Metaphysical Studies

\# This meetup is around a third\-party organizer\, Focus Filmtheater\. You can either purchase your ticket online or right before the session\. **Seats are numbered**. # **Title**: Treat Her Like a Lady **Language**: Dutch **Subtitles**: English **Length**: 110 min **Director**: Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito **More info**: https://www.focusarnhem.nl/agenda/english-subs-treat-her-like-a-lady/ **Ticket link**: https://www.focusarnhem.nl/tickets/144301/ **Synopsis:** When single mother Sandra (radiant performance from Nienke Plas) is evicted from her apartment due to fraud, she convinces her daughters that their emergency shelter is a holiday hotel. Sandra is just about keeping it together. Living with her two daughters and partner in a modest but colourful Amsterdam apartment, she makes ends (mostly) meet through cleaning jobs and welfare payments. But when she’s faced with a rapidly mounting series of hurdles – unpaid bills, an accusation of fraud, the revelation that her partner has been cheating – Sandra must draw upon all her determination and creativity to keep her daughters out of social care. An effervescent second feature from Dutch filmmaker and writer Paloma Aguilera Valdebenito (Out of Love, IFFR 2016), this jewel of a film offers poignant criticism of a broken social system with all the vibrancy and optimism of a musical. Nienke Plas is masterful in her central performance as the matriarch, whose fortitude, boldness and charisma bring to mind the best of Almodóvar’s heroines. Featuring a gorgeously saturated colour palette and a fabulous needle-drop soundtrack, Treat Her Like a Lady demonstrates how warmth and resilience can transform the most desperate situations into fresh opportunities for laughter and light. **How it works**: I will be at Focus around 18:30, where we can meet before the movie starts. You can message me to find us. Screening starts at 19:00. After the movie, we can have a drink together. Hope to see you soon!

We are excited to announce our next **Utrecht JUG** meetup on **June 3rd** hosted by **Keylane**. Join us for an evening full of creativity, innovation, and practical insights from the Java and Spring ecosystem. As always, you can expect inspiring talks, great conversations, food, drinks, and plenty of opportunities to connect with fellow developers. We start the evening with food and drinks before diving into our first session, where **Josh Long** and **James Ward** take the stage with *Bootiful Spring AI*. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming part of modern software development, and this session explores how Spring AI makes integrating AI capabilities into Java applications approachable and powerful. Expect an engaging introduction to modern AI concepts and a practical look at how the Spring ecosystem embraces the next wave of AI engineering. After the break, **Alexander Chatzizacharias** takes Spring Boot far beyond its intended use case. In a talk that combines humor, curiosity, and technical depth, Alexander explores what happens when you use Spring Boot as the foundation for real-time game development. From IoC containers to event listeners, this session offers a fresh and entertaining perspective on the Spring ecosystem and the joy of learning through experimentation. Please join us and RSVP! Because of the limited number of seats, please keep your RSVP up-to-date, so we can welcome someone else if you can't make it. **Timeschedule** 17:00 Doors open 18:00 Food & Drinks 18:45 Bootiful Spring AI by Josh Long & James Ward 19:45 Break 20:00 Let's use Spring Boot to build games, because why not? by Alexander Chatzizacharias 21:00 Drinks **Giveaway** 1 JetBrains licence **Talks** **Let's use Spring Boot to build games, because why not?** If you work on enterprise grade microservices on the JVM, you have undoubtedly heard of Spring Boot. Most developers see it as the reliable backbone of enterprise software. It is stable, predictable, and safe. But what if we took all those conventions and threw them out the window? What if we repurposed the IoC container, event listeners, and bean lifecycles to reveal what Spring Boot was always meant to be? A game development framework! Join Alexander as he attempts to deconstruct and demystify the Spring ecosystem by forcing it to do things it was definitely not designed for. We are not talking about simple text adventures here. We are talking about building complex, real-time games like a Terraria clone or a souls-like RPG, all powered by the same annotations you use for your day job. This session explores what happens when you learn technologies by breaking them. Whether you are a Spring veteran or a newcomer, this talk offers a fresh perspective on the tools you use every day. You will leave with a better understanding of how Spring Boot works under the hood and the inspiration to build something completely unnecessary, just because you can. Come for the absurdity, stay for the laughs, and see what happens when you strip away conventions and best practices in the pursuit of a wild idea. **Bootiful Spring AI** The age of artificial intelligence (because the search for regular intelligence hasn't gone well..) is nearly at hand, and it's everywhere! But is it in your application? It should be. AI is about integration, and here the Java and Spring communities come second to nobody. In this talk, we'll demystify the concepts of modern day Artificial Intelligence and look at its integration with the white hot new Spring AI project, a framework that builds on the richness of Spring Boot to extend them to the wide world of AI engineering. **Speakers** **Alexander Chatzizacharias** Alexander, a 35-year-old Software Engineer at JDriven, holds dual Dutch and Greek nationality. He earned his master’s degree in Game Studies from the University of Amsterdam, where he discovered his passion for gamification and software engineering. Alexander aims to bridge the gap between game development and software engineering, believing that both industries have much to learn from each other. He is dedicated to integrating technologies and methodologies from both fields. Additionally, he enjoys experimenting with new technologies and cutting-edge SDKs. **Josh Long** Josh (@starbuxman) has been the first Spring Developer Advocate since 2010. Josh is a Java Champion, author of seven books (including Reactive Spring), creator of numerous video trainings, open-source contributor, YouTuber, and podcaster. He is a well-known voice in the Spring community and a passionate advocate for Java developers around the world. **James Ward** Professional software developer since 1997, with much of that time spent helping developers build software that doesn't suck. A typed pure functional programming zealot who often compromises on his ideals to just get stuff done. Currently a Developer Advocate for AWS.

