Review of the BlackBerry Storm ▪ Zumba, dancing or fitness? ▪ A journey through Vietnam ▪ Dutch Design Week uncovered
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Ka ri in ex A n te cl n Sl rv us au ie iv gh w e te wi r o th
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Versa! Doctor Rossi
Everything about fidelity: check your partner!
Good food?
Do we really know what we are eating?
Travelling to...
A brief journey through metropolis Paris
Live, life, love
I live in a trailer. I beg you pardon?
Can you make me straight? Tips to make your skin younger! On page 15
No. 30 ▪ December 2009 | £ 2,90
Alternating lifestyle magazine
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Versa!
No. 30 â–Ş December 2009
In this 30th edition of Versa: BlackBerry Storm review Our gadget freak Coen Doesborg tells you everything about the newest BlackBerry Storm Page 003
Homosexuality Is it a desease that can be treated? A brief documentairy about gay people and possible cures. Page 008
Living green An article with beautiful pictures of green furniture. It doesn’t have to be ugly at all! Page 011
Rubrics Gadgets Top 5 netbooks ▪ 004 Windows Phone ▪ 005
Dutch Design Week ▪ 005 Apple’s Iphone ▪ 006 Lifestyle Carpooling ▪ 007 Zumba ▪ 010 Women clothing tips ▪ 013 Health Fidelity ▪ 014 Fruit and vegetables ▪ 018 Travelling Vietnam and Cambodja ▪ 019 Holiday house ▪ 020 Exclusive interview Karin Slaughter ▪ 023
Good food
Colophon
9 tips to live healthier and getting handsome by eating fruit, vegetables and nuts. Page 015
Editorial staff Michelle Bastiaans, Huong Nguyen, Susanne Wouters, Tom Heines and Coen Doesborg
Tour de France
Production Copyshop Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen
A compleet sight seeing tour through France. What places should you visit at least? Page 021
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009 002
▪ Gadgets
Much feedback but no flow
The last couple of months we have seen many cell phones, equipped with a touch screen, which tried to beat off Apple’s Iphone. Not even one of them reached the level of the Iphone. The BlackBerry Storm, the first BlackBerry with a touch screen, is basically the most redoubtable competitor. Specifically the Storm offers its users something new: gentle feedback on a touch screen device. Manufacturer RIM calls it ‘SurePress’. By touching the screen with your finger, you select a function or program, but the function of program only starts when the screen is pressed. It feels like pressing on a mouse button. By the way, you are pressing the entire screen, which is made of glass. It’s a smart discovery, but unfortunately it does not really work. The price that must been paid for the touch screen feedback is way less ‘flow’ in the touch usability. You are not scrolling comfortably through your contacts. Viewing a website does not 003
feel very enjoyable. Skipping through your photographs does not move very fluently. And typing a message is going much slower than it used to go on a BlackBerry device, because you can only press one button at a time due to the SurePress technology. It is like driving a car with a steer that is not responding immediately on your movements. It does not work.
By that means, the BlackBerry Storm is losing the battle against the Iphone, but the BlackBerry Storm has a better camera and the possibility to record video clips. The usability is the most important feature of a touch screen device. So that has to work out well. But there is another disadvantage of the newest BlackBerry. Wi-Fi is not supported! It is a fact that Vodafone, the only operator that offers the BlackBerry Storm, has a good working 3G Network and includes ‘unlimited internet’ in the telephone subscription, but users will not understand this decision of RIM. Business users who are hooked on the e-mail features of BlackBerry, so called CrackBerries, are better off with a Blackberry Bold, which has a fullequipped ‘qwerty’ keyboard and the wellknown little scroll ball. The BlackBerry Storm is the bravest attack on the Iphone we have seen so far, but it is not a killer. In the next edition of Versa we will be looking at the T-Mobile G1.
Versa!
No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Gadgets
Top 5 netbooks Not a very long time ago you were carrying your complete office in the shape of a heavy laptop, or you were typing on a way too small PDA. Roughly a year later the gap between those two options is filled with many types of netbooks. Netbooks are small enough to carry them to almost everywhere. Advanced enough to handle (almost) everything and so cheap that millions have been sold already. Below you see top 5 of the most popular netbooks at the moment.
