The Sentinel Amsterdam vol.7 #9 by Consultancy Market Media

vol. 7 #9 – 1 April 2014

The Sentinel Amsterdam

Integrity, heart, humour

CULTURE PERSPECTIVES LIFESTYLES TRAVEL OPINION REVIEW TECHNOLOGY ART FILM MUSIC TRENDS RECOMMENDED SPORT

feature

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: CARNIVAL

travel

PURE GRENADA

in this issue

feature - p.04

perspectives - p.32

travel - p.52

Trinidad & Tobago Carnival

Dam in 60 minutes! Osdorp

Pure Grenada

‘Surrounded by parks and situated right next to a large lake’

‘We have managed to bounce back beautifully’

‘This tsunami of creativity, music and revelry’

health and well-being - p.90

sport - p.96

Carrots and coconuts

Opal

The Gold Room

‘Their skin become not darker, but lighter’

‘Used in astral travelling’

trends - p.54

more perspectives - p.50

amsterdam city life - p.78

star beer guide - p.80

InAmsterdam

Bring back

Girardin Kriek 1882

recommended - p.82

spotted - p.84

film - p.85

Where is this in Amsterdam?

Room2c

technology - p.92

User Interface

The Sentinel Amsterdam

E-mail: sentinelpost@gmail.com Website: www.thesentinel.eu Contributors: Sam van Dam, Chad Bilyeu, 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.

feature

TRINIDAD

By Denson Pierre

Trinidad & Tobago Carnival remains one of the least understood of the world’s great and powerful folk festivals. Attempts at explaining it would always take historians, ethno-anthropologist and party people a great deal of time over the basics as to what is the nature of the spirit that drives this tsunami of creativity, music and revelry to take over an entire nation for such a long period of time, in tropical paradise conditions, each year, since the late 18th century. Over the next twelve months The Sentinel will undertake to not just offer snippets of the splendour but ultimately also be part of the move to deposit some of the famous Trini flavour, as a showcase, right here in Amsterdam during the summer of 2015.

‘One of the least understood of the world’s great and powerful folk festivals’

CaR Ni VaL

feature

The warm-up

First, the children and their parents take to the streets during â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kiddies Carnivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

feature

Then adults masquerade for days after having taken over the roads and streets

feature

If only controlled, long-lasting ecstasy was a term, Trinis would define it

feature

Colourful national pride in freedom backed by indigenous percussion and the loudest mobile (soca) sound systems on the planet

feature

classifieds

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.

photography © Layla Aerts

Mechelen Mechelen

perspectives

Dam in 60 minutes! 32

Osdorp

By Sam van Dam

perspectives

‘An impression of peaceful religious coexistence, as it should be’

The closer I get to my goal, the more churches and mosques line the streets, sometimes sat opposite to each other, separated by just the road, giving an impression of peaceful religious coexistence, as it should be, but more often than not, isn’t. I stop at each house of worship and take in the ornamentation and other Christian symbols before hopping back on my bike to continue deeper west. The style of the architecture changes; there are many high-rise buildings housing apartments and somehow they remind me of certain Parisian suburbs. A little further along small houses dominate the neighbourhood, creating a very cosy and relaxed atmosphere, while trees and large bushes add a natural flair. I leave the main road as soon as possible and bike into the Sloterpark, a very nice area that has the feeling of an actual forest in some places, with small paths