Hi all! 🙂 On Wednesdays we welcome you to practice languages! If you want to practice a specific (uncommon) language, please send us a message so we can find some conversation partners for you on our mailing list! We hope to see you in Café Marktzicht! In the last year we had tables for the following languages: * Dutch * English * French * Italian * Spanish * Turkish\* * German\* * Portuguese\* * Danish\* * Norwegian\* * Russian\* * Arabic\* * Chinese\*\* * Japanese\*\* * Indonesian\*\* * * Most likely, but not every week present. \*\* - Rather rare ;-) If your language is not in this list, please let us know! We have a large database of Language Cafe visitors speaking 56 different languages! We might be able to connect you with a person that does speak the language you want to practice. In case you are not in our database yet, please use this form: http://goo.gl/forms/oSCn9Dn8m8

Food connects us, comforts us, and tells stories about who we are. ❤️ Join the Being Well Kitchen's Healthy and Tasty Planet Cooking Club, a project of The Being Well Collective, for a special evening: "Comfort Food for Wellbeing"! This unique event blends intimate storytelling with joyful communal cooking. We'll begin with a sharing circle ice breaker (Bring your own comfort food ingredient), then everyone will join our cooks to help in the kitchen; Together, we'll prepare delicious, tasty, Healthy, and Sustainable comfort food sides and desserts, learning and laughing along the way. 🥣🥖🥗 After nourishing our bodies, we will nourish our minds and spirits with stories, exploring personal stories of how food has been a source of comfort, resilience, and support for wellbeing and mental health. We will end the evening with a short concluding remark from a nutrition and mental health expert. We will prepare free main dishes for everyone. This event is part of the Mental Health Week activities. The event is in partnership with Missie Mentaal and the Alles is Gezondheid team. Thanks for our partner nutrition chef and wellbeing coach Margaux Raynaud for volunteering her time. https://missiementaal.com/ https://margauxraynaud.com/ **Why join?** ✅ Connect deeply with others in your community. ✅ Share your own experiences (only if you feel comfortable!). ✅ Discover the powerful link between food, mood, and mental wellness. ✅ Enjoy a delicious, comforting meal made together. **Event Details:** * **Date:** Wednesday, June 3rd, 2026 * **Time:** 18:00 - 22:00 * **Location:** De Speler Buurcentrum, Thorbeckelaan 18, 3551 BR Utrecht * **Registration:** Event is free - register in the Google form below. Bring in your comfort food/ingredient. We will need the icebreaker, and for cooking :) **Spaces are limited, sign up soon!** * **Agenda:** * 18:00 Walk in and welcome * 18:15 Ice breaker (Remember to bring your comfort ingredient) * 18:30 Improvisation cooking sides and desserts together in groups (Remember to bring your comfort ingredient) * 20:00 Eating together and sharing personal food stories * 21:30 Concluding remarks from expert on food and mental health: Margaux Raynaud * 21:45 Closing and cleaning Come fill your cup (and your bowl!) with connection and comfort. We can't wait to share this experience with you! Fill the form to secure your place! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfHgO5iL9FGcMRGEXz-LhLU2SrB8De8-2gM_fZ4UcUgxCsW5A/viewform?usp=publish-editor **#ComfortFoodWellbeing #Utrecht #FoodAndMood #MentalWellness #CommunityKitchen #StorytellingEvent #BeingWellCollective #CookingTogether #HealthyTastyPlanet #WellbeingEvent #UtrechtCommunity #ShareYourStory**

