Yale Club of the Netherlands

The Future of Biodynamic (Organic) Agriculture: Is crowdfunding the way forward? (An invitation from the Harvard Club of the Netherlands)

Piet van IJzendoorn, founder & CEO of the organic farm “Zonnehoeve” www.zonnehoeve.net  &
Jan Diek van Mansvelt. former Professor of Alternative and Organic Agriculture, Wagenin-gen University; former President-General of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture.

Location:        Priempad 6, 3896  LJ, Zeewolde (just 30km from Amsterdam)
Date:               Saturday September 20, 2014
Time:              12:30 to 16:00

Agenda, children welcome at this event
12:30, Arrivals and lunch: A taste of the homemade breads, vegetables from the garden, assorted sliced cold meat, raw cow milk, etc.
13:30, General introduction and Question&Answer session by Jan Diek van Mansvelt
14:30, Presentation and guided tour around the farm by Piet van IJzendoorn
A Bakery workshop (for children and adults) can be added to the program on request.

The starting point for the presentations are the principles and practices of Biodynamic Agriculture, according to the ideas of Rudolf Steiner, as a special form of Organic Farming. Piet van IJzendoorn will focus on the day-to-day business of his farm, experiences with the recent crowdfunding action for the new dairy factory,  and share with us his ideas and vision about the future of the farm.

Biodynamic agriculture: A method of organic farming originally developed by Rudolf Steiner that employs what proponents describe as “a holistic understanding of agricultural processes”. One of the first sustainable agriculture movements, emphasizing spiritual and mystical perspectives. Proponents of biodynamic agriculture, including Steiner, have characterized it as “spiritual science” as part of the larger anthroposophy movement. There are certification agencies for biodynamic products, most of which are members of the international bio-dynamics standards group Demeter International.
The Farm: At “Zonnehoeve” you can familiarize yourself with: Arable farming, horticulture, dairy farming, stud farm and riding school, nature conservation, web-shop, vegetable garden, wood processing, social care farm. The kids may enjoy the children’s farm with sheep, goat, geese, chickens and all kinds of birds.

Registration (and information) at harvardnlevents@gmail.com, not later than September 6^th with your name, and name(s) of your guest(s). And express your interest in the bakery workshop.
Costs: Members of the Harvard Club (dues paid 2014) pay € 30pp and non-members and guests pay €35pp. Children up to 4years free, up to 16years pay €15pp. For the Bakery workshop an extra payment of € 5,= for adults and children is needed (minimum number 10p).
Payment, not later than September 13^th at TRIODOS Bank at  NL66 TRIO 0198 487622, Harvard Club of the Netherlands.

Questions: please call Rob van Haarlem at 06 3832 1970 for any questions.

The Harvard Club and the Ivy Circle announce a special event with comedian and Harvard graduate B.J. Novak, and a special offer from the John Adams Institute.
With One More Thing, author, actor and comedian B.J. Novak brings you a hilarious collection of bizarre and short stories. Most people know him as the character Ryan from the television series The Office U.S., on which he was also one of the writers. With a background in stand-up comedy, Novak’s stories are quick and funny, but they are also very clever. Reading the diary of the man who invented the calendar in its first year of use will make you laugh out loud and at the same time appreciate Novak’s precision on turning a whacky idea into a believable, yet still comical, story. Join us for an evening with, according to the Washington Post, “a gifted observer of the human condition and a very funny writer capable of winning that rare thing: unselfconscious, insuppressible laughter.”
Ivy Circle alumni and their guests are welcome to join us for drinks (“cash bar” basis) at People’s Place immediately following the event.
Location: People’s Place, Stadhouderskade 5, Amsterdam
Time: 8 PM

A special offer for Ivy Circle alumni
John Adams Institute is offering a special deal to Ivy Circle alumni. For €30 you’ll receive a ticket to this event and a discounted membership to John Adams for the remainder of 2014 (regular price €43 – you save €13).
If you wish to take advantage of this offer, please pay €30 pp before 26 August to Ivy Circle Netherlands account NL83 TRIO 0254 8413 09 with payment reference “JAI event 30 August” and your name(s). Please also send an e-mail to info@ivycircle.nl so John Adams can contact you regarding membership details.

If you wish to buy a ticket without becoming a member (regular ticket price €19) or are already a John Adams member (member ticket price €13), please purchase your ticket directly from www.john-adams.nl and send an e-mail to info@ivycircle.nl if you will join us afterwards for drinks.