crossing the thick overgrowth that lead toward the water of the Sloterplas. This is a marina full of boats that are glistening in the sunshine, lazily bobbing on the sparkling lake. Ducks, geese and seagulls sit on the shore or make low passes while enjoying the prettiness of spring together with the many locals and myself, all who had taken the opportunity to bathe in some rays of golden light in the park. I see people jogging and skating, two policemen have a friendly chat with a couple of young mothers and I expect to see some kids jump into the lake at any moment... I then remember that it is not yet August and that it would be unwise to do so, but I like the idea. It will warm up properly soon I hope. Biking through the park I move in the general direction of the town centre, to see what the shopping public is up to. On the way there I come across a bunch of big, white geese who hasten toward me, and since I am not sure if they expected me to feed them, or if I was their dinner, I pedal on just as hastily, of course not without shooting them first, with my camera that is. Clearly I am too much of a city slicker it seems, so after this embarrassing encounter I make sure to move into more urbanised parts of Osdorp, where people, not animals, are the dominant species. It could have been due to the time of the day, but almost everyone I met in the streets was either very young or very old. With this there were many of the lovely, little, Canta cars that are now the traditional vehicle of choice for our physically handicapped fellow citizens. The terraces of the cafés are full of good folk full of spare time and an overall happy vibe had descended on the people and all was well. After having toured a bit through the lightness of the day I decided to make my way back to the big city, with a smile on my face I turn eastward and slowly ride back to my natural habitat. It did feel as if a little piece of me stayed in Osdorp, sitting by the lake with a smile, feeding the ducks, waiting for the ice cream truck that might pop around the corner at any moment.

Having previously visited Bos en Lommer and Slotermeer, this time we’ll go to Osdorp. Our starting point is the Mercatorplein, a prominent square and thoroughfare, surrounded by shops, bars, restaurants and on summer days, where the entire neighbourhood meets to enjoy warm evenings outside. After a bit of chillaxing with the locals, I bike down the Hoofdweg and make a right turn onto the Postjesweg, toward the Rembrandtpark, but, instead of entering it, I cross the bridge that dissects the park and continue travelling on my trusted, old bicycle. I pet the giant stone dog that sits on top of the bridge and take a peek at the people enjoying a fine spring’s day in the greenness below before heading toward my destination. This splash of nature is good preparation for my end point, as Osdorp is surrounded by parks and situated right next to a large lake, the Sloterplas.

perspectives

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Rotate 360 degrees to take it all inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

perspectives

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Trees and large bushes add a natural flairâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

perspectives

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I expect to see some kids jump into the lake at any momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

perspectives

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A little piece of me stayed in Osdorp, sitting by the lake with a smileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

perspectives

‘One distinct characteristic of the Dutch is an interest in foreign people’

– nt, e g i l l e t n i n A single madn m in Amster a –

Who are you? By Chad Bilyeu

The Dutch are a naturally curious and inquisitive people. One distinct characteristic of the Dutch is an interest in foreign people, cultures, politics and art. The Dutch have long been a cosmopolitan populace. As the former global leaders in trade, art, science and naval military during the 17th century, the Dutch have been intimately privy to the world around them for centuries. Foreigners within the Netherlands are generally welcomed and made to feel comfortable. It should be noted that the presence of foreigners will warrant the curiosity of the Dutch.

The Dutch are very adept at identifying non-Nordic foreigners within the political boundaries of the Netherlands. Upon identifying a foreigner, there is a strong chance that a Dutch person will approach a foreigner for questioning. The Dutch are partial to communicating in a direct fashion and will often avoid pleasantries such as salutations and name inquiries. This is an accepted process of communication in the Netherlands and should not be taken with any offense. What will ensue will be a deluge of probing questions that will ultimately explain the foreigner’s presence within the political boundaries of the Netherlands. Foreigners should not expect to counter with questions of their own until the conclusion of the Dutch person’s inquisition. The following text is an example conversation with sample questions and suggested answers:

perspectives

‘Foreigners within the Netherlands are generally welcomed’

‘The Dutch are very adept at identifying non-Nordic foreigners within the political boundaries of the Netherlands’

“You are from America?”

I studied American Studies.

No.

“You studied American Studies in Holland?”

“Really? Where are you from?”

I did.

Samoa.

“Isn’t that pretty patriotic of you?”

“Really?”

Not really. I wanted to learn what other folks think of America.

