“We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!” (by Samuel Perlman) (James Ivory in…
Vulnerability in Love: Relationships in Call Me By Your Name
By Iris Vergeer ’I liked you from day one, and even when you’ll return ice for my renewed offers of friendship, I’ll never forget that this conversation occurred between us and that there are easy ways to bring back summer in the snowstorm.’ Ever got so struck by someone’s words that they took over your…
Happy Birthday, Buddy!
By Sithis Yim Samnang Happy Birthday to my ten-year-old brother, Sotheareach! I know it’s been two years that I have not been to your birthday parties, buddy! And, for that I am so sorry. I’d really like to watch you grow up and be the best brother I can be, but I guess that is…
World Speech Day on the 13th of March – Come join us!*
*free pizza & t-shirts included! By Vanessa Bade The academic and public sphere regularly emphasizes world citizenship. We should “think globally” , we should be “world citizens” that look beyond our own horizons. UCR´s Professor Burke explains to me; “Young people who have been privileged enough to have enjoyed a tertiary level of education –and…
Is Conscious Consumption Useless?
By Vanessa Bade If you know anything about me, you know I love to call myself an environmentalist and I take pride in the eco-friendly decisions I make on a daily. I always opt for oat milk and avoid fast fashion like it is the devil (which, indeed, it is). And I constantly lecture my…
Death of the Colossus
By Alon Nudler Almost eight months have passed since I wrote my first article on what I saw as a lack of community at our university. Since then we have seen some real changes occur. Orientation week and moderation were added as ways to enforce academic obedience, the everchanging growth and decline of RASA societies continues,…
How Can I Be a Good White Person?
By Amée Zoutberg Triggered already? Good. Personally, I do believe that in the Netherlands you do not need to be white in order to be Dutch. This might very well be one of the keys to our respective social success and cohesion as a society. From what I can tell, this same principle goes not…
Monkeys, Millennials and Meditation
By Vanessa Bade Because of my easily distractible nature, I am very cautious and selective regarding the apps I download. However, that principle proves ever more difficult in a world in which a new app is developed seemingly every minute and my self-discipline challenged equally frequently. I must admit, I am a sucker for a…
Life in Bubbles
By Vanessa Bade Growing up abroad, I was sent to small private schools for most of my high school career. Every four years, it seemed as though I was leaving behind a country and its culture, ready to emerge into another one. Really, though, all I was adopting and leaving behind was my school environment;…
Art on Social Media: Insta – Poetry
By Vanessa Bade As a wee little amateur writer of thirteen years, I often came across what is called a mental block; a lack of creativity. I felt stuck; like I wasn’t able to produce anything new, original or interesting. In those cases, I would dwindle my thumb and wait, or throw down the pen…
Voluntourism
By Vanessa Bade This summer I decided to volunteer at a dog shelter. I was extremely excited and ready to get my hands dirty to support a cause I cared deeply about. The first few days, I was euphoric, and genuinely wanted to make a change; improve the lives of countless abandoned and abused shelter…
Third Time’s a Charm
By Alon Nudler #UCRboycott and #confesionsgate both behind us, we are now facing the closure of Roosevelt Confessions 2.0. , as they say third times’ a charm. On the 15th of July, Roosevelt Confessions 2.0 made an admin poll asking us, the passive and active observers, whether we would like to keep the page active….
Fish, Not Drugs
By Amée Zoutberg It’s a slow Sunday afternoon. I decide I feel like doing something nice, and what is more nice to do than to buy some postcards to send to your grandmothers? In a shop near the center I find some colourful, Middelburg-themed postcards that are not too tacky and not too touristy. One…
What To Do Better With Your Time
By Ameé Zoutberg There is a big chance you came across this article on Facebook. There is an equally big chance that you are still studying at UCR. And, even more likely, you feel like you cannot get rid of your Facebook-account even if you wanted to. As a countermeasure to the deterring talks on…
The Respectful Patriarchy
By Amée Zoutberg You for one might have completely missed International Women’s Day, but the 8th of March is branded into the memory of almost every Russian citizen. In honor of this day, President Putin delivered a speech[1] in honour of all women, praising the comfort and support they grant to the men surrounding…
How to Have a Threesome
Based on a short interview, one anonymous female student tells us how she managed her three threesomes, what to do the next morning, and how to deal with the aftermath. Student X walks amongst all of us, but has likely gone where not many have gone before: into the arms of not one, but two…
Zuma vs. Baxley: Are African politics more honest than US politics?
By Amée Zoutberg Disclaimer: This article is written from a non-scientific perspective, rather a literary/philosophical one. The point of this article is to demonstrate an idea, which should inspire debate and further thought on the topic. Some of the article’s assumptions and generalisations are based on case examples and the author’s encounters with experienced individuals….
F*ck Your Freedoms
It is Time to Take Responsibility By Amée Zoutberg At least, that’s according to Professor Jordan Peterson of Clinical Psychology, University of Toronto. Earlier this month, Vice News crowned Peterson as the “most infamous intellectual of Canada”, in an interesting and provoking snapshot of his philosophical worldview (1). His argument: we have been given too…
Feminism Terrorism
By Amée Zoutberg It seems the pointy shores of a new era have broken the waves of feminism. In this day and age, though many feminist values are still held dearly in the heart of millions, there exists an aversion among millenials to call oneself a ‘feminist’[1]. The points on the agenda include equal pay…
Why I Am Betting My Future On AI
Coming to UCR, I knew I had a passion for physics and mathematics, but also a general interest in computer science. If anything, my second choice was to study applied physics at Delft University of Technology. During my time at UCR, this sure has changed. While I still have a passion for physics and mathematics,…