News in Brief

Each year Belgian and Dutch students take up the challenge of creating a winning design for Hema. The briefing for this, the 24th edition of the Hema design competition, was: design an authentic Hema product related to the theme of ‘sports and games’. “This is precisely what we mean by ‘exceptional simplicity’. This makes everyone feel good right away,” said jury chairperson Sabien Duetz, of Bontenbal’s winning design, the ‘Tjielp’. “The name, the design, the packaging…everything about Tjielp is spot-on,” Duetz continued. “These attractively designed birds let you easily and simply organize a ‘bird hunt’ in the forest. You attach the bird to a branch using the clips on the tail. Cards with tasks can be placed in the beak and tail. The design invites you to go out and discover your neighbourhood, park or local forest.”

Strong growth
The Dutch central bank (DNB) has issued new estimates showing that the Dutch economy will experience stronger than expected growth this year. The DNB estimates economic growth at 2.2 percent in 2011, which is higher than
previous estimates of 1.6 percent, thanks to surprisingly strong growth in the first quarter of this year. The DNB did however warn that the European debt crisis continues to pose a problem for the country’s economy, with DNB director Lex Hoogduin describing the situation as “a ticking time bomb that hasn’t yet been convincingly defused.”

Airbus fancy
European Aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, has unveiled its ideas for aircraft of future at an event held at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Airbus’ ‘plane of the future’, which could become a reality by 2050, resembles a translucent bubble in which passengers can play golf video games and inhale vitamin-laced air while flying. This concept plane also features: ‘relaxation zones’ with fully-stocked bars; an intelligent, translucent ‘skin’ that allows passengers to see outside the plane; holographic pop-up gaming displays and in-flight entertainment powered by the heat of passengers’ bodies; and a ‘vitalizing zone’ that helps passengers relax with ‘Vitamin and antioxidant-enriched air, mood lighting, aromatherapy and acupressure treatments’.

Conflict
Marco Waas will stay on as Dean of the faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE). TU Delft’s Executive Board says that ‘there is no reason to stop with Waas because of the apparent conflict of interest”, following a report in the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad on June 11 that alleged Waas was guilty of conflict of interest. Waas was reported to have been involved in six transactions involving two of his wife’s companies, TrackFinder and VPC, for a total amount of three-quarters of a million euros.

Radicalism
In a recent interview with Dutch media outlets, Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that he was concerned by the ‘radical’ aspect of Dutch politics. “The right way is a middle way, and in politics I strongly oppose radicalism, as radicalism only causes problems for people and a country,” said the Prime Minister Erdogan, who did not specifically mention Dutch politician Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party, which is regarded as anti-Muslim. In reaction to the Prime Minister’s statement, Wilders said: “Erdogan is the worst kind of Islamist. If he wins the elections, Turkey shall turn its back on Europe for good. We don’t want them in the EU anyway, but with him even normal relations will become more complicated. He’s a dangerous man who is a radical Islamist himself.”

Electric scooters
TU Delft will now have the option of moving around campus on electric scooters (no helmets required), which have been purchased in order to focus attention on the transitional process that wider society is undergoing with regard to the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy production and the important leadership role that TU Delft is playing in this process. Upon presentation of a campus card, these scooters can be borrowed from Architecture (Service Desk), and Kluyverweg 6 (FMRE desk). Starting next September, the scooters can also be borrowed from the Information Desk in the Aula.

Er werd te weinig blues gespeeld bij studentenjazzvereniging Groover, vond met name pianist Bart Root. Er werd lang over geboomd aan de bar, totdat iemand zei: we moeten gewoon beginnen. Er werden muzikale medestanders gezocht, waarna de blues- en rock ‘n’ roll coverband Suzy & The Suits een feit was. De pakkende naam werd afgeleid van die van zangeres Suzan Heykoop, die nu overigens vanwege verblijf in het buitenland tijdelijk nonactief is.
“In het begin ging het oefenen nog niet zo lekker, omdat we geen vaste bassist hadden en de drummer afhaakte”, vertelt gitarist Christian Dieleman. “In februari 2010 stond het op de rails en gingen we wekelijks repeteren.” Het instrumentarium van de negenkoppige band bestaat naast zang, piano, drums en bas uit twee gitaren, trombone, trompet en tenorsax. Belangrijk bij de repertoirekeuze is dat er blazers inzitten. “Blazers voegen altijd iets toe, dan spettert het allemaal wat meer.” Het repertoire varieert van songs van Ray Charles, The Beatles en Chuck Berry tot een vergeten nummer als ‘Just a gigolo’ van de Amerikaanse crooner Louis Prima. De op diezelfde periode teruggrijpende Blues Brothers vormen ook een grote inspiratiebron.
Het eerste optreden vond plaats op de maandelijkse Groover-avond in café de Klok. “Dat ging verrassend goed, iedereen was enthousiast.” Begin juli volgde het eerste ‘echte’ optreden op het Midzomernachtfestival van Bouwkunde. Optreden is het leukste van spelen in een band, vindt trombonist Thomas Neijenhuis. Om die reden wordt het repertoire nog steeds uitgebreid. “Iets losmaken bij de mensen, dat vind ik het magische ervan”, aldus Neijenhuis die hoopt dat de groep lang in dezelfde samenstelling bij elkaar blijft: “De band is ook ontstaan omdat wij elkaar leuk vinden. Per jaar moeten we bekijken of het blijft werken.” 

www.grooverjazz.nl