No. I’m kidding. I’m from the States. “Did you find out what we think of America?” “Where in the States are you from?” Yes. You guys think we’re all stupid, fat and devoid of culture.

“Cleveland? Where is that at?”

“What do you do here in the Netherlands for money?”

To the left of New York City.

Sell my body.

“Is it nice in Cleveland?”

“Do you make much money selling your body?”

Yeah. It’s like, the most beautiful place, like, ever. Your life won’t be complete until you go and eat a Polish Boy.

I’m considering a career change. “Do you speak Dutch?”

“You are here on holiday?” Nee. No. I live here. “Really? You live in Amsterdam?” I really do.

“How long have you been in the Netherlands that you do not speak any Dutch?” Two and a half years. How much time does the Dutch government give me to learn it?

“Where in Amsterdam do you live?” “Do you ride a bike?” I live in the North. “Why would you want to live in the North?”

No. I shipped my 1993 Eddie Bauer edition Ford Explorer over. Bike riding is for hipsters. Of course I ride a bike.

It’s not so bad. The ferry ride is quite cathartic.

“What do you think about the Dutch?”

“What made you move to the Netherlands?”

I don’t have enough time to answer that question sufficiently. Y’all aight.

Weed and hookers. Just kidding. I moved here for school. “It is better living here than in America, yes?” “Where did you study?” I wouldn’t say that. It’s different. At the UvA. Sorry, I probably mispronounced that. “What did you study at the UvA?”

I’m from Cleveland.

perspectives

‘What will ensue will be a deluge of probing questions that will ultimately explain the foreigner’s presence within the political boundaries of the Netherlands’

travel

Pure Grenada

travel

‘Grenada is pretty much off the beaten path’ By Denson Pierre

Continuing our themes on culture, travel, tourism and all that lies in-between, The Sentinel settled into conversation with Ms Alexandra Otway-Noel, Grenada’s Minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation and Culture at the True Blue Bay Resort, Grenada.

travel

‘We wish to share our gorgeous island with the rest of the world’

It is worth stating that this interview took place on 24/02/14, mere weeks before the British government proposed a relaxation of the highly destructive Air Passenger Duty (APD), as of April 2015, and just before the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Grenadian authorities approached complete agreement on an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) to the tune of about 120% of Grenada’s quota (US $21.9 million).

AON. Well, actually it is not that difficult to get here as there are flights out of the UK and we are presently at the final stage of negotiations toward having a flight out of Frankfurt, Germany. This should therefore be up and running as of the next high season. This is the Caribbean though, and Grenada is pretty much off the beaten path, so it is hard to get to, but even harder to then leave.

AON. Agreed, and I have been one of the most vocal regional ministers in protest of the APD tax. It is an unfortunate tax and the truth of the matter is that it was initially pitched as an environmental tax based on distance travelled from the UK. It is now no longer an environmental tax but just a tax. There is no justification to its structure. Q. It would seem to me that people wanting to fly from London to say, Thailand, do not have a minimum £ 750 to countenance... AON. Exactly! It is so odd, as for instance, with the capital of the United States being Washington DC (and the distance calculated is based on the location of a country’s capital), it means that it is cheaper to fly from London to Hawaii than it is to the Caribbean. This is of course not fair. So we have been battling and asking for a level playing field as that is all we really want. We also understand the need to make money and so on but we just need to be able to compete. Well, frankly it is a ridiculous situation...