1. Samsung NC-10 This netbook with a 10.2” screen combines the best specs of other netbooks. It might not make this netbook the most light weighted, but it definitely does make this the most complete netbook. The keyboard is almost as big as a keyboard of a regular laptop, which results in comfortably typing. The hard disk offers 160 gigabytes storage. And what makes the NC-10 the winner? The answer is a 6 cell power battery, which stands for, according to Samsung, 8 hours of instant power. That is what makes a netbook user really excited, because that is just what every netbook user needs. £ 450,- www.samsung.com
2. MSI Wind U-100
3. Asus Eee PC 1000H
Keyboard? Pleasurable typing.. Specs? Quite satisfactory.. Connectivity? Plenty options.. Solidly built? It does not feel fragile. Battery? It gets you through a train trip, let’s say, without any wintry delay. Actually, there is nothing wrong with the MSI Wind. But it is better to wait for its successor, the U120, which provides, thanks to its 3G module, Internet access wherever you go. £ 430,- global.msi.com
Asus thought: let’s do something crazy! As most of the netbook manufacturers were making their machines much faster, more powerful and more expensive, the Taiwanese manufacturer Asus went to opposite direction. The first 7” Asus Eee PC is perhaps just a little bit too small, but since then Asus developed many comparable descendants. The biggest one, 1000H, is with its 10” screen and its affordable 1,5 KG, still easy in use. Besides, you can still work on it comfortably and it is also good to hear that the fall sales prices are announced! £ 425,- www.asus.com
4. Acer Aspire One
5. HP 2133 Mini note
According to Acer, they are selling way more netbooks than Asus at the moment. Six millions Aspire Ones versus five millions of Eee PCs. As we said before, the source of these figures is Acer itself. The Aspire One is definitely successful. Unfortunately it can’t be attributed to the looks, neither to the unmanageable keyboard or the low battery life. Maybe Acer thanks the positive sales figures to the price of the lightweight (only 1.06 KG). The specs are comparable to the competitors, but the price is absolutely not! £ 375,- www.acer.com
Convenient is the key word when we are talking about netbooks. You are not carrying it because of the stunning design or the feels of the plastic cover. The HP 2133 is trying to change that. From the inside a real life netbook and from the outside a glossy, elegant aluminium cover, a screen with a good looking black frame and last but not least a comfortably typing keyboard. But the look comes with a price, and not only in extra Pounds. This netbook with a screen of 8.9” has the size and a weight of a 10” netbook! Besides we think that Windows Vista on a netbook is a little bit overdone. £ 475,- www.hp.com
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009 004
▪ Gadgets
Windows Phone: ice cold shower Last October Microsoft announced the Windows Phone, the upgraded version of its operating system for smart phones. It was called Windows Mobile 6.5 before. The last update happened to be in the beginning of 2007, just a couple of months before the introduction of the Iphone from Apple. In those thirty months Microsoft had enough time to develop something to beat the competition. But the result is disappointing. It is almost embarrassing. Apple started the hype around smart phones and mobile applications. Google joined by introducing Android in 2008. Also Nokia penetrated the market with Symbian, Nokia’s operating system for smart phones. And last but not least, Blackberry entered the market. But Microsoft could not keep up, perhaps they were too busy with managing the discouraging sales figures of Windows Vista. Everything shows us that Windows Mobile 6.5 is like an intermediate stage. The interface is an improvement to version 6.1, but compared to competitors still insufficient. Touch control is supported, but cannot be done without the stylus. There is just no flow in the interface. So it is not surprising that mobile phone manufacturers like HTC (for his HD2) and Samsung (Omnia II) placed a selfdeveloped interface on top of Microsoft. I would be ashamed! Windows Phone
is supported by the MyPhone service, a copy of Apple’s MobileMe, were you can backup your data. More important is the Marketplace, where Windows Phone users can download different kind of apps, because apps are going to make the difference between smart phones of the next generation. Apple is front runner with more than 80.000 apps, 2 billion downloads and a hundred million of users. Google succeeds with approximately 10.000 apps. Microsoft requires her developers to translate their apps. Every country where the app is offered needs its own translation. That resulted in an availability of exactly two different apps during the launch on the English market. Do not misunderstand me; this is no Microsoft-bashing. I am not the only person who is disappointed by Windows Phone. On almost every techblog consumers are going back on Windows Phone. And if you have not had enough yet: Microsoft’s director Steve Ballmer recently admitted that version 7 should already have been on the market for a long time. ‘We screwed up with Windows Mobile’. Version 7 of Windows phone is going to be released at the end of 2010. I am afraid that’s far too late for Microsoft.
Dutch Design Week goes 2.0 Every year the Dutch Design Week (DDW) takes place in Eindhoven. During the successful one-week-design-event, people have the possibility to visit congresses, readings and workshops. A great opportunity for people to get inspired by designs from people all over the world. Eindhoven organizes the DDW for one particular reason: optimizing the cultural, economical and professional climate for design in Eindhoven. Organizing an event like this must help Eindhoven to win the ‘World Design Capitol’ award in 2012. As I mentioned, DDW is a one week during 005
event. Unfortunately, for me it was not possible to visit Eindhoven every day, so I tried to stay up-to-date by another way. The organization must have thought of that too, so they mobilized their visitors to keep everybody up-to-date. The solution to accomplish that was both for me as for the organization the social media instrument Twitter. Thanks to the organization, every Twitter user that was visiting DDW, added the hashtag ‘#DDW’ when tweeting about the event. And thanks to the uniform use of that hashtag, I was able to stay up-to-date by reading other people’s tweets and
by watching photos that other people instantly published on Twitter. Why do I mention all of this? When we are talking about ‘design’, we are saying ‘innovation’ too. And beside of the success of the DDW self, with this innovative way of communication in my opinion Eindhoven is one step ahead of Helsinki, the other competitor for the award of ‘World Design Capitol’.
