Issue 77 - September

THE

MAGDALEN DUNDEE’S FREE STUDENT MAGAZINE / SEPTEMBER 2019

PHILIP LONG: THE INSIDE STORY

THE READING ROOMS: A BRIEF HISTORY

In discussion with the Director of the V&A, beyond the one year anniversary

Your honest coverage of The Small Town Club’s closure

REFLECT / RESTART

FIND US ONLINE

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@THEMAGDALENMAG

GET IN TOUCH AT EDITOR.IN.CHIEF@DUSAMEDIA.COM

MESSAGE FROM YOUR EDITOR IN CHIEF

MESSAGE FROM YOUR CREATIVE DIRECTORS

Rest assured I’ve started this welcome note about 68 times by now, but this is not about me - which was an invaluable lesson from one of my dear friends and last year’s Editor-in-Chief Murray, who showed me that you don’t need to know my story in order to enjoy this little magazine.

First of all, we would just like to give out a massive thank you to all the people who made this issue possible; from the editors and writers, to the photographers, illustrators and designers, you’ve all been absolutely amazing in helping out and making this issue the best it could be, and we would also like to extend our thanks to you, the reader, for picking up our first issue of the year!

So instead, I’d hope to start with a Thanks to you, readers, for picking up this copy, and to my team. From my closest helping hands in the magazine’s running, to the ever-expanding range of contributors, to the legacy left behind last year’s Magdalen, without which we would’ve never arrived here. I can’t not take this opportunity to highlight how much both this magazine and myself personally owe to the people who helped elevate its name.

The Magdalen feels an epitome to what Dundee represents. Endless growing opportunities, diverse looks and feels, tight yet broad community, all with the intention to bring about a positive change. We have been evolving, just as the City has, and I can only hope this first issue serves as a testimony to that.

And you, dear reader, whether you’ve arrived in our sunny little city for the first time and have stumbled upon this magazine looking for a guide to the local Student Life, or if you’ve been here far longer than we have (12th year of us running!), we hope you enjoy this opening issue. The theme aims to strike a balance between reflecting on what has been achieved, how mistakes can at times teach us more than successes do, and looks ahead to Tomorrow.

So please go ahead, and flick through this copy that has blown my own mind and expectations with the amount of talent that the Dundee students have decided to share with us. Thank you for picking the mag up, we promise to keep coming!

Barbara Mertlova

With this year comes a brand new look to The Magdalen along with a couple tweaks to formatting and aesthetic, we hope you enjoy absorbing our attempt at a bold and colourful reimagining of the fantastic ground work set by last years creative team.

It’s always a bit surreal whenever freshers’ comes around again, the excitement and apprehension of it all is thick in the air and it’s a feeling every single student here can relate to. Be it a brand new entry to our sunny university to someone just coming into their senior year we’re all off on our own personal journeys but we’re in it together and maybe we can all take a bit of solace in that.

At the end of the day we hope this year is an amazing experience for everyone and that you’ll all make the most of your time here and thoroughly enjoy it. Here’s to an amazing freshers’ week and we hope you enjoy the issue!

Neil Connor Helena Lindsay

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EDITOR IN CHIEF Barbara Mertlová

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT Alexander Ferrier

SENIOR DEPUTY EDITOR Rebecca Carey

ON CAMPUS Rebecca Johnston

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Neil Connor Helena Lindsay DEPUTY EDITORS Mary Erin Kinch Erin Mckeown SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHIC DESIGNER Aylish Kelly EVENTS + PR MANAGERS Mariya Radeva Orla Barr PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGERS Domas Radzevičius Arjun Kalsi ILLUSTRATION MANAGER Nico McLaughlin SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Leah Cameron PRINTED BY www.magprint.co.uk WITH THANKS TO VPCC, Hannah Skye Adams

CREATIVE WRITING Lizzie Husum INTERVIEW Mariya Radeva COMMUNITY Rose Bache CURRENT AFFAIRS Abbey McGrath FASHION Jennifer Gillespie INTERNATIONAL Daniel Pukkila LIFESTYLE Billianna Allen-Mandeville OPINIONS Rose Kendall SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY James Dale COPY EDITORS Craig Robertson Erin Campbell Lauren White PUBLISHER Dundee University Students’ Association