AON. That being so, we are also now trying to get a bit more into the European market and the flight Of course, since you have been here in 1984 Grenada out of Frankfurt will also help with this effort. It so has gone through a lot politically as well as having had far looks very positive and we realise that there are Mother Nature do a number on us in terms of hurricanes many discerning travellers who are in fact looking for Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005). Both did quite a lot something unique. This group is well-travelled, been of damage but we have since recovered. Every time to the ‘Caribbean’ before and are now looking for something has happened to us we have managed to something special. This is definitely what Grenada is. bounce back beautifully and we happen to have a government in office which can be said to be pro-active Q. This ties into something which causes personal in doing things toward the benefit of our nation. In the frustration. Now, we have the islands of the Southern process of doing this we wish to share our gorgeous Caribbean with such proximity to each other (also island with the rest of the world. weary from explaining that from this part of the Caribbean to say, Jamaica, is as long a distance as that Q. You have mentioned the desire to share and the of Amsterdam to Barcelona) that it is all about twentygood connections from Europe but I can attest to the minute bridging flights. Why is it that this cluster of fact that the first thing a typically savvy European islands cannot cooperate more properly and make an traveller looks at in terms of long-haul flights, is price. offer as a ‘package’?

Q. So Madame Minister, I am at once very happy to be back here in Grenada. It is indeed my first time back since 1984. Why is Grenada together with the Southern Caribbean [Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Granadines, Saint Lucia and Tinidad & Tobago] so difficult to get to from the Netherlands and Europe?

It is not at all cheap to connect with the Southern Caribbean from Europe, even via London.

travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It is cheaper to fly from London to Hawaii than it is to the Caribbeanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We have been battling and asking for a level playing fieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

travel

‘We realise that there are many discerning travellers who are in fact looking for something unique’

If they could regularise and make their service punctual it would make a difference. When one visits other similar parts of the world like Greece or the Philippines, we find that their air connections generally work extremely well. What we have in the Caribbean is that every island is so diverse in terms of flair and flavour that it is a shame we cannot easily help the discerning traveller in easily accessing this variety. There is also an issue of reasonable pricing but this also has to do with taxes and post-9/11 changes. Is 9/11 why I had to pay LIAT US $300 for a 22-minute long (return) flight? AON. Absolutely. All of our airports service the United States with direct flights, so we have Federal Aviation Administration regulations with which we must comply. The truth of the matter is that a lot of taxes were added on throughout the region to offset these additional costs. This happened all around the world and not just here in Grenada.

Q. Well, given your size I am not sure you could actually handle mass tourism. AON. This is true and many people do not fully understand that concept. As it is, other islands are doing things like building thousands of rooms and only increasing their capacity. Grenada on the other hand has 1,500 rooms on a good day when combining all of our beautiful boutique hotels and this is what we feel people want when they come here. People wish to feel special and not just as a number in a tourism wave. In Grenada you have to be a guest and not a tourist. We will cautiously add more rooms but the approach will remain rooted in a ‘quality first’ offer. Q. Just to make sure, you are not doing a Norway and placing focus mainly on the over-55, retired, monied tourists are you? Are you also for the general tourist? AON. Well, you have to remember that, similar to your good self, we have more than 300,000 ‘Grenadians’ living abroad, and they are a large and captive audience for us. We have to therefore cater for them too, never mind that many of them have been rather successful at their overseas endeavours. Even though they can afford the more ‘expensive’ hotel rooms, they actually tend to prefer staying at the guest houses and smaller hotels. We also have 5,000 medical and other students at the island university and their families tend to come along and rent houses and so on. The idea is to have something of quality for everyone, across the board. We have in fact just rebranded. Q. So what about this new, Pure Grenada brand?

AON. Well, historically we have been known as the ‘Spice Island’ and I suppose we will always be considered as such. That is who we are and not what The overall global recession has affected us so it is we are. We felt therefore that we needed to rebrand a source of revenue for central government as well. to explain to the world exactly what Grenada had to Globally there is a trend to try reducing these taxes offer and there was no better way than Pure Grenada. because the numbers travelling are up, showing more I think it sums us up nicely. We have some of the most than 2 billion people having travelled last year, with magnificent diving in the Caribbean, our people are an increase forecast. We need to make it easier for travellers although Grenada’s focus is on quality and not wonderful and friendly, it is safe, natural and bountiful with waterfalls, lakes and rivers. Natural rainforests also quantity. Our interest is not in mass tourism.