Are you an **expat** in **Utrecht** and do you want to **learn how to swim?** Look no further! Dive into **personalized swimming lessons** with **Your Personal Swim Coach**. Whether you’re a beginner looking to learn the basics or an advanced swimmer seeking to refine your technique, our expert coaches offer **tailored sessions** that fit your needs. **De Kwakel** is a great pool close to the city center, has free parking, and is easy to reach by bus. It's an **amazing learning environment!** **Don't wait any longer:** **[Sign up for a Try Out Lesson!](https://www.your-personal-swim-coach.nl/product/try-out-adult-swimming-lesson/)** Want to learn more first? Go to our **[website](https://www.your-personal-swim-coach.nl/)** or **[schedule a call!](https://calendly.com/ypsc/new-meeting)**

# **Agentic AI in Practice: Real Stories, Real Results** AI agents are moving from hype to real-world use, but what does that actually look like in practice? Join us for our next Brighton AI meetup on **Wednesday 3rd June, 6pm to 8pm**, where we’ll be exploring how people are using agentic AI in real life, not just in theory. This session will focus on practical examples, useful lessons and honest reflections from people putting AI agents to work. We’ll look at how agentic AI is being used to improve workflows, boost productivity, support teams, speed up research, manage tasks, make decisions and get projects moving. ## **Speaker line-up so far** We’ll be joined by: * **Amber**, who will share how she’s using agents to support **personal productivity** * **Thomas Mann from Clawbench**, who will talk about building an **agentic AI start-up** and how to optimise your agents * **Antony from Brilliant Noise**, who will share how agents are being put into **client teams**, and potentially how they’re being used within their own company too Expect short, accessible talks followed by a panel discussion on what’s working, what’s still tricky, and what others can learn from early experiments and real-world implementation. You don’t need a technical background to join. This session is for anyone curious about how AI agents are being used now, what they can help with, and what they might mean for the way we work next.

Work changes fast. Last week we were all about Agile and today AI is changing how we get things done. It’s important to keep refining our practices to boost team collaboration and effectiveness. Rather than rolling out another big transformation, Atlassian has decided to take a test- driven approach to experimenting with new ways of working, letting teams try things out in a safe space. We’ll talk about how to design and run work experiments, check the results, make any necessary tweaks, and share what works with the rest of the organization. Sven will show how this approach has been applied to improve meetings, make decision-making clearer, and create better feedback loops for Atlassian software teams. And hey, not every experiment is a win; He will also share some of their flops. Focusing on evidence instead of just opinions can build a culture that embraces change and innovation. So, let’s improve the way we work—one experiment at a time. **Schedule**: 17:00 Doors open 18:00 Dinner 19:00 Start presentation 20.00 Drinks