Versa!
No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Gadgets Advertisement
How the Iphone changed our world We all know the iPhone, do we not? The iPhone is the world’s best selling Smartphone ever. When the iPhone was introduced in 2007, thousands of people were standing in line in front of Apple shops all over the USA. The success of the iPhone cannot be described in one sentence and certainly not by one person. But one thing is for sure: the iPhone changed our world! With the introduction of the iPhone millions of people got connected with each other, connected in an online world of downloadable applications. When you take a look at Apple’s online application store, you will find out that you can chose out of 80+ thousand applications. The most beautiful part of these applications is that the most of them are made for people, by people. This means that everybody is able to make his or her own application for the iPhone if he or she has the right knowledge.
The day the iPhone was introduced; social media like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter were coming up all over the world. This led to the development of hundreds of useful applications that were specially made for the usage of social media. People got connected thanks to those applications. Sharing photos, texting messages and streaming videos was no longer fiction, but became a part of our daily activities. The next time when you see someone usi ng an iPhone, think of the impact that small piece of electronic has made in our society. Think of this article and realize that the iPhone changed our world.
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009 006
Are you suffering from ‘the carpool syndrome’?
W
e all have been there: You know that a colleague from another department, who is living two blocks away from you, is driving he same route each day to the office as you do. You practically wave at your colleague when he or she is driving by your house in the morning, heading for work. In fact, there are even days that you are – accidentally – driving behind your colleague on the road for the whole route! You think of asking him or her to carpool, but something inside of you is holding you back from asking. It is the well known issue I would like to call ‘the carpool-syndrome’. ‘The carpoolsyndrome’ means that you are over thinking carpooling too much. You over think it by asking yourself too many questions in your head. The following questions are very common symptoms of ‘the carpool-syndrome’: ‘What if my colleague just answers ‘yes’ to be polite?’ or ‘What if 007
there will be awkward silences in the car every day?’. For all those of you, who recognize these symptoms, do not worry. Carpooling is not the same as declaring your love to someone; it has become a part of the society we are living in nowadays. Carpooling is a great way to fill up a lonely ride with the company of a person you have a connection with: a colleague. And let us be real: when you ask a colleague to carpool, you are not only showing your interest in the social life of your colleague, but you also show that you care about the environment. So the next time you see that colleague; do not be afraid to ask if you could carpool together. And if you do not want to rush into a whole intense ‘carpooling relationship’, try to start with carpooling one day a week. Do not say immediately ‘no’ to carpooling: think of the environment before you make your final decision!
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Lifestyle
Make me straight!
Every year at least 11.000 Americans are trying to cure their homosexuality. All official psychiatrist associations renounce these treatments. But especially church pressure on homosexuality is awkward. ‘Obviously, you do not have to be gay!’
Way before the Polish government did research for the sexual orientation of Tinky Winky, a former spokesman for America’s Moral Majority, Jerry Falwell, noticed the purple Teletubby. In the National Liberty Journal, a publication from the Liberty University founded by him, he wrote in 1999 that the purple colour and the antenna on his head (which is shaped like a triangle) were kind of shady. He said it did not provide a good role model for children because Tinky Winky was gay. As far as most people concerned Tinky Winky was just a sweet, technological baby, which was popular on TV.
But, the statement was not as lighthearted as it seems like. Until his death, Falwell was one of the most leading foremen as far as the Christian political party concerned. Since the seventies he had some political influence too. He founded the Moral Majority, a firm lobby for a conservative social agenda. Besides he cooperated with Ronald Reagan en George W. Bush. After his dead, the public debate around homosexuality (especially in Christian walks of life) did not come to an end. Mainly the matter around one of Falwells successors, Pastor Ted Haggard of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, is of common knowledge. Weekly, Haggard got in touch with consultants of President Bush. He told them, just like in his Church; frequently that God would not understand homosexuality. He headed for stringently adjustments the fundamental law.
Soon after the publication of the film Jesus Camp, the ex escort boy Mike Jones made public that he had been in a relationship with Haggard. After a few months of silence, Haggard proclaimed in The Denver Post that he had been on rehab, on a secret location in Arizona. He had three weeks of intensive therapy en was now cured.
Alfred Kinsey was the first to study widespread trends in human sexuality. He released a study on male sexuality, which concluded that 13% of men were gay.