CONTENTS FEATURE

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

10

ON CAMPUS

17

DESIGNERS’ CHOICE

22

SOCIETIES’ MESSAGES

24

CREATIVE WRITING

30

COMMUNITY

35

INTERVIEW

40

COMICS

44

CURRENT AFFAIRS

46

FASHION

50

INTERNATIONAL

52

LIFESTYLE

57

OPINIONS

62

SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY

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FEATURE

PHILIP LONG: THE INSIDE STORY

This year, The Magdalen and every other media outlet in Scotland and beyond has had their eyes keenly trained on the V&A. We have all, at length, discussed how good it is for the City and People of Dundee, while also looking at complaints that it will “gentrify” the city, or lead to some form of growing social pains.

Regardless, we have already seen the positive impact of the V&A. By March, the Museum which opened in September had attracted Half a Million Visitors; a landmark it reached some Six Months ahead of schedule. With such success, debate and excitement surrounding the museum, it sometimes escapes us that real people are responsible for these feats.

In order to fully understand what the first year of V&A Dundee has looked like from the inside, I sat down with Philip Long, Director of the Museum.

Philip comes across as a man who is humble and fiercely intelligent in equal measure. One will not find a stereotypical art loving Bohemian in Mr Long, but rather an eloquent manager who truly believes in the Museum’s ability to assimilate into and enhance the cultural fabric of Scotland. He also perfectly personifies the building in which he works: Slick, Modern and at the forefront of a bold new era in the City.

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Design by Neil Connor

As the theme of this issue and thereby, this profile, was reflection. I wanted to know how exactly Philip came to be at the helm of one of Scotland’s most exciting, and promising, new ventures.

He tells me that he’s “From Edinburgh. I was a student in the South where I studied Art, making Art. After that I came back up to Scotland and worked in museums and galleries for all of my professional career. I used to work for the National Galleries in Edinburgh where I was curator of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

SLICK, MODERN AND AT THE FOREFRONT OF A BOLD NEW ERA “When I heard about the prospect of a V&A not just in Scotland but in Dundee, I thought that it was incredibly exciting. I was very fortunate to be appointed the founding Director in 2011.”

The process to get the museum up and running had long relied on Philip’s involvement. Although the museum only opened in September, he has

FEATURE

been directing the project for over 8 years and has been responsible for its development alongside a network of Founding Partners. He is quick to recognise the role of the University of Dundee in this partnership. It was, in fact, the University which suggested the idea for the project as early as 2007 and was involved from its earliest incarnation.

Philip explained, “The University and the other partners in the project play a leading role in the life and development and future vision for the city” He digresses to say that this is in contrast to how universities in larger cities may not take such a degree of civic responsibility. “The University sees its position [in the civic leadership of the city] as a very important part of its identity, so the V&A represented a way to make a contribution to the city.”

Around that time, Dundee was in particular wanting to redevelop and focus resources on this as yet formless renaissance. The city’s waterfront was seen from the beginning as a target, and the V&A project gained focus as a potential focal point from the very earliest stages. As discussions about the redevelopment gathered pace in the early 2000s, the University was able to make a contribution by suggesting that the desired “cultural presence” in the waterfront could involve a V&A. An approach was made via DJCAD, wherein the then director of V&A London, Mark Jones, was invited to Dundee where he noted huge potential to place creativity at the forefront of the redevelopment process.

With London’s backing, the notion of a V&A in Dundee was now more likely than not. Importantly though, Philip holds the Museum’s independence from the Capital as a point of pride; “V&A Dundee is not simply an out station of the museum in

London, it is not governed from there, we are not employees of there, but the London museum is instead a founding partner of the project, alongside the University of Dundee.”

As mentioned before, Philip wholeheartedly believes in the purpose of the Museum, but was aware of the fact that simply opening the building would not make it a success. He said, “Developing an institution like this, there is a responsibility to think very carefully and sensitively as to what the interest and demand for the museum might be and what opportunity it might provide for people.