'HOMEGOING' by Yaa Gyasi 'Two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader's wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow. Taking us from the Gold Coast of Africa to the cotton-picking plantations of Mississippi; from the missionary schools of Ghana to the dive bars of Harlem, spanning three continents and seven generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel - the intimate, gripping story of a brilliantly vivid cast of characters and through their lives the very story of America itself. Epic in its canvas and intimate in its portraits, Homegoing is a searing and profound debut from a masterly new writer.' ***Please read the book and join us for a lively discussion (in English) about the contents during our afternoon book club meeting.*** \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **PLEASE NOTE:** This is an IN-PERSON event in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. Please cancel your attendance in advance if you are unable to join, so that those on the waitlist can participate. Looking forward to seeing you all IN REAL LIFE then! Best regards, Sandra

Iedereen is welkom op onze open Freedom Friday Bitcoin Turnhout Meetup @ het super gezellige café Sint Pieter - Grote Markt 60, 2300 Turnhout Geen presentaties. Geen workshops. Gewoon 1 onderwerp: bitcoin. **Connect with Like-Minded Minds** Engage with the Bitcoin community and mingle with fellow enthusiasts. This meetup is your chance to discuss the future, share ideas, and network with pioneers in the decentralized money world. 🏢 **Central Location**: café Sint Pieter ligt perfect centraal, een ruim cafe op de grote markt van Turnhout. Mark your calendars and spread the word!

**When did you last do something just for fun** — with no goal, no productivity, no outcome? For many of us, play slowly disappears as life becomes more serious. Work, responsibilities, expectations… and somewhere along the way, “play” starts to feel unimportant — even a bit guilty. But what if play isn’t a luxury? In *Play*, Stuart Brown argues that play is not childish or trivial — it’s a **core part of being human**, as essential as sleep or rest. It shapes how we think, connect, create, and even how resilient we are in life. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4997659-play?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=fzFXhcGY46&rank=1 *** ## **What we’ll explore together** This will be a lighter, more energising session focused on curiosity and reflection: * What actually counts as “play” in adult life? * Why do we stop playing as we grow older? * What happens when life becomes too serious? * Different “types” of play (creative, physical, social, imaginative) * How play influences creativity, relationships, and well-being * How to reintroduce play without it feeling forced or childish *** ## **What to expect** * A relaxed, low-pressure conversation * Light reflection exercises (nothing heavy or personal unless you want to share) * A chance to reconnect with curiosity, fun, and spontaneity * A slightly more playful atmosphere than previous sessions 🙂 This is not a lecture or therapy session — just a group of people exploring what it means to feel a bit more alive and engaged. *** ## **Who is this for?** * Anyone who feels life has become a bit too serious * Anyone curious about creativity, joy, and balance * Anyone who wants a lighter, more uplifting discussion No need to have read the book. *** ## **Tone** Curious. Light. Relatable You can participate as much or as little as you like. *** ## **Closing** > “We don’t stop playing because we grow old — we grow old because we stop playing.”

**This might be the girls night you didn’t know you needed.** Many women are living in constant “on” mode- always busy, always giving. And somewhere along the way, we forget how good it feels to simply *be together*. This is your invitation to a real **girls night, where you can come as you are.** Every 3 weeks we come together to relax, laugh, connect and support each other — without pressure, without fixing, without performance. **When women gather in a safe and supportive space, something powerful happens.** We uplift each other through shared laughter, honest conversations, and non-judgement presence. Being around other women who get it can make everything feel a little lighter and brighter. It helps us feel less alone, more supported, emotionally stronger - sometimes simply by being in the same room together. Sometimes we talk. Sometimes we listen, Sometimes we laugh - and even sing - until our bellies hurt. You’re free to share what’s on your mind, or simply enjoy the energy of being around other women who get it. There’s no agenda. No judgement. Just genuine connection, joy, and friendships that feel *easy and real.* And often, there’s that quiet thought: *“oh wow, I didn’t know I needed this.”* All I ask is that you come exactly as you are — tired, joyful, quiet, loud, curious, or unsure. Everything is welcome. We meet every 3 weeks - in Utrecht, Amsterdam or Leiden - because connection grows when we keep showing up for each other — not perfectly, just honestly. ✨ Come as you are. ✨ Leave feeling lighter, more connected, and a little more yourself.