The Harvard Club and the Ivy Circle announce a special event with comedian and Harvard graduate B.J. Novak, and a special offer from the John Adams Institute.
With One More Thing, author, actor and comedian B.J. Novak brings you a hilarious collection of bizarre and short stories. Most people know him as the character Ryan from the television series The Office U.S., on which he was also one of the writers. With a background in stand-up comedy, Novak’s stories are quick and funny, but they are also very clever. Reading the diary of the man who invented the calendar in its first year of use will make you laugh out loud and at the same time appreciate Novak’s precision on turning a whacky idea into a believable, yet still comical, story. Join us for an evening with, according to the Washington Post, “a gifted observer of the human condition and a very funny writer capable of winning that rare thing: unselfconscious, insuppressible laughter.”
Ivy Circle alumni and their guests are welcome to join us for drinks (“cash bar” basis) at People’s Place immediately following the event.
Location: People’s Place, Stadhouderskade 5, Amsterdam
Time: 8 PM

A special offer for Ivy Circle alumni
John Adams Institute is offering a special deal to Ivy Circle alumni. For €30 you’ll receive a ticket to this event and a discounted membership to John Adams for the remainder of 2014 (regular price €43 – you save €13).
If you wish to take advantage of this offer, please pay €30 pp before 26 August to Ivy Circle Netherlands account NL83 TRIO 0254 8413 09 with payment reference “JAI event 30 August” and your name(s). Please also send an e-mail to info@ivycircle.nl so John Adams can contact you regarding membership details.

If you wish to buy a ticket without becoming a member (regular ticket price €19) or are already a John Adams member (member ticket price €13), please purchase your ticket directly from www.john-adams.nl and send an e-mail to info@ivycircle.nl if you will join us afterwards for drinks.

Send-off Reception for US-bound students, Thursday 26 June 17.30-19.00 in Amsterdam
What: The board and member alumni clubs of Ivy Circle Netherlands would like to invite all students starting at a U.S. college or university this fall, as well as students returning to a U.S. college or university, to join us for an informal send-off reception. (Parents of US-bound students are also welcome).  If you know someone heading off to the US this year, please pass this on!

Mr. Randy Berry, the U.S. Consul General in Amsterdam, has kindly agreed to join us and give some opening remarks.
(Ivy Circle Netherlands is a community of Dutch alumni clubs of leading North American universities and business schools).

When: Thursday June 26th from 17.30 until 19.00
Where: SkyLounge & Sky Terrace, located on the 11th floor/rooftop of the DoubleTree by Hilton, next to Amsterdam Central Station, offering a 360 degree view of the IJ and Amsterdam.
If you would like to join us, please let us know before 23 June by email to info@ivycircle.nl with your name, which U.S. college/university you (will) attend, and whether you will bring your parent(s).

We hope to see you on Thursday, 26 June!
Best regards,
On behalf of Ivy Circle Netherlands,
Hollis Kurman, Chair
Paul Broholm, Secretary
John Terwilliger, Treasurer
David Kramer, Public Relations
Rick Amado, Events Animator

We would like to call your attention to an innovative scientific format for young researchers – the Falling Walls Lab. The Lab is a platform for excellent academics, entrepreneurs and professionals from all disciplines who get the opportunity to present their research work, business model, innovative project or idea with peers and a distinguished jury from academia and business. Each participant has 3 minutes to present their idea on stage.
Falling Walls Labs take place globally throughout the year. The winners of each international Falling Walls Lab qualify for the Falling Walls Lab Final in Berlin, which is held every year on 8 November and is closely connected to the annual and international renowned Falling Walls Conference, taking place on 9 November. At the Conference, 20 top-class scientists from around the world present their current breakthrough research answering the question “Which are the next walls to fall?”.
30 participants will be invited to pitch in Groningen. A custom-made public speaking training will be provided for the selected participants. The participants will hear whether they will be invited before August 15th.
Two winners of the Lab will be selected by a distinguished jury. The first place winner will receive a € 750 prize, plus an all-expenses paid trip to Berlin for the final competition on 8 November and the Falling Walls Conference on 9 November 2014. The second place winner will receive € 500 prize and will be an alternate in the case that the first place winner cannot attend the final on 8 November in Berlin.
The Falling Walls Lab is a non-profit series of scientific conferences, which aims at building and fostering interdisciplinary connections between young researchers. The Falling Walls Lab is a cooperation project between the Falling Walls Foundation and the global management-consulting firm A.T. Kearney.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us (fallingwalls@rug.nl) or the Falling Walls Foundation in Berlin (lab@falling-walls.com).
The Falling Walls Lab Groningen is hosted by the University of Groningen and takes place on Monday 15 September 2014 at Infoversum Groningen.
Applications can be made through the website http://www.falling-walls.com/lab/apply.
The application deadline is 31 July 2014.
Applicants should be age 35 and under.