Repair therapy What does it exactly mean? Everywhere in the United States seems to be courses, workshops and therapies. Many of these therapies could be traced back to one person. Charles Socarides, who said homosexuality was a mental disease caused by a brought up by a ‘weak father’. In 1968 he developed a therapy that should cure all his patients. Effects of reparative therapy Almost all professional associations of psychologists, psychiatrists, medical and pharmaceutical professions and so on, are still declining every way of gay conversion of reparative therapy. The biggest part of people, which saw no improvement after the treatment, reported suffer from psychic damage. For example low self-esteem and self-respect, mental depression and isolation.
This might be a solution for some people who are struggling with their sexual orientation. And the war against homosexuality will go on in the future. On the other hand, many gays and lesbians are happy with themselves, just like Tinky Winky.
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No. 30 â–Ş December 2009
▪ Lifestyle
Zumba! Dancing or fitness? Burning fat and calories while dancing! Everybody knows that working out is healthy, but most people hate to work out. There is a new fun thing called Zumba and it is perfect for all the sports haters! There has been a lot of hype about this new thing. Zumba is an intense mix of dance and fitness and everybody is talking about it nowadays. This week you can read everything about this worldwide hype that makes an entire community of individuals having fun while they exercise. What is Zumba? Zumba is a fitness and aerobics program that uses enjoyable Latin rhythms and easyto-follow moves. The Zumba program is developed by dancer and choreographer Alberto Perez, together with fitness instructors and entrepreneurs Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion. There are Zumba DVDs and videos being sold worldwide via the Zumba-website and television. The sale of Zumba DVDs and videos increased explosively after the Zumba showcase that was broadcasted on America’s top-rated Today Show in October 2007. Growth continued in 2008 and there was a lot of media attention, for instance in The New York Times and The Washington Post and on various TV channels all over the world. A Zumba workout aims to combine body sculpting with choreography that is easy to follow for anyone. Both people with a long dancing experience as people with no experience at all (with dancing and aerobics) can enjoy a Zumba workout. Most people who just got started with Zumba are stumbling around in total confusion, but you will learn it very fast. Of course you need to appeal to Latin music, because that is the music that you will hear during exercising. The basis of Zumba is aerobic interval training combined with both fast and slow rhythms. Focus areas are the arms, legs, belly and the heart. With Zumba you train your muscles and you perseverance while burning fat and calories. With one hour of
Zumba you can burn about 800 kilocalories, so it is perfect to lose a few pounds. The Zumba music is what makes the exercise so much fun; it just makes you want to move. That should keep you motivated and gives you a different feeling than any other group training and aerobic dance workout. Even if you do it at home with an instruction video (you do not need things like steps, elastic bands and weights). A Zumba class is not really tied to a routine, every class is different. The music As previously indicated in this article, Zumba uses Latin dance and music influences. It is a wide variety of music, such as salsa, meringue and reggae. In a typical Zumba class the instructor may incorporate music from Belly Dancing, Calypso, Hip-Hop, Swing, Country Western and even popular tunes. Jazz, tango or contemporary music is many times used for the cool down.
Oh, and men? You can Zumba too! Maybe it was a rare situation before, but there are more and more men out there who Zumba too, and they even enjoy it!
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009 010
Buy quality
n e e r G le
Last but not least: buy sustainable furniture that is easy to repair. Even if the material is recyclable, you need energy to recycle. So it is always better to prevent throwing away furniture.
lifesty
Nowadays we are more aware of the environmental issues that are endangering our planet earth. To contribute saving our planet you should consider a greener lifestyle and this includes environmental friendly products for your house. There are more heaps of durable and environmental friendly possibilities than you will think. Below you find a few suggestions to furnish your house with environmental friendly furniture.
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Secondhand is super environmental friendly The most environmental friendly products are secondhand products, so also second hand furniture. With paint or fabric you can turn furniture into the style that you like.
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No. 30 â–Ş December 2009
Natural Materials A lot of furniture is made of Rotan wood and bamboo. Furniture made of Rotan wood or bamboo are very sustainable. If you are considering buying environmental friendly furniture, make sure they are made of wood with a FSC mark.
Demolition wood
Toxic chemicals
These days you will find more and more designers using demolition wood (recycled wood) for their products. For example Piet Hein Eek from the Netherlands, he only uses waste materials in his designs.
Not much people are aware of the fact that a lot of furniture and accessories contains toxic chemicals. So be aware that the furniture and fabrics you buy are treated with natural recourses like organic cotton and wool, natural colored leather and lack with natural bases.
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No. 30 â–Ş December 2009 012
▪ Lifestyle
What are you wearing this Christmas?
The most beautiful thing of each new season, is that you have got yourself an excuse to go shopping for a new outfit! It is not necessary to throw away your old clothes and buy a brand new wardrobe, but mix and match your new clothes with your old clothes. Check out these 10 must have fashion tips for this season.