The Museum as an institution doesn’t really mean anything unless it is meaningful to people and plays a part in their everyday lives.”

Words by Murray Glen

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FEATURE

This reinforces an aspect Philip finds vital to the V&A; its outreach to communities and other institutions. For example, the Victoria and Albert collection gives more loans of its exhibits than any other collection in the country. This notion of outreach was also present in the run-up to the opening of the Museum in Dundee. Hence why a focus was found on an extensive programme of engagement to draw attention to the project.

“We worked from long before we opened, putting attention into organising activities which got people involved in it,” he tells me, “That comprised everything from curating an exhibition on contemporary design and practice and taking it to over 80 venues around Scotland, getting young people involved. We did projects more recently like the Schools Design Challenge where we worked with every senior school in Dundee and Angus, getting pupils to utilise design processes to think about how they could make their environments more inspiring and safer.” This is only a taste of all of the seminars, workshops, lectures and events which took place in the 5 years up to the Museum’s opening, all helping to raise awareness of Dundee’s new Gem. In March 2018, the project had already engaged with over 100,000 people, Philip attributes this to the fact that they were not simply going

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out and telling people things, but rather working with them and focussing on engagement with the project as opposed to a one-way communication.

Despite the optimism and belief in the project, Philip is under no illusions as to the issues present in the city, but he feels the Museum has a real social role to fill. He says that in the opening week, “There was an enormous sense of pride, a real knowledge that the V&A had been achieved by Dundee, not given to it. The Museum is a symbol of the City’s ambition to change and to make a difference to its citizens. It is well known that this City continues to be burdened with some very difficult circumstances of deprivation but on the other hand, V&A Dundee is a symbol of opportunity and ambition, while helping to broadcast that ambition to the world. This is attracting people from around the world to the city and has a direct economic benefit”.

While the V&A’s ability to reshape Dundee’s social consciousness is almost undeniable, I wanted to ask Philip about the aspects of the Museum’s arrival that some had taken issue with, mainly (as featured in The Magdalen - Issue 74, February 2019), the issue of gentrification. Although, as readers will know, there was a very particular legal reason for the local Club’s closure, Philip was sympathetic to the point, saying, “I understand the concerns about gentrification that has happened elsewhere as a consequence of the colonisation of cheap spaces by creative communities and then the gradual widening out of those. V&A Dundee is not really about that, we are an institution which is about giving a voice to the strength and creativity in the city…It is a place which can contribute to Dundee’s economic future and its diverse communities.’

FEATURE

“We have worked with some of the poorest communities in the city to develop our learning programmes so that they are the very best programmes for these communities to benefit from. I don’t really recognise the V&A in notions of gentrification.”

Philip also points to the Edinburgh Festivals as an opportunity for Dundee. To him, Scotland’s great status as a destination for cultural tourism could lead to plenty of opportunities for people to get out of Edinburgh and see more of the country. Philip says, “V&A Dundee is very much a compliment to the Festivals…we provide a further reason to come to Scotland and would like to do more in the future to work with organisations across the country to see what collaborative projects could be done in the future”.

With all of these macro-cultural concepts and achievements laid bare, there was also a personal story to be told by the Director. I was curious as to whether being in the public eye, at the helm of such a widely monitored and anticipated project had affected Philip at a human level. He confessed, “I’ve been doing it for the V&A for nearly 8 years, but being responsible for an open museum is a very different thing. There have certainly been stressful moments. Anyone involved in a capital project like this will tell you that it is impossible to

do these jobs without it being stressful. There is an enormous amount of responsibility, although it is shared across the team. What makes it easier is the fact that the project has grown incrementally and I’ve had the benefit of being involved across a long period. We have grown from a small dedicated team into something very substantial, something I’m very proud of. It is hard to pick out single moments, but the scale is definitely the most difficult thing.”