Or contact Yale alum Jennifer Jordan, ’02 M.S., ’03 M.Phil., ’05 Ph.D.; j.jordan@rug.nl

Elihu Yale : Merchant, Collector & Patron
Elihu Yale, Merchant, Collector and Patron has just been published  by Thames and Hudson. Its authors, Diana Scarisbrick and Benjamin Zucker, are specialists in jewellery and gems and the main emphasis of the book is on Yale’s activities as a collector and dealer based on the catalogues of the auctions of his collection after his death. The book contains 140 illustrations of paintings, furniture, musical instruments, scientific instruments, jewels, clocks, watches, diamonds, gems and other objets d’art from the period.
Yale was born in Boston in 1649 to Welsh parents who had emigrated to New Haven in 1637 and then moved because they disliked its puritanical atmosphere. Then in 1652 the family returned to England and settled in London. In 1671 Elihu joined the East India Company in Madras and remained there until 1699, acting as governor of the outpost for a short period. Employees of the Company were allowed to trade on their own behalf and Yale was highly successful trading in textiles, gems and other merchandise. By the time he arrived home he enjoyed the influence and status of the wealthy merchant class and continued to add to his private collection.
Yale used his wealth to support various Christian charities and schools and in 1718 he responded to a request from the trustees of the Collegiate School in New Haven by donating over 400 books as well as Indian textiles (the latter to be sold for the benefit of the  school.) His was the largest gift of any individual donor until 1837 and he was rewarded when the institution was named Yale College in the same year.
The book is well written and skilfully places Yale in the context of his time in India and London. The main emphasis, however, is on his collection and the text brims with detailed descriptions and magnificent illustrations of objects he owned himself or similar pieces. It is not, therefore, a typical biography and would appeal above all to those who share Yale’s interests as a merchant and collector – as indeed the sub-title suggests.
David Steedman, ’66, Ph.D.

From the publisher:
Elihu Yale: Merchant, Collector & Patron
Diana Scarisbrick, Benjamin Zucker
ISBN 9780500517260
23.30 x 16.00 cm, Hardback
288pp with 140 illustrations
First published 2014
£24.95Add to Basket

‘There can be few educational institutions named after a man with the force of character, powers of leadership, business acumen, and variety of intellectual and spiritual interests of Elihu Yale’

His career, which spans Puritan New England, Mughal India, and the London of the English Enlightenment, throws light on the religious, political, social, commercial, scientific, and cultural circumstances of the world of the later Stuarts and early Hanoverians.
Elihu Yale (1649–1721) is famous for the name of Yale University, of which he was an early benefactor. He made his fortune in India, trading in diamonds. Arriving there in 1672, he rose through the East India Company from clerk to governor. When he returned to London in 1699 he brought with him gems, furniture and textiles. In the milieu of portrait painter Sir Godfrey Kneller and physician Sir Hans Sloane he established a fashionable household where he had assembled some ten thousand items.
Yale’s collection was dispersed after his death and the catalogues of the sales survive, providing information about the 18th-century London art market. The Yale sales prove to be a landmark in the history both of collecting and of auctioneering. Analyses of the categories throw light on Yale’s personality and interests: he is revealed as a Fellow of the Royal Society, churchman and a philanthropist, totally in tune with the English Enlightenment.
The authors explore Yale’s life in Madras and London and his interests, including musical and scientific instruments and books, and then turn to Yale as a dealer and a collector of diamonds and jewelry and works of art. The story is one with many appeals: the East India Company and early 18th-century London; furniture, both Indian and English; the fashion for things Oriental in the West; gemstones and jewelry; and collecting works of art.
Diana Scarisbrick is a historian specializing in jewelry and engraved gems. She has curated exhibitions in the UK and abroad and has written many books, including Rings: Jewelry of Power, Love and Loyalty and Portrait Jewels: Opulence and Intimacy from the Medici to the Romanovs. She is a Research Associate at the Beazley Archive, Oxford, and recently collaborated with Professor Sir John Boardman on The Marlborough Gems.
Benjamin Zucker, a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, is one of the world’s leading gem dealers, based in New York. He has written extensively on gemstones, coloured stones and the history of ring collecting.