1. A new black skirt: a black skirt is the most standard thing a woman can have. The skirt could be combined with all types of clothing.
2. A Pair of black tights that matches your black skirt: when you wear a pair of black tights, you will always leave a professional impression.
3. A purple blouse: purple is, with
no doubt, the colour of this season. It gives a sweet look. You could wear it on your black skirt or wear it with jeans for the weekend.
4. A lace blouse: lace blouses are very popular this season. A lace blouse is always dressed.
6. A black dress: every girl should have a black dress. A
black dress comes handy for a dinner, party or for any occasion when you want to dress up.
7. A trench coat: if you don’t already have a trench coat,
invest in one. You could wear a trench coat on all clothes. This is a trend that stays for a long time.
8. Knee high boots: high boots do not only look cool, they keep your feet and your legs warm.
9. A print top: a top with a print is very trendy this winter. You can think of many prints, for example a flag or a text.
10. A winter t-shirt: don’t forget to buy a long sleeves t-
shirt. You can match a long sleeves t-shirt with your tops of the summer.
5. Wide legged jeans: we will not
see narrow legged jeans in stores this winter; wide legged jeans are trendy again. Wear it with a nice top and you are ready for your date.
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Health
Doctor Rossi: Check your fidelity! Men are ought to cheat more than women, and macho guys are ought to be more unfaithful than the sissy ones. But do they really cheat more often? How can you predict if your partner soon will be disloyal to you?
Macho guys/ladies The best and trustworthy way to decide one’s loyalty is to check the inside body. Our body contains all kinds of hormones that influence our sexual desire. Woman who contain a lot of estradiol are rather unfaithful than woman with less estradiol. And men with less vasopressin in their body are tending to cheat more than men with more vasopressin in their body. But some infidelity characters can be seen by the looks. The most obvious hints are the mannerly features, for example a broad chin is the result of a lot testosterone and this hormone makes you want to cheat.
Career tigers Is your partner hopping from the one super job to another one? If yes, you should better keep an eye on him or her! These career tigers belong to sensation seekers and we all know that sensation seekers are responding strong and enthusiastic on new and exciting experiences. These sensation seekers are bored quickly and are not considering any risks. You will see this back in the things that they do, they could have a passion for extreme sports and they also could have an urgent need for new and exciting sex experience. And what else is more new and exciting than infidelity?
Not the middle kid Several scientific studies tell us that the range of siblings and also which place in the family has an influence on someone’s character. For example middle children are less to cheat than their oldest and their youngest sibling. Scientist tells us that parents are to blame, because they spent more time with their oldest and youngest sprouts. As a reaction middle children are less positive about their family relations than their oldest and youngest siblings, but instead they are more positive about their relations with people (work, love, friendship) outside the family. This makes them more focused on these “outside” relations and makes them more faithful. So if your lover is a middle kid of her/his family, you know you can sleep tight. We can say that a gender does not say much about infidelity, but the character and the looks do. So how can you predict if your partner soon will be disloyal to you? Just check if your partner matches with one of the two profiles.
Keep an eye on your partner when he or she is hopping from job to job!
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Health
Keep your skin younger!
1. Berries
2.
Salmon, Walnuts and Flax Seed
Blackberries, The healthy-skin blueberries and ingredients in these strawberries have a goods are essential high-antioxidant. This fats. These essential could help to make fats are useful for the your skin healthier. edification of your You do not like fruit? cells. How fatter the Artichokes, beans, ingredients of these prunes, and pecans goods, the better contain a highyour skin cells hold antioxidant as well. moisture. 015
3.
4.
5.
Water
Healthy oils
Good hydration is the best thing you can do to have a healthy looking skin, and there’s nothing better than pure, clean water to quench your body’s thirst.
Good-quality oils keep your skin lubricated and make your skin look and feel healthier. But do not forget even healthy fat is high in calories, so limit yourself to two small spoons a day.
Wheat, bread, Muffins, Cereals, Tuna and Nuts All of these goods are rich in the mineral ‘selenium’, which plays a key role in the health of skin cells.
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009
â–Ş Health
6.
Low-Fat Dairy Products Vitamin A is one of the most important components of a healthy skin, and low-fat dairy products such as milk and yogurt are great products to get vitamin A.
7. Green Tea
8.
Sunflower Seeds
Green tea is very These tiny seeds healthy. It could contain the most reduce the risk natural vitamin E of of some forms of any food. And there is cancer; it protects the no antioxidant better cells in your body. in slowing down the aging of skin cells, to keep you look younger for a long time, than these tiny seeds.
9.
*
Carrots This vegetable is full of vitamin A, which helps to balance the pH-level of your skin. Carrots fend off harmful bacteria. Academic researchers of the National Cancer Institute found out
that people with the highest intake of carrots, were six times less likely to develop skin cancer than people with the lowest intake.