Throughout the interview, Philip seemed tremendously keen to share his views on the city as a place with a genuine sense of community and ambition. He is someone who for nearly a decade has championed the City’s place in the minds of the public as a space for change, just as the building he brought to the city stands as a symbol of ambition.

He was also keen to say that there is still much work to be done both in terms of the Museum’s programme but also for the City’s development.

He truly knows where he stands and has as much potential to be an influence on the city’s development as the Museum itself.

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ARTS + ENTS

Disney Déjà Vu

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Illustration by Nicole McLaughlin

ARTS + ENTS

This month’s theme is ‘Reflect and Restart’- a nice thought for heading into a new term, but perhaps something that Disney has taken too much to heart.

Looking at the current roster of movies is slightly bleak, with Disney digging up old favourites and re-animating them into a shuffling line of CGI zombies. Have you noticed Disney has no original movies coming out this year? It’s all sequels or remakes (or sequels of remakes - Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) and while some are entertaining enough, I’m probably not alone when I say it’s getting boring.

Let’s take a trip back, to when Simba could still emote and people weren’t up in arms over the race of a fish lady in the Caribbean. A time that ‘90s kids remember’. It’s the Disney Renaissance, and you’re growing up with films like The Lion King, Hercules, Mulan and more. Disney is making original content.

Or are they? What’s interesting about rummaging around in Disney’s past is realising how prevalent sequels and remakes have always been. Shout out to the 1994 live-action The Jungle Book I had no idea existed until I began research. When you look back at what’s being remade in the ‘90s, it’s often movies from a period around 1949 (Mighty Joe Young) to 1967 (The Jungle Book), with many stemming from the ‘60s in particular. That rough 30 year gap from the ‘60s to the ‘90s allowed the kids of the ‘60s to grow into creators with a nostalgia for their childhood and adults with disposable incomes ready to spend on the reappearance of that childhood media. Follow the cycle from the ‘90s to today and we’re approaching that 30 year point.

In both cases - then and now - it seems simple enough; as adults there’s a desire to get back to rose-tinted childhood, when responsibilities and the problems of the world didn’t appear to exist.

But ignoring everything going on behind the films, objectively: they’re not that bad as entertainment.

I’ve seen a few now, and never felt like it was a waste of the ticket price. But there’s still something lacking - Mary Poppins Returns is full of enjoyable songs, bright colours and fun effects but often it feels so focused on following the footsteps of the original that it’s hard to imagine it leaving its own mark. It will be interesting to see which of the recent Disney movies will still be enjoyed in the future and which will be forgotten. Another example of a sequel that feels somehow ‘off’ is Toy Story 4, whose main problem is that it doesn’t feel necessary. There is nothing really gained in the continuation of the story and it loses the satisfying feeling of conclusion present in the third film, which wrapped up the trilogy. When remakes and sequels are made to play safe by mimicking the original and to make a profit, rather than to enrich the world or story, it can come across within the films themselves as a lack of substance.

Disney might once have been the fairy-tale of an innovative animator starting from the bottom, but in 2019 the Mouse is slowly eating up the film industry.

Disney owns Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Touchstone Pictures, and 20th Century Fox, among others. If the company continues this pattern of buying up other studios while producing less original content, what room will be left for smaller creators with original ideas? And what does Disney’s behaviour say about their relationship to us, their audience? They certainly don’t expect to stop seeing our money any time soon, with a whole list of more remakes already in the works. They’ve figured out they don’t need to go out of their way to entertain us, nor do they need to bring us fresh content or particular meaning. If they keep resurrecting our favourites the money will keep rolling in. And isn’t that magical?

However, the sheer number of prequels, sequels, spin-offs, franchise films and remakes has increased over the past few years. From 20002009, 20% of Disney’s feature films (excluding documentaries and foreign language films) were based on previous content. From 2010 to the end of this year, that will have risen to 53%. Why? Bluntly put, it’s a consistent money-maker. Beauty and the Beast (2017) grossed over a billion dollars. The Jungle Book (2016) made $966.6 million and Aladdin made $989.7 million Remakes perform well and make a tidy profit nearly every time. The rise of streaming platforms has undeniably made it harder to drag audiences to the cinema; Disney’s approach is to bet on films which have already proved successful, and turn them into star-studded, special effect-heavy, unmissable ‘events’. It allows them to profit from adults brought up on t, kids who have never seen them in the first place, and people curious how the newest adaptation or sequel will

Words by Mareth Burns

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ARTS + ENTS

Review: First Man Damien Chazelle’s galactic biopic First Man is now available on television, presumably to mark the 50th anniversary of NASA’s moon landing.