The Yale University Israeli/Jewish choir, Magevet will perform in Amsterdam, hosted by KUNSTENISRAËL.  They will give a concert of Jewish and Israeli music which promises to be both entertaining and uplifting.  This is one of the first Yale singing groups to give a concert open to the Dutch public in several years.

When: 30 May, 19.30
Where: the historic Uilenburger Synagogue (Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, Amsterdam), a beautiful building dating from 1766.
Tickets: online via www.kunstenisrael.nl or at the door.
Costs:: €15,- online (excl. ticket fee)) / €17,50 at the door

Note that this concert is part of a series of 10 hosted by Kunstenisrael.  See their website for more information about the series.

The Yale University Israeli/Jewish choir, Magevet will perform in Amsterdam, hosted by KUNSTENISRAËL.  They will give a concert of Jewish and Israeli music which promises to be both entertaining and uplifting.  This is one of the first Yale singing groups to give a concert open to the Dutch public in several years.

When: 30 May, 19.30
Where: the historic Uilenburger Synagogue (Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, Amsterdam), a beautiful building dating from 1766.
Tickets: online via www.kunstenisrael.nl or at the door.
Costs:: €15,- online (excl. ticket fee)) / €17,50 at the door

Note that this concert is part of a series of 10 hosted by Kunstenisrael.  See their website for more information about the series.

Join the Kellogg Club and the Rotary Club of Utrecht Fletiomare for a unique opportunity at Douwe Egberts to learn in-depth from the experts about coffee and teas.  Dick de Kock (co-founder of the Coffee Company and currently Coffee Master at DE Master Blenders) will present the history of the coffee trade and the company Douwe Egberts as well as discuss the latest trends in coffee and tea. This will be followed by hands-on workshops that range from the art of latte, taste testing to making your own blend.  There will also be an opportunity to have a tour of the facility.
Spaces are limited so please RSVP to Patty Ozaki by May 5th.
Please note that the program will be primarily in Dutch.
Location:  Douwe Egberts Professional, Vleutensevaart 35, 3532 AD Utrecht

Er zijn geen kosten verbonden aan dit evenement.  D.E. verzorgt een maaltijd inclusief soep en luxe broodjes als avondmaaltijd.
Programma:17:00 – 17:15  Ontvangst
17:15  Welkomstwoord Toelichting programma
17:30 – 17:45  College van Dick de Kock (oprichter Coffee Company)
18:00   Workshops
1.       Latte art
2.       Cupping
3.       Branden koffiebonen- je eigen blend maken
4.       Thee
5.       D.E Coffee Kitchen en sustainability
6.       Optioneel. Het nieuwe werken. rondleiding Koffiepakhuis / Blend Lab Decotrade (vanaf 18.30)
21:00   Einde programma

We’re excited to invite you to our Grid Night, “Pass the Torch”, Wednesday May 28th at Pllek urban beach in Amsterdam.
Step up the game
Young social entrepreneurs are continuously challenged to convince older generations of business leaders. But what about these leaders, what have they done for the younger generations? Let’s turn these tables for once, challenge them, and pass the torch!
Three valiant business leaders from prominent organizations will take on this challenge. They’ll pitch their view on the future, and insight into their past. We want you to challenge them; are they ambitious enough? What can we learn from them, and they from you? Can you inspire them with bright ideas and solutions?
Who are these heroes? We’ll keep you in suspense for a bit longer on that and reveal this the coming weeks on our site. As a special, we’ll treat you to a live performance of the The Alma Quartet, a new collaboration of musicians from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Limited spaces
There’s only 100 places available, and 30 places for a special pre-debate with 10 Except associates over culinary vegetarian dinner and drinks. Register quickly to ensure you can join, deadline is May 14th.
When:            Wednesday May 28th, 19:30 (dinner at 18:00)
Where:           Pllek, TT Neveritaweg 59, Amsterdam (direct ferry from Amsterdam CS to NDSM wharf)
Entrance:      Free with registration (register for the free entrance ticket).
For no-show we ask €25,- compensation.
Cancellation is possible up to 2 days in advance.
Dinner:           €25,- including drinks, max 30 places.
We look forward to another thrilling meeting of minds, and of course the drinks and dancing you’ve become used to at Grid Nights. See you there!