Intelligent Fridges

Are the new ‘must have’ techno inventions of today really necessary or are we just being manipulated into believing that we need all this?

I remember the uproar when the old vinyl disc was replaced by the compact disc, and the perturbed few who realized that they could never ‘not be at home’, any more with the introduction of the mobile phone. But what seems to have followed is a conveyor belt of new inventions, which I doubt the necessity of. Added to the blackberry, iPod, Mp3 player and iPhone there is also an intelligent fridge!

Well I suppose it could well be true. This mammoth fridge, not only keeps your food cool, makes ice cubes, is self-cleaning, and due to a cunning little strip underneath each product knows how much milk is left. It then tells you when to buy a new pack. Pretty handy, one may never have to write another shopping list again. It also has a built-in screen for TV and Internet—Hooray! I may never have to leave my kitchen again.  

Don’t worry about not having ever to think again, this will be compensated for by the fact that one regularly trains ones brain with the brain trainer programmes offered by a Nintendo DS Lite.

For those of you as cynical as me there’s a super short story called ‘The Machine Stops’ by E. M. Forster, which shows what could happen to the human race if we continue along this tack. But having said that, in a couple of years I will probably be the proud owner of one, once I’ve bought a bigger house of course.

© Alison Day

Alison Day Design 

First published in the Connections magazine #21 Autumn 2008 

Myriam Berenschot - Illustrations

When asked, Myriam defines herself mainly as a teacher, offering painting and illustration workshops, but she also works as an illustrator on commission for her own pleasure.

Schooled at the Academy Minerva in Groningen, she started by following illustration, graphics and abstract painting, but later decided to add a teacher-training course to the mix to broaden her prospects for the future. Finishing with a first class honours in 1992, she then decided to head off to Indonesia for a six-week break with two other colleagues.

Upon their return to the Netherlands the three of them set up their own studio in central Groningen. As well as pursuing their own work, they offered and developed a range of classes from beginners to advanced, for both adults and children. During this time Myriam was also busy giving portrait and watercolour classes at the Volksuniversiteit in Zuidlaren, Drenthe as well as painting workshops at children’s’ birthday parties.

The studio was put on hold in 1998, with the life changing arrival of new members to the various families coupled with moves to new houses and neighbourhoods. During this period Myriam continued with her own work and started making decorative coat racks on commission. She enjoyed being able to work on a smaller scale again by choice and left abstraction by the wayside choosing to go back to her preference of painting realistic and detailed works.

By 2005, and with her youngest daughter Ella in school, Myriam decided to pick up where she had left off and start up the painting workshops for children again. This she has been doing ever since at the neighbourhood playground association: Het Buurt & Speeltuinvereniging Helpman Oost ‘De Helpen’. Shortly, she will be branching out to include evening classes for adults. Also, she plans to resume the painting workshops for children’s’ birthday parties. Other work has included illustrating the plans for landscape designers, as well as giving drawing lessons for the SKC (after school reception) and illustrating a nursery school newspaper.

For the future, Myriam is in the process of joining forces with a couple of colleagues, each with a different creative discipline to her own. She says, instead of being an island in one’s discipline, as so many artists seem to be these days, she wants to see more of a mix between art and music and intends to achieve this through her liaison with them. This could pave the way to a whole new genre of workshop.

If you're interested in seeing more of Myriam’s work, or finding out more about her workshops: Myriam Berenschot

© Alison Day

Alison Day Design 

First published in the Connections magazine #21 Autumn 2008 

Dance is in!

Keeping fit doesn’t always have to mean going slavishly to the gym, dressed in this season’s lycra mishap, baseball cap crammed down as far as it will go (to remain incognito), and acting like a demented hamster on a conveyor belt, in order to fight the flab!

There are other activities to hand, which can be fun, keep you fit and happy and help to keep your social skills sharp as well. Have you ever thought of taking a dance class? No, I don’t mean attempting to relive Flash Dance under the pretext of being ‘discovered’ as the new dance hottie in town. There are a multitude of dance opportunities on offer such as Ballroom dancing, Salsa, Tango, Quickstep, Cha-cha-cha and even Belly dancing. Dancing is for everyone young and old. It seems, and I have this from an informed source, that ballroom dancing is also all the rage here, amongst the student population. Yes, surprising as this information may seem students these days are also looking for active distraction too.

So, let’s take a look at a few and see what's out there

Ballroom dancing covers several differently styled dances requiring a partner, the idea originating in Germany. Skillful interaction between two people in a partnership of dance means that its popularity not only continues as a form of social dancing for events and parties, but is also part of the competitive dance arena the world over, both for performance dance and entertainment. 

Salsa originates in the Caribbean (particularly in Cuba and Puerto Rico), Latin and North America. The music is not surprisingly salsa music, which also has a strong African influence. Again a partner dance with the sporadic solo steps and group interaction, with partner change included.

‘Salsa’ is the Spanish word for sauce. This spicy dance is flirtatious and sensuous. A well-known dance school for this is Salsa Roy in Groningen (Dutch)

The passionate and intimate dance for two, the Tango was originally known as tango criollo or simply tango. It originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, as a result of a music genre by the same name, originating in South America. One of the many tango styles of today, the popular Argentinean style can be recognized due to its melodic nature and the use of percussion to break up any heavy accents. What many consider to be the authentic tango is that which is closest to that originally danced in Argentina and Uruguay. 

Belly dancing is a western term for a traditional Middle Eastern dance form. In Arabic, Raqs Sharqi is literally translated as ‘oriental’, ‘national’ or ‘folk’ dance. The origins of the term originate in Egypt. In Greece and the Balkans, belly dance is known as tsiftetelli.