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No. 30 â–Ş December 2009
▪ Health
Fruits & vegetables, what’s in it for me? What do we eat when we eat fruit and vegetables? And what function do al of these nutrients and vitamins have? Doctorandus Martijn B. Katan tells us everything.
Fruit is good for you because of things that are NOT in it An apple for lunch gives you a good feeling. ‘Today I ate something healthy’. Some people are even feeling guilty when they did not eat two pieces of fruit a day. Is it that bad when you have missed your daily portion of fruit? No, it is not, that is to say if you do not replace it by a fruitcake or an apple pie. Fruit is so healthy because of everything that is just NOT in it. It is a healthy snack or side dish with little calories. When you have an appetite, you should better take an apple rather than a filled chocolate bar because that apple contains less calories (four times!). ‘An apple a day, keeps the doctor away’ is a good advice, but only when you leave off something else for it. An apple does not clean your teeth. Apples contain sugar and acid, so eating apples all day long is not good for your teeth.
your blood and brains). Folic acid is important by preventing birth defects; loads of it would be necessary, comparable to 500 grams of spinach a day. Folic acid and vitamin C can’t stand heating, so you will lose some (folic acid 20% and vitamin C 50%) of it during cooking. 100 grams of kale contains five times more vitamin C than 100 grams of raw iceberg lettuce. Carrots and dark coloured vegetables contain carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. You need it for the movement of your eyes. But of course it does not help to eat carrots when you are visually handicapped.
And what about garlic? Garlic is tasty, but there is no evidence for positive effects on your body. Advantageous effects on blood pressure, cholesterol or cancer have never been proved. Research that proved positive effects were likely influenced by manufacturers of garlic pills. Moreover, vegetables contain iron, but vegetable iron is badly ingested by the human body. Spinach doesn’t contain much of iron. The famous Popeye story was based on a misprint in an old German nutrition table. When the writer of Popeye had checked it more precisely, we would never have heard about Popeye.
Good nutrients in vegetables Vegetables are quite healthy, but the hype around vegetables is rather excessive. A leaf of lettuce and a tomato slice will not make your cheese sandwich healthy. Vegetables are even healthy because of things that are not in it: no saturated fat, no salt or sugar and hardly any calories. Vegetables contain, depending on the sort, different kinds of vitamins. Vegetables contain vitamin C and folic acid but they also contain no vitamin D (good for your bones) or vitamin B12 (for
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▪ Travelling
Travelling to... Vietnam or Cambodia? If you are still wondering where you should go for the holidays, then STOP now! Discover the true sights of Vietnam and Cambodia. Meet the friendly and warm people of Hanoi and Phnom Penh. The fact that Vietnam and Cambodia are neighbor countries makes it easy for travelers to combine these two beautiful countries in one holiday. Below we have set out what Vietnam and Cambodia have to offer you. So sit back, relax and discover Vietnam and Cambodia. Vietnamese hospitality The French influences in Vietnam are still very visible in the cities Ho Chi Minh City and the capital city Hanoi. You will see the French influences back in the architecture as well as in the Vietnamese kitchen. For example the Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City is a must see! But also the Ben Thanh Market, the War Remnants Museum, the Cu Chi Tunnels and the many shopping malls makes today’s Ho Chi Minh City.
Make sure you do not forget to bring the tailor city Hoi An and the imperial city Hue a visit. In Nha Trang you will find white beaches where you can go snorkeling, scuba diving and beach hopping. After spending some hot days at the beach you can cool down in the mountain city Dalat. The Mekong Delta will bring you in contact with the countryside and you will discover the daily lives of many Vietnamese people by boat.
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Cambodia – Hidden surprises in the jungle If you would like to, you can combine your Mekong Delta trip with crossing the Cambodian border. From the capital city Phnom Penh you can bring a visit to the impressive “Killing Fields”. A must see in Cambodia is the cultural phenomena temples of Angkor located nearby Siem Reap. During your stay in Cambodia you will see the impact of the Red Khmer, namely the pain, suffer and poverty. But despite the pain, suffer and poverty the Cambodians still manage to smile and open their arms for tourists. Did you know that today’s Ho Chi Minh City used to be called Saigon? “Sai” means the fruit mango and “gon” means cotton. In the early days these products were the most important products of Vietnam.
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Travelling
T
his month we have a look at the family Jonson and their old trailer. For the family their trailer is a holiday house. In summer weekends they visit their trailer often. There is not a lot of space, but it is big enough for five people. We are very interested in how they do that, so we’ve asked the family Jonson for a few tips. Five years ago they stripped out their trailer and fitted in new furniture. They made it just the way they wanted it to be. The trailer is only 5x2m, but it is still possible to eat with eight people for dinner. All furniture is multifunctional. For example: in daytime the bed is transformed to a sofa. The family hang up many items on the walls. They have shelves that reach up to the ceiling and above the entrance doorway they have a shelf where they keep things they do not use often, like mechanical tools.