For millennials, fully appreciating this extraordinary feat sometimes proves difficult - it existing instead as a distant and intangible moment in history.

Void of the warm glow of nostalgia and memories of childish wonder and awe, some post-boomers simply scoff at the foolish naivety of their peers and have colonised YouTube, where they offer far more conspiratorial takes on what happened in 1969. Other, some might say more sane, critics coldly argue that the endeavour was primarily a propagandistic tool for political one-upmanship.

Even for the most tireless romantic, it’s tough to outright deny this position, particularly when you consider the controversy that the film received last year, with certain people finding issue with its omission of the United States flag on the moon.

Such a decision was most likely made to ensure that the film would be viewed as a pure portrait of Neil Armstrong. However, First Man’s depiction of a flawed mission, plagued with fatal errors and a reckless sense of duty and entitlement, seems as well to be a clear indictment of the delusional, hate-fuelled nationalism that has made its way to the political forefront in the past few years. Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan desperately

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attempts to evoke fantasies of an America that was, well, ‘Great’, while handily ignoring the respective histories of certain minority groups, for whom America’s greatness remained illusory.

Thankfully, Chazelle does attempt to acknowledge this reality. Disparate images of the Saturn V rocket – an obvious symbol of humanity at its technological zenith – and enraged Civil Rights protesters certainly provide a welcome sense of historical awareness, but are noticeably unsubtle and awkward.

Instead, it’s Chazelle’s interpretation of the mission – mainly as one of extreme precariousness – which serves as a more potent weapon against fragile notions of an infallible, all-conquering superpower.

The film tackles the vastness of space by making the audience view it from a confined and hugely personal perspective; veering away from a sickly, Spielbergian picture of heroism, and opting instead for a far more ambiguous and overwhelmingly tragic illustration of Armstrong’s life. Whereas a story like First Man’s could have been content with an unabashedly straightforward celebration of male courage and national victory, Chazelle’s offering is refreshingly comfortable with its tale of vulnerability and impotence in the face of something truly gargantuan.

Design by Louise James / Photograph by Jonas Rybnicek / Words by Luther Codrington

The Reading Rooms: A Brief History Back in June, The Reading Rooms, affectionately known as ‘The Small Town Club’, closed its doors.

After significant police pressure, which dates back a few years, the club was overwhelmed by ‘insurmountable’ challenges.

Readers of this magazine are likely aware of these general narrative points, every move having been reported in The Courier and The Evening Telegraph.

Yet, nobody seems entirely certain as to the reasons behind Rooms’ protracted demise. What follows

is pure speculation; I’m as uncertain as you are.

However, in a futile attempt to break through the hullabaloo, I’ll point my flickering Poundland torch towards Blackscroft.

On December 9th, 1910, St Roque’s Public Library opened with funding from Andrew Carnegie.

The building was designed by architect James Thomson, whose other work included the plans for the Caird Hall. For decades, the building served as a reading room for newspapers and magazines,

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“the wellbeing of our customers has always been our primary concern”

becoming Rick’s Disco in the 1980s. It was in the 1990s that Rooms, as we know it, came to be. After some teething problems, the venue opened in 1997, and again, for good, in 2001. The building began to show signs of age; in 2010, an internal inspection found eroded stonework, boarded windows, and bushes on the roof. Rooms was, with some premonition, deemed ‘At Risk’.

In 2015, Rooms felt the first (if tinfoil hat wearers are to be believed) impact of the V&A, when ill-fated plans were announced for daytime expansion.

