By Agate Rublovska The one to share some of the ‘hidden’ aspects of her culture this time is Clara Spohrer, a third semester Philosophy, Music and Literature student from Germany, Frankfurt. When deciding on what example to give of a traditional, defining aspect of her culture, Clara said that she sought something that “every German…
On Top of the World
By Laura van der Laan It is Friday evening. Walking down the Lange Geere towards Market Square, you realize that it is not such a typical quiet Middelburg night. In fact, there is a sudden emergence of crowds of people, sitting in the terraces, drinking beers outside Sev, and walking the streets. Last Friday night…
An Insight into a Super Idiot’s Life
By Aimah Moiz Being an idiot is difficult. It is not easy to stand in public and do something so incredibly dreadful that everyone casts aside all of their business and turns around only to stare at you. Not everyone is capable of pulling off such a stunt. However, there are a certain few, like…
Biking Warriors: Dutch and German Biker Gangs take on Isis
By Julia Airey In times of war, unexpected alliances often occur. However in the present conflict with the Islamic State, better known as ISIS, no alliance was perhaps as surprising as the recent coalition of the Dutch biker gang “No Surrender” with their recent allies in the German biker gang, “the Median Empire Motorcycle Club”….
Boko Haram
By Becci Fobbe Given the accumulation of reports about exploding vehicles, kidnapping and brutal killings it does not sound too unfamiliar in our ears: attacks, suicide bombings, kidnapping, forced marriage. Boko Haram – which translates into ‘Western education is a sin’ – is one out of many extremist Islamic groups connoted with terrorism. The group…
EXCLUSIVE: Interview with MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS!
The selfie that started it all… An interview with UCR’s boyband: Multiple Directions By Aimah Moiz On the Third Open Mic of the semester we saw a new band emerge amidst the pool of familiar performing faces. Multiple Direction, UCR’s #1 boy band. Members of Multiple Directions (or MD) live up to all the attributes…
The inflation of political terms
The stock market for political terms is about to crash due to over-usage and inflation. By Calin Marginean In economics, the term inflation is used to describe the loss of the value of a currency when it is found in excessive quantities in the market. Throughout history there have been cases of severe inflation and…
A rough diamond – Album review: Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were
By Eden van der Moere The second album is the trickiest record in every musician’s repertoire. It can either make or break the artist. In Ben Howard’s case, it neither makes nor breaks his career. I Forget Where We Were, which was released only last October, is a rough diamond—both beautiful and haunting. Back in 2011,…
Dance for Serious Request!
By Laura van der Laan & Maddy Slot Dance for Serious Request – Stop the Beat, Keep on Dancing When: Friday November 21st Where: The Spot, Middelburg Tickets: €8 up front (available at De Drvkkery, De Spot, Seventy-Seven) €10 at the door RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/386263001528451 All proceeds will be donated to Serious Request! Abandoned, ashamed, and…
The UCSRN: Connecting University Colleges
From left to right: Bram Jaarsma (AC member), Henriëtte Hoogervorst (SC member), Daniël Janssen (AC Chair; EB member), Tessa van Hoorn (SC member; EB Secretary), Bob van de Mortel (AC member), Janine de Jong (SC member), Haris Kalic (SC member; EB Treasurer), Geke Hasperhoven (AC member; EB Chair). (not on the picture: Joe Carpenter…
Jelly Rats
By Sanne Tol Is it Halloween yet? A picture for the strongly stomached: no it is not a gummy rat gone bad, it is an actual see-through rat. Scientists have developed a new technique of making rats transparent, allowing them to see more anatomical detail than ever before. These details are necessary for high…
The Language Requirement: A benefit to your UCR career?
By: Marijn Thijs It is one of those topics that students generally love to hate: the Language Requirement. Commonly, students have a hard time completing this requirement in time or are not motivated to do so. Many have also failed an entrance exam to a language course at least once during their UCR career. So…
Fortress Europe: Our New Ancestral Customs
By Peter Williamson Imagine you are living your life in one of the current conflict zones around the planet. Take your pick, there are dozens. You see people dying of preventable diseases; you can no longer live as a fisherman because European trawlers have driven fish populations in your area near to extinction. People being…
#UmbrellaRevolution: Democracy in Hong Kong
by Marijse van den Berg Over the past few weeks, protesters have taken to the streets in Hong Kong to fight for political freedom. One might ask if, being part of The People’s Republic of China (PCR), Hong Kong can achieve any form of freedom at all. In order to be able to understand the…
Offensive Fashion
By Anita Bielicka In light of the latest uproar concerning the “Kent State University” sweater by Urban Outfitters— which was made in a vintage design and splattered with fake blood, causing one to remember the shooting that took place in 1970— it is interesting to explore some of the rather controversial fashion items that have…
“Banks: the true Goddess of contemporary music”
Album Review By Eden van der Moere Every once in a while, a debut album comes along that is truly magnetizing. Goddess, the debut album of solo-artist Banks, is such an album. Banks is an upcoming young singer-songwriter from California—and not the most traditional one. Instead of only using a guitar, a microphone and a…
The Middelburg Mindset
By Maddy Slot As you see the sun set in Middelburg while you stroll around the city, you wonder how people who have lived here all their lives see it. You wonder whether they, too, think of Middelburg as a bubble, a city in the middle of nowhere. The students of UCR only see a…
Burning Man
By Agate Rublovksa The Black Rock Desert sun hangs heavily above your head. The heat is excruciating. The empty void of desert surrounds you—under your feet, there is nothing but hot sand and dust, and above your head, a clear, blue sky. At a distance, there are art installations that seem to emerge from the…
The Open Mic
By Merlijn Veltman Humanity has always had a fondness of performing on stage, whether it was a musical performance, theatre, or even sports. We like putting ourselves out there, and show the world our talents. The ancient Persians showed their archery skills, the Greeks their theatre and their music in competitions, the Romans their…
FGM: More Widespread Than You Think
By Aimah Moiz Sakina was thirteen years old when the village circumciser came to her house and cut off her clitoris. As she bled and throbbed in pain her mother congratulated her, for she had now officially become a ‘woman’. Sakina is just one of the 125 million girls and women who have undergone female…