A small holiday house Other tips for small spaces according to the family are: • In small spaces little mess gets quickly out of control. The solution is to look for a smart way to store your stuff. For example: use boxes and use space above the living room and below your bed. Boxes hold more stuff than shelves and hide rubbish. • Keep the floor space clear. Hooks are brilliant for hanging up bags, clothing and cooking material. • Use light to create space. The family Jonson uses a white rug to make the room look more spacious. And furniture with glossy surfaces reflects light in the same way as mirrors. • Utilise dead space. No space is wasted. They have fitted shelving to the walls around the entrance to create a sort of storage cupboard. Perfect for storing stuff like gardening equipment. • Update the textiles. Keep a small space feeling fresh by changing what is easy like cushions, curtains, bedding and rugs. It was very interesting to have a look in this trailer. Thanks to the family Jonson! Versa!
No. 30 ▪ December 2009 020
▪ Travelling
Sightseeing in Paris Paris is one of the most interesting cities in Europe. No matter if you come for pleasure or business, your visit to Paris will give you nothing else but great impressions. You will find out that the things you could see and do are almost limitless. History, architecture, arts and culture, or even an exciting theme park like Disneyland Paris, Paris has it all! In Europe and in the rest of the world, Paris has always been a center of culture.
North- and South side Paris is the capital of France and by far the largest city of the country. Including the suburbs Paris has 11 million residents and is the second largest city in Europe after London. Many people who are living in Paris are coming from the former colonies of France, what makes it a multi-cultural city. The city center is bisected by the river ‘Seine’. At the North side of the river (Rive Droite) are some of the most famous highlights including the Champs Élysées. This avenue is leading to the Arc de Triomphe. At the other end of the Champs Élysées is La Place de la Concorde, a magnificent square where several important historical events have taken place. In Rive Droite you will also find the Louvre, the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Notre Dame. At the South side of the river (Rive Gauche) the Eiffel Tower dominates the skyline. This famous tower will offer you some breathtaking views. A dynamic and powerful network Parisians are proud of their subway system. With more than a century of history, the system is immense, effective and very well-managed. Six million passengers are using the subway system every day. From any location in downtown Paris there is a subway station not further than 500 meters from you. Therefore the subway is the best and the fastest way to travel in Paris, both for business people and tourists.
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What are the best places to visit in Paris? Take a look at the following list of attractions you really should not miss. The Champs-Élysées The Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous boulevards in the world. The avenue is two kilometers long and leads from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. At the ChampsÉlysées you can stop by one of the cafes, restaurants, theaters and luxury shops such as Louis Vuitton and Armani. Bring enough money with you because the Champs-Élysées is very expensive. Arc de Triomphe Arc de Triomphe is the largest triumphal arch in the world and a famous eye catcher of Paris. The arch is built at Place Charles de Gaulle (a busy roundabout) and is 54 meters high.
Versa!
No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Travelling
Arc de Triomphe was built in honor of the victory of Napoleon. The construction of the arch started in 1806 and was completed in 1834.
Butte Montmartre Montmartre is the tallest hill and district of Paris. Montmartre is a historical area and home of the beautiful Basilica of the Sacré Coeur. The church can be seen throughout Paris, and offers some of the most wonderful views of the city. Montmartre always had a history with artists and has many art galleries and studios, cafes, boutiques, nightlife and of course the legendary nightclub Moulin Rouge. The Latin Quarter In the Latin Quarter you will find small streets, historical buildings and many restaurants and bistros. The Latin Quarter is an atmospheric and lively area, home to the University of Paris (La Sorbonne). The area gets its name from the early Latin-speaking students.
Notre Dame Cathedral The Notre Dame Cathedral is a fine example of French Gothic architecture and is really worth it to bring a visit. You can find the cathedral on Ile de la Cité, a small island in the Seine River. The construction of the Notre Dame started in 1163 and was completed in 1345. The cathedral is 130 meters high. You can climb the two towers of the Notre Dame, each 69 meters high. The cathedral became famous by the book The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this book was written by Victor Hugo in 1831.
The Louvre The Louvre is housed in the Louvre Palace (originally a medieval fortress and palace), built in 1190 and extended many times. Nowadays the Louvre is the largest and most visited museum in the world. The museum contains more than 380,000 objects and shows nearly 35,000 works of art from prehistory to the 19th century. One of the most famous masterpieces in the collection is Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The Eiffel Tower If you are in Paris, you have to visit the world famous Eiffel Tower, the ultimate symbol of Paris. The Eiffel Tower was designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World’s Fair. The tower was built between 1887 and 1889 and is 317 meters high (the antenna reaches 324 meters). The tower has three levels for visitors. The third and highest level is only accessible by lift. Every level offers an amazing view.