AON. It is not really that the islands are not cooperating but historically there have been challenges. When you were last here for instance, what is now our international airport was nothing more than a shed and we would have needed to get to Barbados or Trinidad to further any international journey. The need for inter-island hopping can be said to have diminished, given that all of the island nations concerned now have these international standard airports. Added to this, LIAT (Leeward Islands Air Transport) who hold a virtual monopoly on connecting most of the Caribbean islands in general, have had their share of ups and downs including management and scheduling issues.

travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The need for inter-island hopping can be said to have diminishedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What we have in the Caribbean is that every island is so diverse in terms of flair and flavourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

travel

‘Grenada’s focus is on quality and not quantity’

Q. My readers expect me to be, well, me, so my final question comes a bit more from leftfield. You have stated that tourism is the greatest contributor to the Grenadian GDP. From my own reading of the situation throughout the (English-speaking) Caribbean it has been a disaster; St Lucia, owned by the IMF, Barbados, well... they thought they were ‘Little England’ but are only kind of pathetic right now, dramatically so, in fact. How does this make you feel when all around you these ultra-tourism focused islands are on their knees? AON. Not concerned at all in fact. You know why? It is because we are not mass marketing and going for just anyone who is willing to come. We are focused on a certain segment of the market that is looking for something special. These people are willing to spend a little bit more or take the extra flight to get here because they know they are coming to somewhere which truly stands out. Grenada has felt the impact of the global economic re-adjustment but not so much so as to affect our tourism offer. Throughout the region numbers have been down due to the fact that a lot of our business comes from the UK, which has been severely affected by the APD. I reassure you though,

Partners on this press trip to Grenada: Grenada Tourism Association: grenadagrenadines.com > Pure Grenada (video) > True Blue Bay Resort: truebluebay.com

abound and we wish to maintain all of this while the rest that the first-class compartments on flights to Grenada of the world appears to be concreting up for tourism. remain full. The hotels are busy and I think it all comes down to knowing who you are marketing to and making sure you are reaching them with the correct message. We are setting ourselves up for persons looking for This is what we are doing and I am fully confident that something to do with nature. We are still though trying to improve our tourism, as it is in fact, the largest (85%) once we design some programmes for the low season that we will reach out to the 300,000+ Grenadians out contributor to our GDP. We wish to make sure that there too. The goal is steady tourism throughout the every Grenadian has the opportunity for work, and by year. extension our agriculture and related sectors continue to thrive on supplying this industry. We are so far very happy with what we are seeing, and you must watch the Q. I see no better time than now to end the interview video that goes with this campaign. and I look forward to doing some follow-up at some point during the next two years. I thank you. We wish to be environmentally responsible so look forward to the entire, organic basis of the rebranding AON. I thank and look forward to seeing you here again, re-filtering into the society in general. We are looking and, welcome home. toward our audience recognising the good quality inherent in this approach. The idea behind the branding was to have people come to Grenada to enjoy it for what it is.

travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We have some of the most magnificent diving in the Caribbean, our people are wonderful and friendly, it is safe, natural and bountiful with waterfalls, lakes and riversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

travel

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;People are willing to spend a little bit more or take the extra flight to get here because they know they are coming to somewhere which truly stands outâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

classifieds

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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

amsterdam city life

: K C A B G N I R B GUNS 79

By Denson Pierre

Well, not really, and I harbour absolutely zero plans to ever visit the United States where they seem to think being around these apparatus of one murderous purpose, is interesting or somehow re-assuring, because of this. I have to travel out of Amsterdam by air every now and again and on my last trip via Schiphol, I was somehow again struck by the heavy arms carried by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. I understand that it is their responsibility to secure and police the international airport but wonder what threat they expect to face from those thousands already through thorough security screenings who then present as a throng of constantly on the move, shopping targets and persons rushing to catch flights. On my said last trip I connected via London Gatwick and was immediately awestruck by the even more depressing level of armour and hardware carried by their British airport security counterparts. I mean, I could not imagine an American frontline marine or special force operative being more decked-out in an actual battle zone. Frightening stuff close up. My destination on this trip was Trinidad & Tobago and there they also seem busy policing with high-powered

