer that isn’t already verified. Google uses an authenticator app that refreshes these codes every 60 seconds or so, the app
being compatible with more than one service (Amazon, Microsoft, Wordpress, etc.). There’s even more you can do. Be careful clicking on suspicious e-mails or websites, don’t download things from untrusted sources and stay off of WiFi networks you can’t be sure are reputable. You can even take things a notch further by encrypting your phone, sending encrypted emails and even using VPNs to secure your internet connection. In conclusion, the weakest link when it comes to security is not technology, but the human element. When it comes to your data, privacy and selfies, it’s up to you to be careful with it; the advancement of technology should only make it easier for you (and maybe only you) to retrieve your data when you need it. So, when was the last time you changed your Facebook password?
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‘Take things a notch further by encrypting your phone, sending encrypted emails and even using VPNs’
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classifieds
classifieds
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sport
THE SENTINEL FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2014-2015
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SPONSORED BY MOLLY MALONE’S
*Scores from up to and NOT including matches played on 15/09/14 In a week when Chelsea and Manchester United have found their form, albeit just this weekend past for Manchester United, we also see a few familiar managers occupying the heights of the table. Fabian moves into the top spot again, and does so after having moved up to fourth prior to the international break. This displaces Andy, who moves into second place, followed by Grant who stays in third. Dirkje moves up two places and Barry follows in fifth after dropping three places this week. Simon drops a place whilst Gijs, Max and Dave Finbow all stay put. Milco shoots-up four places to
round off the top ten teams. Further down the table, Sam moves significantly up by three places into fifteenth while Molly’s Heroes take a huge drop of six places to seventeenth. This puts them into the relegation zone with Shane and Dave O, who usually are accustomed to loftier positions.
sport
TABLE TEAM NAME
POINTS TR
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
DramAteam Orchesteral Manoeuvers in the Park If The Yids Are United The One United Bazelona Mance Raiders Illegal Gymigrants Wobbly Wanderers Amsterdam Kickers The Weak Dogs SMBMotU Don’t Hassel the Hoff Spurs Pro v8.0 FC A Team of Gary Breens The Brown Devils Van Gaalway United Molly’s Heroes Sarphati Boom-bahs Inigio Montoyas
200 196 188 180 174 165 129 129 125 121 120 109 108 107 102 89 88 71 49
4 1 3 6 2 5 7 8 9 14 10 12 13 15 18 16 11 17 19
Fabian Hahne Andy Smith Grant Walker Dirkje Bakker-Pierre Barry Teehan Simon Owusu Gijs Smit Max van Gelder Dave Finbow Milco Pot Gary P Steven Erisman Denson Pierre Brian Krijger Sam Gafar Steven Krijger Molly Malone’s Shane Brady Dave O’Halloran
12 11 11 12 12 10 12 11 10 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 7 12
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POS PP MANAGER
sport
The Gold Room 78
By Denson Pierre
Despite the best efforts of the sport broadcasting houses in the UK to have fantasy managers believe otherwise, the best picks available for selection are usually well in place long before the season reaches the end of the summer transfer window. We in this game however, must take a hard look at pure quality that is late to arrive and which could yet bolster our teams. With a more austere allocation of reserves, making ‘sure thing’ calls on gifted players is the first key to doing well at this game. Long after managers in here had settled on teams to take us up to the Xmas period, at least two players have arrived into the game to tempt us to twist. Marcos Rojo (Manchester United): despite Manchester United’s poor start to the season under Louis van Gaal, Rojo is a player who should single-handedly improve the resilience of their backline significantly. The last time we were able to check out his qualities would have been during the 2014 World Cup. He was arguably the stand-out individual defender in the by far, best defensive unit during that tournament, and they made it all the way to the final. Timing, power, speed and awareness make him a possible candidate
for Star Man bonuses over the course of the season, which might make up for him missing those extra matches in Europe that Manchester United had become used to helping fantasy managers score points from. Radamel Falcao (Manchester United): moving away from the pointless discussion of what his market value in terms of a sale could have been, we now have a proven, avaricious goal- getter at the attacking tip of that what Marcos Rojo defends. Having missed the World Cup and been out of football since his serious injury at the beginning of the year, it is only to be seen if he can bring his devastating forward play and high-volume goal scoring to the physically demanding English Premier League. Top-class strikers tend to score a typically optimum range of goals over the course of a season [18-24/25-30/31-36]. Even though other forwards will have a few more matches over which to try accumulating more impressive goal tallies, should Falcao achieve fitness and receive good service from the reforming Manchester United midfield, there should be no reason why he does not remain capable of powering to a total of goals that falls within the first upper-range, at minimum. He has the opportunity to prove the potentially high value of a loan signing. A couple teasers to exercise the forward planning of the master fantasy managers.
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Get advice on housing, rental contracts and apartments in Amsterdam
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