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009 022
▪ Interview
A writer should always tell the truth She sits cross-legged on a sofa. Cozy and domestic, but at the same time a little bit defensive. Karin Slaughter is not the worst person when it comes to promotion. She really understands how important publicity is, even if you are already a celebrated author.
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arin Slaughter (1970) grew up in South Georgia, America and now lives in Atlanta. Her debut novel Blindsighted became an international success and made it to the Dagger Award shortlist for “Best Thriller Debut” of 2001. Karin Slaughter has achieved massive international success with her Grant County series about pediatrician and coroner Sara Linton. Slaughter achieved again a great success with the Atlanta series featuring policeman Will Trent in 2006. Earlier this year Slaughter’s ninth thriller appeared: Genesis, book seven in her Grant County series. She writes her best-sellers in her dad’s cottage in the North Carolina Mountains, is a sedentary and emphasize and above all she leads a very normal life. “I go to the supermarket, clean the cat’s box and visit the gym and the cinema”. Perhaps Karin Slaughter could be called a star: not only mysterious but also different and eccentric. How many books do you read per year? I think I read between 50 and 60 books a year, that is a conservative estimate. I travel a lot; I read a lot of books while travelling. I love reading a good book, at the airport, in the plane, at the station, but also at night before I go to sleep. What are the ingredients for a good book in your genre? A writer should always tell the truth to his readers. A book must be credible. In my opinion it is terrible to read a thriller where the villain makes his appearance on page 350,
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while the book has 360 pages. I cannot really do anything with things that come out of nowhere. I think the best books have a denouement of which the reader thinks: “Of course!” This way you give the readers a good feeling. Have you always wanted to write? For as long as I can remember I have been writing, but I never thought it would be a career for me. I think you do not realize that you are actually doing something until someone reads one of your pieces and says, “Hey, this is pretty good.” The person who did this for me was my ninth grade English teacher. After being in her class I started to realize that writing was not just something I had to do before I could sleep at night. What have you read in the past six months that you would recommend to our readers? I have read many books the past six months, but at the moment I read ‘Helpless’ by Barbara Gowdy. So far it is great. I love her work. Anyone who can write a short story about necrophilia and can keep it a romantic story, will always be in my list of favorite authors. Two weeks ago I finished the new Anne Tyler. I love her stories because they seem really simple, but they are actually complicated in the best way. Who are your favorite authors? Kathryn Harrison is my favorite author at the moment, her work is very sensitive and absolutely brilliant. Val McDermid is my favorite mystery author at the moment. I
think ‘Wire in the Blood’ is one of the best books out there. Denise Mina is doing some fabulous things as well. As I said before I love Barbara Gowdy and I have read all of Kate Atkinson’s books. Mo Hayder is fabulous. Peter Robinson, Fidelis Morgan, Mark Billingham, Lee Child, Lynda LaPlante, the list could go on and on. Do you attach more value to criticism of your readers or to criticism of your reviewers? I think the comments of readers and critics are both equally important. Critics are actually just readers; they only have a bigger platform to spread their opinion. Critics mostly have the ability to support their opinion better. Most often, critics also have the ability to write it down in a more advanced way than readers. Are the main characters in your book autobiographical? All my main characters have pieces of me in them. Lena owns my impulsivity, Sara my thoughtfulness and Jeffrey my impatience. I very much enjoyed writing my standalone ‘Triptych’, especially by the characters in the story. I think the character Will is the best example of how my brain works. I really identify myself with him. Finally, what are you working on now? I am enjoying life, I am going on tours, write columns and I am working on a book called ‘Broken’, which is set in Grant County and will be out in 2010.
Versa!
No. 30 ▪ December 2009
▪ Lifestyle
Genesis, Slaughter’s last book Someone had spent time with her someone well - practiced in the art of pain.. Three and a half years ago former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton moved to Atlanta hoping to leave her tragic past behind her. She is now working as a doctor in Atlanta’s Grady Hospital, where she is starting to peace her life together. But when a severely wounded young woman is brought in to the emergency room, she finds herself drawn back into a world of violence and terror. The woman has been hit by a car but, naked and brutalized, it is clear that she has been a victim of a twisted mind. When Special Agent Will Trent of the Criminal Investigation Team returns to the scene of the accident, he stumbles on a torture chamber buried deep beneath the earth. And this hidden house of horror reveals a ghastly truth, Sara’s patient is just the first victim of a sick, sadistic killer. Wrestling the case away from the local police chief, Will and his partner Faith Mitchell find themselves at the centre of a grisly murder hunt. And Sara, Will and Faith - each with their own wounds and their own secrets - are the only ones that are standing between a madman and his next crime.
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No. 30 ▪ December 2009 024
Versa!
No. 30 â–Ş December 2009