sub- and automatic assault rifles etc. It is all very bizarre as those officers too are inserted to operate and police within insanely crowded areas. I suppose it was re-assuring to hear the national security minister there (he is a retired captain from the T&T regiment who has had a lot of exposure to those US arms â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;expertsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) state during a TV interview that which any normal person would have reasoned. These guns cannot really be discharged within an area crowded by civilians anyway. Therefore, unless the officers I observed in three countries patrolling with these guns are sharp-shooting, error-averse cyborgs, then I think the show of strength is directed at the wrong public. The smartest bullets are still not so clever. It scares me to be around these weapons. I cannot believe that in all cases that thorough security screenings cannot be done at the perimeters instead and so rule out the need for this intimidation of space with apparatus that can yet discharge accidentally. Bring back a thorough reliance on technology in screening for weapons at sensitive locations or installations and maybe stop with the parade of apparatus of pure terror which are somehow meant to have the opposite effect on the thinking of peaceful global citizens. It cannot be that the perceived and real bad guys have to keep us under this guard.

star beer guide

Star Beer

star beer guide

The Sentinel Star beer guide By Denson Pierre

GIRARDIN KRIEK 1882

(A.B.V. 5%)

‘A gateway drink to those who may desire a fruity and cidery taste’ 81

Perception of ambient temperature and the Girardin Kriek 1882 is brewed by Girardin anticipated relationship between colour and Brewery, St Ulrik’s Kapelle, Belgium. taste can affect the level of appreciation a beer lover experiences with this and other lambic specials. Many a purist prefers having fruit kept at a safe distance from the beer brewing process. Girardin, at a very sunshiny and fine-tasting 5% alcohol however, can function as an excellent introduction to this type of beer. It is a star beer because it is a gateway drink to those who may desire a fruity and cidery taste to go with their sampling and colour touring.

recommended

Zilt 14/02/14

ENDED RECOMM

Gary Rudland says farewell to The Sentinel and hello to grudland.wix.com/proper-english > All the best to him!

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

CafĂŠ Westerdok Some of the very finest and rarest of beers available anywhere in the world. The warmest Amsterdam welcome. CafĂŠ 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

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

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?

Answer to: sentineldesk@gmail.com

room2c

Room 2c film The Last Samurai (2003)

By dpmotions

More of the best of New Zealand’s beautiful flora and landforms provide the perfect backdrop for the honourbound Samurai to stage their last stand. For once, Tom Cruise is not running around or even the true star of this wellwritten and cinematographed spectacular. It is all set in 1876-1877 Japan and the costumes and action scenes are a complete joy.

12 Monkeys (1995) “I am mentally divergent in that I am escaping some unnamed realities.” Bruce Willis has been saving the world with his extreme heroics for decades. Here his character is a schizophrenic prisoner in post-apocalyptic (2035) Philadelphia, who is sent back to the past a few times to stop the devastating spread of the killer virus at source. Easily one of the better movies of the 1990s with a young Brad Pitt making a well-acted impression.

By dpmotions

trends

Carrots and coconuts ‘There are numerous things you can easily fake, enhance, add-on, tie-in, boost, shape, suck-out, dye, push-up or change’

By Dirkje Bakker-Pierre

We live in a world in which it is possible to personally alter or influence more and more bodily features. Even without using plastic surgery or scary needles there are numerous things you can easily fake, enhance, add-on, tie-in, boost, shape, suck-out, dye, push-up or change. With summer not so far away we see the return of the usual springtime trend of tanning, and our other long-standing and popular tradition of fake tanning; used to always give the impression that you have just returned from a long break in the tropics. Fake tan is something we have all heard about and which most people have tried at one time or other. Spraying your entire body in a three-dimensional futuristic, Star Treklike contraption or covering it in carrot-coloured cream ‘evenly’, without forgetting even the smallest bit, as this will lead to uneven colourisation… Bear in mind that the responsibility of the result lies with you and not the product.