Join us every first Friday of the month to hang out and have a drink. Start off the weekend in a fun way :) Meet familiar faces or some new people, especially if you're new in town. Join us in En Public, a spacious bar/restaurant in Griftpark (near the canal bridge), at the former location of Peter's Bistro. If you can't make it on Friday, try joining Mingle Mania Tuesday drinks. For even more socializing and events in Utrecht, join our [WhatsApp community](https://chat.whatsapp.com/GopSuzuFKRBKeYVKQrX4pE). Feel free to visit our [website](https://utrechters.net). We (your event hosts) are proud to organize this gathering as volunteers, free of charge and without any financial profit for ourselves, with the intention of strengthening local community and that everyone has a nice time. With that in mind, please note that it is nice to support the venue by ordering a drink. We greatly appreciate if you settle your bills at latest by the end of the evening.

I have been studying the question of "self" online with Prof. Ellie Anderson and so I thought a prompt on the "self" might be interesting. Full confession: I had Claude create this prompt and I like it, so here goes: Imagine a thought experiment that merges two classic puzzles: > You undergo a procedure, performed neuron by neuron, in which every biological component of your brain is replaced with a functionally identical synthetic substitute. At each step, your behavior, memories, and personality remain unchanged. When the last neuron is swapped, is the consciousness experiencing the world still you? And — more pressingly — was there ever a continuous "you" to begin with? ### Questions to Wrestle With * If consciousness is purely physical, does the *gradual* nature of the replacement matter, or is it equivalent to being destroyed and rebuilt? * Could there be a "self" without continuity of experience — even moment to moment, while you sleep? On a more practical level, consider the simpler case first: **hemispherectomy** patients — people who have had an entire cerebral hemisphere surgically removed — often retain a strong sense of personal identity and continuity. This suggests "you" are not rigidly tied to specific physical material. But does that vindicate the synthetic neuron case, or merely show that identity is more *flexible* than we thought — not that it can survive *complete* substrate replacement? I used Claude so I could get this out today and let everyone have some time to consider it. Hope to see you at the Oracle. Sorry about the location change two weeks ago. That's what I get for trusting local weather predictions!

We will have our certified mediums available and you can receive 3 10-minute readings for $20. To keep you safe, we will be following all CDC and Health Dept. guidelines at our psychic fair today. Sitters and readers required to wear a mask. We will maintain a minimum of 6 foot physical distance during readings. Please, if you can, bring your own portable chair to use during your readings. Please note that we are at our wonderful new home at Unity of Columbus, 4211 Maize Road, Columbus, OH

*Note: this is a demonstration event only, you **will not** shoot you own images. However, if you bring your camera we can test it for compatibility with the studio lights.* Bondage elements can add an extra layer of emotion and artistry to your images. Sample images on the internet are however dominated by BDSM style shots that are often sexualized and emphasize the model being in distress. In this demonstration Rachel and I show ways to use bondage elements in an artistic way. We explore the types of accessories that work best in artistic images and the best way to photograph them. Our model is Rachel Adams, an internationally known fetish model with many years of experience in this genre.

Private Group. Closed to the Public Knowing ourselves and understanding our abilities is the first step toward wielding our gifts with control and accuracy. In subsequent classes we will verify and hone our talents with activities and discussion. These are hands-on workshops and participation is expected. The goal of our series will be to develop expertise in areas of particular interest such as mediumship, channeling, divination, healing and, etc.. Our ultimate directions will be determined by class members as we evolve. I look forward to sharing and discovering with you. - Cynthia

Main Library, Meeting Room 2B What does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? In this gathering, we'll continue our series on the Sermon on the Mount from a mystical perspective. Together we’ll explore Matthew 5:13–16, looking not only to the passage as moral instruction, but also to the deeper transformation of consciousness that Jesus invites. Together we'll reflect on how spiritual awakening changes the way we see ourselves, others, and the world around us. Libera Animae is an interfaith community focused on inner growth, creativity, and authentic connection. All backgrounds are welcome.