In recent weeks, the Hermit’s Kingdom – North Korea has raised the security concerns throughout the globe again. Following the belligerent verbal confrontation between Kim and Trump in August, North Korea’s KCNA just declared the country’s newest success in their hydrogen bomb test, posing new threats to the world’s security. However, the decade-long effort to…
Arts & Culture: Podcasts of the Moment!
By Emma Shiffman Amidst the backdrop of all of the high-tech entertainment we know and love, as millennials, the traditional concept of radio is fading. When I was much younger, radio was what blasted from our stereo as my parents listened to the too-close-to-the-microphone voices of Robert Siegel and Audie Cornish as they presented the…
Summerbreak Series #3 – Becoming a Researcher: Internship at Leiden University Medical Centre
By Quirine Andriessen Last year, just before the end of the semester, I realised I had a long summer holiday ahead of me and I had no idea what to do with it. As it is an advantage to have experience in the health care sector when applying for Medical masters – which is what…
Summerbreak Series #2 – Sold! Internship at Desa Unicum
By Martyna Małysiak Andy Warhol, the leading artist of Pop Art movement, once said: “Business art is the step that comes after art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. During the hippie era people put…
Summerbreak Series #1 Digging for the truth: Waterloo Uncovered
Tabula RASA is kicking off the new semester with a short series of articles written by students that did something cool this summer. Volunteering, an internship, a cool job; there are so many ways in which people from UCR spend their long breaks! Do you have a story about your summer activities that you want…
Too Old Or Too Gay? – The Marginalisation of LGBTQ Elderly
What comes to mind when you think about LGBTQ issues? The gay pride in Amsterdam perhaps, the supreme court granting same-sex marriage to everyone in the US last year, or perhaps just a same-sex couple happily in love? But what about those who spent the greatest part of their lives fighting for same-sex marriage and…
An Hour or Two for Raymond Carver
Days that have you short on inspiration are days when nothing seems so worthwhile as sauntering over to the Zeeuwse Bibliotheek and hiding between the pages of a book. If, by chance, you are a reader who finds solace in sinister fiction, you would do good in picking up a book by American short fiction…
Transcending Assumptions – A Transgender Guy’s Experience with Gender Expectations
Yes, I have a vagina. No, I am not a woman. As crazy as it sounds, this is something I feel like I should explain every time I meet someone new. When I introduce myself as Niels, people tend to frown at me. Why do I introduce myself as Niels even though I obviously have…
Discover The History of Middelburg – Five Historic Sites in Middelburg That You Should Know
Have you ever asked yourself ‘What do I actually know about Middelburg?’ Have your parents/friends/significant others ever asked you about our beautiful school building? I am willing to guess and say that has indeed happened. This article will attempt to fill that gap of knowledge and next time someone asks, – ‘So how old is…
Sex Work in Middelburg
Being born and raised in the rather shady town of Almere, located in the humble shadows of brothel-packed Amsterdam, I was surprised to find a complete lack of sex clubs (or perhaps, night life in general…) upon arrival in Middelburg. Even though I always make it my business to know which side of town to…
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,…
A Black Ring – How my asexuality made me wear jewelry every day
When I went to my first self-defense class (shout-out to Silvano and his merciless pushup regime), I knew I had to take off my ring. Deliberately taking it off, putting it on my nightstand, and walking out the door to go to a public place was one of the strangest things I have done in…
City Guide: Rotterdam Revealed
Only one and a half hours from Middelburg by train, and you are in the raw and vivid city of Rotterdam. A city known by many, but left undiscovered except for the Markthal and the Cube houses. Through this Tabula Rasa city guide, we unravel the treasures that hide in the crooks and creases of…
Camera In Love – Ed van der Elsken in Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
You might have already seen it if you went on the CultureCo Amsterdam trip in February, but if you haven’t already, make sure you get to Amsterdam as soon as possible. Stedelijk Museum, a museum for contemporary art, is hosting an exhibition on Ed van der Elsken, a Dutch street photographer. Ed van der Elsken…
Why We Need To Stop And Listen
The Dutch elections have been over for a couple of weeks, and many were relieved about the result. It seems that the populist tide from the United States did not carry over, in the sense that the PVV did not do as well as many had anticipated. But in some ways, this might not be…
Your New Italian Playlist
By Gloria Borroni Contrary to popular belief, Italian music is not about the mandolin and accordion, at least, not all of it. Music is a crucial cultural aspect of Italy, after all, Italy was the home of some of the greatest classical music composers and opera authors of all times. Nonetheless, parallel to this so-called…
Your New Kyrgyz Playlist
By Azamat Omuraliev You know the deal. It’s 2017, and everyone is in the hip-hop game. These days, rap is a big thing. I don’t even have to tell you this. Anyone can fact-check this themselves at the closest party or in Spotify’s “Global Top 50”. And Central Asia is no exception. Of course, we…
“When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be A Gamer” – The Rise Of E-Sports
By Achim Byl It’s October 2016, we are at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. About 20,000 people have gathered to watch two teams fight for the annual League of Legends world championship. Usually, the arena is used for concerts or basketball; now, there are ten guys sitting in the centre, playing videogames for the…
THEATRA’s Candide: the Best of All Possible Plays
Hello friends, it’s me again with a short yet sensual article about THEATRA’s upcoming Spring Play: Candide. This gem will be performed on Friday the 12th of May (week 14) in the Schouwburg at 20.30. Unlike the Christmas Plays, the Spring Play was not written by students; it was written by Scott Hunter. This is…
The Purr-fect tea party: Kat & Schotel in Goes!
Dreams really do come true. A cat café will be opening soon – on Caturday the 27th of May, to be precise – in Goes! As we all know, UCR has a very pawsitive feeling towards cats, we even have our own feline society on Facebook. But to be perfectly candid, who doesn’t have a…