From shades such as light brown to yellow, bright orange or deep brown, the colour of your skin is something you can decide upon yourself. The weird thing is that any user always seems to end up in a completely unnatural orange hue, which you could never achieve using just normal, old-fashioned, sun rays. While one half of the planet is trying to gain darker tones there is huge opposite activity in the bleaching department. Many millions of people spend limitless amounts of time and money on creams, sprays, gels and lotions that make their skin become not darker, but lighter. Where both of these activities find each other is completely unclear. Is there some kind of ideal middle ground which both darkeners and bleachers work toward? Might this be a sort of ultimate, middle-tone, right at the centre of the lightest and darkest shades? Will the whole world turn carrot-orange at some moment? I am seriously crossing my fingers for the next football World Cup...

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health & well-being

Opal

By Evelina Kvartunaite

Nowadays it is not only used in jewelry but for healing and adjustments. Psychologically, opal is said to enhance memory and decrease confusion. It is said to be able to help one become ‘invisible’ in situations where one doesn’t wish to be noticed. This could be used in astral travelling as well as in daily life. What is rather curious is that opal is said to be a stone for love. It brings the inspiration of love into a stagnant heart chakra and brings on renewal. This can take the form of fiery sensual love or gentler unconditional love and any shade of love in-between. Opal is also said to bring fidelity to love.

“Opal...Made up of the glories of the most precious gems, to describe it is a matter of inexpressible difficulty: there is in it the gentler fire of the Ruby, there is the brilliant purple of the Amethyst, there is the sea-green of the Emerald, all shining together in an incredible union. Some aim at rivaling in lustre the brightest azure...of the painter’s palette, others the flame of burning sulphur, or of a fire quickened by oil.” ~ Pliny the Elder

For storage it is worth noting that opal dehydrates quite easily, so it is good to place it under a running stream of water every now and again. Charge it up overnight in moonlight and enjoy the sparkle!

And indeed opal is a pretty fascinating stone. The name is derived from Sanskrit and means “valuable stone” It’s been known for over 4000 years and in ancient Greece it was as valued similarly to diamonds as it was thought of as the tears of Zeus.

– ‘A pretty fascinating stone’ –

health & well-being

– ‘The tears of Zeus’ –

– ‘A stone for love’ –

technology

‘One would think that it is mostly about cell phones, it is not’

User Interface 92

You are wearing the future

‘At the MWC there was a burst of wearable tech’

‘Technology will no longer be only in your pocket, but sprinkled all over your body’

By Andrei Barburas

In February, the Mobile World Congress took place in Barcelona. More than 1,800 companies showcased their organisations through exhibition stands and hospitality space across nine halls and outdoor spaces at Fira Gran Via and Fira Montjuïc. While one would think that it is mostly about cell phones, it is not. At this point in history, technology and the evolution of technology seem unstoppable. In 1999, Ray Kurzweil proposed in his book ‘The Age of Spiritual Machines’ that the rate of change in a wide variety of evolutionary systems (including the growth of technologies) tends to increase exponentially. Kurzweil suggests that this exponential technological growth is counter-intuitive to the way our brains perceive the world- since our brains were biologically inherited from humans living in a world that was linear and local- and, as a consequence, he believes it has encouraged great scepticism in his future projections. At the MWC there was a burst of wearable tech.

