In her article “Did We Get Used to Nazis (Again)?”, Rebecca Fobbe lambasts the success of the Alternative für Deutschland party (Alternative for Germany, AFD) in the recent German federal elections, which gained almost 13% of votes and thus became the third-largest party nationally. Following Rebeccas article, it would be easy to assume that the…
Did We Get Used to Nazis (Again)?
By Rebecca Fobbe On Sunday the 24th of September, the last of a series of breath-holding European elections was carried out. After the Dutch and French votes for their new respective heads of states, both events closely monitored due to the great appearance of national right-wing parties (Front Nationale in France and PVV in the…
Powergames, History, and Identity – a Ukrainian Perspective on Crimea
By Eric Zhang and Maryna Parfenchuk Ukraine has always been a nation torn apart by different superpowers and identities. For centuries, Austro-Hungarian Empire and Poland had governed its west, whereas its east had been under the control of Russia. That Ukraine falls within Russia’s influence is of major strategic importance for Russia, since Ukraine provides…
The Grim Realism Underlying the Puzzle of North Korea
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…
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…
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…
The Flash Week 12: Takedowns, Missiles And Artificial Wombs
To be honest, the news has been the last thing on my mind – I can’t even remember what week number this article is supposed to be – and I am sure I am not the only one. Tabula Rasa is back to keep you informed so that you can keep on studying! Little Lamb…
The French Elections: What You Need To Know
2017 has been a year of feared elections. After the American elections and Brexit, the European elections were expected to be a battle between the established power and the far-right movements. And so far, it has been. The Dutch elections last month were the first in a series of feared elections, and many were relieved…
The Man Box: Gender stereotyping at its best…
“Men, we’re creatures of habit. We like what we like. Do we like shopping? Nmm. We like tennis. We like… cooking. Mmm. We like fishing. Because… we don’t shop. We decide. The MAN BOX is for you. Your style choices. In a box. To you. Men’s style decision, too.” (Zalando man box, 2017). This TV…
“13 Reasons Why”: Dangerous or Necessary Evil?
Netflix’ new hit show has received both praise and critique, but some of its dangers might be extremely relevant. When Tabula Rasa approached me this week I was supposed to write an article on something related to my major – maybe something on bees making a ‘whoop’ sound when they bump into each other. While…
Professional Journalism Legging It
Last Monday, British Prime Minister Theresa May signed article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, which starts the ball rolling for Brexit. You would think that this would be the most important news story in British newspapers this week – but no. The Daily Mail decided to run with a story on Tuesday which is…
Time to Party
If you have read any news article, sporadically scrolled through your Facebook feed or talked to anyone with an opinion, you have noted that the Dutch elections are nearing at an enormous pace. You might want to vote in these elections, or you are just generally interested and would like to be aware of what…
A Sticky Situation
Shell strikes again: How an oil ‘giant’ pays no consequences for their actions So remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to never swallow your gum because it would stay in your stomach for 500 years? Then there would be that inevitable moment where you ended up swallowing your gum by…
The global gag on abortion
During his first month in office – yes it has only been a month – Donald Trump has been signing executive orders left and right. From the Dakota Access Pipe Line and the wall on the border with Mexico to the infamous travel ban, there has been global outrage concerning his new legislation. However, there…
Column: The Demise of Democracy
By Anna Roodhof I am taking a train from Middelburg to Amsterdam. Across from me, two girls are chatting away in Dutch. One of them looks Caucasian. The other wears a hijab. They are discussing a party that they both attended the night before. This scenario is entirely in line with the motto of the…
The Flash #5: Poison, Rising Temperatures, And Less Intelligence
Somehow, we have already arrived at week 6. This means midterms, papers, presentation – the stuff of nightmares. Luckily, TR is there to provide the news, so that you can keep on studying. VX poison Source: The Guardian Kim Jong-Nam, half-brother of North Korea’s leader, died of a high dose of XV poison. Malaysian health…
What does DeVos say? A Look At Trump’s New Secretary of Education
Looking at Trump’s cabinet so far, the appointments haven’t gone smoothly. Protests and outrage sparked after the appointment of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, Michael Flynn resigned as National Security Advisor after just a month in office, and nominee for Secretary of Labor has just withdrawn his nomination after at least six Republican Senators said…
Sweetening Up The Tax System
Why Jamie Oliver wants to impose a sugar tax By Indya Duivenbode It is commonly known that consuming extensive amounts of sugar is unhealthy. People become more and more aware of this and try to spread their knowledge, under which one finds British cook and television-star Jamie Oliver, who has been active promoting healthy nutrition…
The Waters of Mars
by Sanne Tol LAST year NASA celebrated its 10-year anniversary of Mars explora-tions by Mars rovers Spirit and Oppor-tunity, that were sent to Mars to search its surfaces for evidence of past water. This month NASA could report that there is not only evidence for past wa-ter, but also for present water. Humans haven been…
The Rekindling of American Cuban Diplomatic Relations
by Eva Versteeg After a freeze of diplomatic relations that spanned for more than fifty years, the Cuban and American governments have finally reckindled. Last August, government officials from both countries gathered in Havana, Cuba for a ceremonial raising of the flag. The ceremony marked the reopening of the U.S. embassy in Cuba, which had…