Catching Connections It is 6 PM on a Friday night. As I walk through Utrecht Central Station, I hear a song echo through the hall. On my way to catch my train which will depart in twenty minutes, I stop and watch a group of people of all ages form a circle around a piano….
Behind the Largest Protests in Israeli History
The Protests As Israel marks its 75th anniversary, the atmosphere is filled with unrest and polarization. Earlier this year, protesters flooded the streets of Israel. The demonstrations continued for weeks, their numbers swelling to half a million in a nation of nine million people. The images are striking: demonstrators amass in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem…
Political Thrillers: A Brief Outline
Political Thrillers: A Brief Outline Despite claims that films nowadays are ‘too political’, the genre of political thrillers has been alive for decades and continues to entertain. For a political thriller to be good, it is important that it finds a realistic or allegorical plot; after all, it is not simply a thriller, but a…
Where are the melting clocks, Samara?
Where are the melting clocks, Samara? complete loss of subjective self identity — yeah. that one. ignition. like — fundamentally tired. tired. where is ego going to die? — a concrete jungle. (i want to go home) where are they going? (it’ll take me a day to get to the dining table) where are…
unbroken
unbroken my home is not broken. a little rough around edges, yes, misshapen with love. half-baked with the tardiness of doing things that require too much time minutes before they are due. my home is not raw. deconstructed, slightly, intended and executed. it is strewn with the calm objective that puts too much on a…
I want to be bored.
I want to be bored. When I was a child, one of my worst enemies was boredom. However, as I progressively get older and grumpier – and excited about a new laundry detergent –, who would have thought that I would begin to miss the feeling of not knowing what to do. Suddenly, I feel like I…
Turkey-Syria Earthquake: The Shock was just the Start.
Earlier this month, an earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. It had a magnitude of 7.8 and has claimed the lives of over 45,000 people accordingly to recent estimates, with many more injured or missing. The crisis was exacerbated by the freezing temperatures that afflicted those stranded outside or trapped beneath the rubble. What happened?…
Don’t buy me flowers
Don’t buy me flowers. They may represent the beauty Of the life we live together They will one day die And I hope our love never will. Don’t buy me chocolates. They may taste as sweet as the “I love you” That you utter each day They will one day disappear And I hope…
U.S. Midterms: The Red Wave that Wasn’t
U.S Midterms: The Red Wave that Wasn’t The U.S. midterm elections took place a month ago. This race determined the makeup of the next Congress and concerned 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats, as well as 36 state governorships and state-specific ballot initiatives. We will discuss what the midterms are, the results, why the Red…
Love to Give
Love to Give Her silk brown hair Her doe eyes She is the epitome of beauty. Her soul is kind Her heart is full She has so much love to give. She watches her friends Become wives and mothers. Attends countless weddings Never once dressed in white. A godmother, an aunt None of her…
Cinematic Universes; and Universal Studios’ failed attempts to make them
Cinematic Universes; and Universal Studios’ failed attempts to make them ‘Cinematic Universe’ is a concept we’re all painfully aware of, due to how often it has taken over our movie industry in the past decade. I’m not one to argue that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the ‘scum of the Earth’ like Martin Scorsese and…
Colours of Marrakech
Colours of Marrakech There is something fascinating about the way the Moroccan sky meets the ochre silhouettes of Marrakech’s buildings. As the placement of the sun changes during the day, the intensity of the contrast changes too. My favourite contrast-time was the early afternoon on days when the sun shone bright and soft clouds made the sky look…
on grief: unnumbered
on grief: unnumbered we didn’t do anything for your birthday. well, we fought, which is, i suppose, the most fitting us. did you look down upon us and shake your head or did you turn a blind eye or did you expect the call across a landmass worth two oceans to not go…
Learning to trust in the face of uncertainty: My enriching ‘after-UCR’ experience
Learning to trust in the face of uncertainty: My enriching ‘after-UCR’ experience The 18th of June 2021 marks the day my life changed forever. The reason I know that date so precisely is because it is engraved on a ring my parents gifted me the day I received my bachelor’s degree from UCR. An online ceremony, lots of…
Italy’s Elections: The rise of the far-right and what it means for Europe
Italy’s Elections: The rise of the far-right and what it means for Europe Why are Italy’s elections gaining so much media attention? The outcome of Italy’s 2022 parliamentary elections received considerable global media attention. Naturally, an election that installs a new government is significant for any country; in this case, it is especially of interest…
On Energy
On Energy As Europe is bracing itself for a hard winter, little is said of the fact that the burden will lie disproportionately with the people least able to deal with it. While the student population is heterogenous, on average student incomes are lower and thus energy makes up a larger share of students’ spending…
i realise how quickly my mind takes to this place.
i realise how quickly my mind takes to this place. would you expect the way back home to hurt this much? — unclawing. just a sore-throated dawning, to live in your larynx, lucid, for two-and-a-half weeks — that monotony is birthed of routine. of comfort. would you expect to go home and find the way…
Frantic: A Classic Thriller based on Foreign Anxieties
Frantic: A Classic Thriller based on Foreign Anxieties Any international who’s moved to the Netherlands has undoubtedly had to face some of the weirdness/awkwardness that comes automatically with being a stranger in a foreign country. Every place, every country has its own unique elements that can make it intimidating for foreigners, visitors, tourists, expats. As…
Small Things
Small Things It can be so intimidating to see all of the people and groups Moving mountains, making waves. It can make you feel so small, powerless. But don’t be fooled, For that is the very reason that we must continue to stand up and speak out. It takes more than one person to…
The Way We Move
The Way We Move (1) Have you ever wondered who inspires the people who inspire you? When I think about inspiration, my friend, Daryle Locko comes to mind. This article is about him. Daryle radiates creativity, for anyone and anything has the power to inspire him. When he sees a beautiful leaf or overhears a…