Belly dancing is ‘uniquely designed for the female body, with an emphasis on abdominal muscles, hip moves, and chest moves. It is firm and earthy, traditionally with bare feet connected to the ground. It is a dance characterized by smooth, flowing, complex, and sensual movements of the torso, alternated with shaking and shimmy type moves’.

Should you be interested in taking up belly dancing: Aina Danst offers courses for people at all levels, including the possibility of a proof lesson.

Source: Wikipedia

© Alison Day

Alison Day Design 

First published in the Connections magazine #21 Autumn 2008 

The Noorderzon Festival

If you haven’t been to the Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival yet you should do so. Every year for ten days in August this festival takes over the Noorderplansoen (park), is in various theatres and other venues in the inner city of Groningen and provides a varied and entertaining crossover theatre festival.

This year the festival celebrated its 18th year. Each year it grows in popularity and with a diversity of things on offer to do or see, and appeals to a wide audience.

Entrance to the part is free. There is a mixture of free and ticketed things to see. It seems that this year two thirds of the program comes from abroad, and dues to limitations the inner city location have more on offer this year.

The diversity of the program includes theatre, dance, multimedia, film, video and circus to name but a few.

The Romeo and Juliet tents house bigger acts such as circuses or thought-provoking theatre. Then there are the metal containers that house anything from quirky little acts, to artists and designers. This year’s theme seemed to be more than ever before about re-cycling, with some amazing results. Old pliers and iron welded together became an unusual lampshade, or a small dog sitting patiently waiting for its owner. Elsewhere, you could bring any article of your clothing to one stall to have it ‘pimped’ with an original silkscreen design.

One attraction I particularly liked was the ‘Pocket Garden’. A caravan had been turned into a small garden and filled with plants and flowers. The outside of it was pretty funky too!

As always there is world food and drink available in tents and terraces to suit every palate. In the evening the whole place is lit up with bulbs and trees are illuminated by green lamps, whilst videos are projected onto a three-screened object, which floats on one of the areas of water in the park.

For children there is always loads to do, painting activities are on offer and this year large paintings with cut outs where the heads should be were great for photo opportunities.

For more on the festival, visit their website – Noorderzon

© Alison Day

Alison Day Design 

First published in the Connections magazine #21 Autumn 2008 

Connections Magazine - Summer #20 2008

The tumbleweed summers of the Northern Netherlands.

© Alison Day

Alison Day Design 

First published in the Connections magazine #20 Summer 2008 

Connections Magazine - Spring #19 2008

Covering everything Chinese in business and culture, during the exhibition of the terracotta army.

© Alison Day

Alison Day Design 

First published in the Connections magazine #19 Spring 2008 

What's Hot, What's Not! - Garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Seeing as in the last few issues of the Connections the ‘What’s hot what’s not’ section has only covered ‘what’s not’ hot, we thought it was about time to include a ‘what’s hot’ article. So what about garlic? A hot favourite and integral part of many a cuisine the world over. It is also healthy, delicious and said to ward off evil spirits, what more could you wish for?

Love it or hate it, garlic has been around for over 6,000 years and is native to Central Asia. The word garlic comes from Old English garleac, meaning, "spear leek." Both the Greeks and the Egyptians used it as an ingredient in many a medicinal remedy. The Egyptians even worshipped it, clay models of garlic bulbs having been found in the tombs of the Pharaohs. Garlic has even been used as currency. The Vikings took garlic on their long voyages of pillaging and destruction, whilst the French used it in the 1770’s in Marseilles against the plague. Garlic has been known to stop dysentery and according to Louis Pasteur garlic has antibacterial properties.

From the garlic plant it is not only the bulb, which can be eaten, but also the leaves and the flowers. Health-wise garlic is good for you because of its two sulphur-containing antioxidants, germanium and selenium, which help to boost the immune system. Regular consumption of garlic has been found to fight cholesterol and lower blood pressure by thinning the blood. Included in a normal diet, garlic reduces the body’s production of fat and helps to break it down.

The downside to many is the smell. A raw garlic clove is sharp and spicy and is guaranteed to make your breath smell. Cooking garlic will reduce the smell and the flavour becomes more mellow and sweet. The bad breath or halitosis is caused by the sulphurous compounds in the garlic that feed on the bacteria in your mouth. To get rid of garlic breath chewing on masses of fresh parsley helps (according to some cardamom seeds help too). If you are planning a night on the town, a serious flossing session is a must as parsley between your teeth is also a turn off. For the garlic wimps there are a variety of garlic supplements available on the market, one such supplement being Kyolic garlic.

Garlic may be delicious but there is such a thing as overkill. Many years ago I met a man whose staple diet was sardines on toast, with a layer of thinly sliced, raw garlic on top. The multiple cloves of garlic were painstakingly sliced, very thinly as a topping for the small fish, until very little of the toast remained visible. Unfortunately, parsley was not on the agenda, and the resulting pungent aroma, which followed him everywhere, meant that it was not only very difficult to stay in the same room with him for very long, but one could always tell where he had already been.

And finally, although health and taste-wise the pros far outweigh the cons, when it comes to eating garlic, if you don’t want to smell of garlic (a large pot of parsley not being to hand), the answer is not surprisingly, not to eat it!

For an interesting restaurant where they are totally passionate about garlic: The Stinking Rose. Or for a restaurant nearer to home: Garlic Queen

 Sources: Wikipedia,  Home Cooking,  Innerself - Garlic

© Alison Day

Alison Day Design 

First published in the Connections magazine #20 Summer 2008