Wearable tech has been around for a few years, but it is only now we are starting to see full colour displays, wireless connectivity and sensors that can track whatever you are doing. Samsung updated their original Galaxy Gear fleet and also revealed the new Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Seeing them in real life, I believe they are a bit too bulky for my less than muscular arm and hands anyway. What caught my attention though, was the Samsung Gear Fit. This band is much simpler than Samsung’s range of smartwatches, with its primary function being to let you track when you walk, run, cycle or hike – the latter of which Samsung seems a little obsessed with. The Gear Fit is still a cool device in its own right, coming as it does with a 1.84-inch curved screen and an inbuilt heart rate monitor to make sure your fitness efforts are on track. So far I did not see anything about the Gear Fit monitoring sleep; that’s quite important for me considering my own unusual sleep habits. Another contender to take a slice from the wearable pies, was Huawei, announcing the TalkBand B1. Its main focus is fitness, and it promises to track sleep patterns as well as steps taken, calories burned and so on. As

technology

well as the wrist-based business, the TalkBand B1 comes with a detachable Bluetooth earpiece that you can use for taking calls. I have been an avid user and supporter of the Jawbone UP. Recently and several months after its launch on iOS, UP24 is now available in Europe and its new app made accessible to Android devices. The only catch is that currently it is not available outside the US and also not compatible with Android devices (new app available only on iOS). Leaving aside the MWC, wearable tech is definitely the future. At SXSW, Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SVP of Android and Chrome, Sundar Pichai, said that in two weeks (by the end of March), Google will be releasing a developer SDK that will make it easier for companies to create wearable devices that run on Android. Google also released the already famous Google Glass, which made waves everywhere. Other companies like Logbar, are launching a ring. On its exterior, Logbarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ring device looks like nothing more than a silver ring, but packed inside the device are electronics that allow it to recognise your finger

gestures and control any number of devices. Microsoft is working on a smart brassiere. The idea is to measure your emotional state via sensors built into the bra, cross reference that with your feelings when overeating in the past, and send a warning to your smartphone if the system thinks youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re likely to reach for the jar of cookies... It seems like we are slowly but surely getting to the stage where technology will no longer be only in your pocket, but sprinkled all over your body. There are many other companies and even individuals currently building wearable technology; the only limit is their imagination. What is your take on all this? Are you embracing wearable tech? Would you wear something that transmits live information to your phone? more about: Microsoft brassiere > Samsung Gear Fit > Logbar Ring >

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sport

The Gold Room 96

By Denson Pierre

This season seems destined to answer all of its own most pressing questions during the very last couple of weeks of competition. The decision on the FFG-CL Player of the Season has to come now however. It must be said that it has been particularly difficult in terms of attempting to separate the very top performers this year. I have though given it all much thought and even suspended my emotional predisposition in terms of selecting a winner. Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal) GK: his brilliance and athleticism remains intact and outstanding but the entire Arsenal defence waned into the final quarter of the season. Bacary Sagna (Arsenal) DEF: it could not have been foreseen, but the form of Sagna as well as the entire Arsenal team totally and dramatically collapsed at the 75% stage of the season. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal) MID: proved once more that the race is usually won not by the quickest but by those who can survive. Maybe he was more important to

Arsenal when fit than assumed? He never came back in time from serious injury. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) FWD: my emotional favourite. It takes a special talent to score those precision, far-post goals, made when running at speed away from the target, and he is a master at this skill. Came back from one hamstring injury but the second removed him from remaining in contention for this title. This season we have a tie for the title of PotS: Luis Suarez (Liverpool) FWD: appears on his way to breaking even more Premier League scoring records and has managed to keep Liverpool looking guaranteed to be involved in Champions League football next season. Truly outstanding throughout. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) MID: here is the player to have most firmly and consistently boosted the teams appearing most likely able to win this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game. Hazard has timed his peak in form perfectly and goes into the final stages of the Premier and Champions League, backed by the tactics of JosĂŠ Mourinho, which could easily see him winning titles greater than this. Go to the site >

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