Similar plans surfaced again in 2017, after the club was namechecked by the Wall Street Journal. As we know, neither came to fruition. A year before the first development was announced, in December 2014, council licensing officers conducted a routine inspection. They found only minor regulatory

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Design by Neil Connor

breaches, and made their reports as normal. The following night, as Crayon was taking place, Rooms was raided by police and closed for 24 hours. This seemingly excessive show of force yielded no significant results.

It was not until December 2018 that the police had any consequential effect on the club. That winter, a woman, after having visited Rooms, was sexually assaulted at an unconnected private residence.

Police, naturally, initiated an investigation, resulting in the capping of entrants from Rooms’ 450 capacity to only 200. The chief inspector of Police Scotland’s Tayside Division stated that establishments ‘have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for people to enjoy their day or night out’. ‘Support and advice’ was offered to staff

ARTS + ENTS

who ought to ‘prevent crime, drug misuse and alcohol related violence on their premises’. From what little information is publicly available, it’s difficult to say where the fault lies, and how largely the club may or may not have been responsible, indirectly or otherwise.

The cap eventually, as we know, lead to temporary closure in April, as the club was ‘pushed to the brink of closure’. These efforts to ‘restructure [their] […] business strategy’ unavailing, the Reading Rooms yee’d its last haw on June 1st, 2019. The infamous cap was put in place from concerns about ‘drug misuse’. Would this suggest that there was such a lax attitude to drug taking that it would allow for individuals to be violently taken advantage of?

Was there really any more drug use than a nightclub would ordinarily experience? To try and clear this up a little, we contacted Rooms for an interview. In a legally sensible yet undeniably roundabout manner, they declined to comment, just as they had in 2014 when The Evening Telegraph enquired. The club stated that they would be ‘addressing these issues soon’, yet they were ‘concentrating on securing a new venue’ at the time. This was only conveyed after an initial rebuff. It was only following the announcement of our status as a non-profit student magazine that Rooms replied at all.

The club later announced on Facebook that ‘we refute all allegations made against the venue and its management […] the wellbeing of our customers has always been our primary concern’ […] In the 17 years we were open, there were never any serious issues … our track record speaks for itself’. We spoke to a number of The Reading Rooms’ patrons to get their take on drug-culture allegations. One individual claimed that there was ‘definitely […] a more lax environment’, and that marijuana was smoked openly ‘without cause for concern […] bouncers or security staff nearby […] never said anything to stop it’. Rooms was ‘the exception’, and one would ‘never smoke green in any other club’.

This died down in the wake of the increased police presence on club nights, which shall be returned to later. Another interviewee claimed that having patronised Rooms ‘at least 50 times’, she only ‘saw a handful of people who were paralytically drunk’.

These revellers were ‘swiftly and safely seen to’, and she ‘never ever felt unsafe whilst there’. Another

was ‘aware of the venue’s reputation’, but had ‘never witnessed anything to evidence it’. Both these last two individuals, who were interviewed separately, made the claim that our own student union saw ‘more violence and sexual misconduct’.

‘Far worse drug and alcohol related incidents […] and especially gross misconduct on the dance floor’ were noted in a venue where ‘drug and alcohol consumption is allegedly monitored more seriously’.

Alas, the supposed indifference of Union bouncers is another matter. In regards to police presence, ‘the queue to get in was definitely longer’. The atmosphere was certainly dampened by the police cruiser parked across the street, with officers eyeballing customers awaiting entry. The smoking area was reportedly more restrained, with customers hanging around the doorway, rather than risk being observed by the authorities.

Another admitted to feeling ‘judged’, and that there was a hitherto unfelt tension. This left Rooms with an ‘authoritative smear’ over the typically relaxed environment. Some have claimed that gentrification had a role to play in the venue’s closure; in fact, all interviewees agreed of its impact.

In July 2018, the Hotel Indigo opened across the street, followed, of course, by the waterfront V&A in September. With eyes on the city, it would make sense that authorities would want to strengthen local regulations. It is possible that, having been aware of Rooms’ reputation for some time (since 2014, at least), Tayside Police and Dundee City Council used the aforementioned sexual assault as an opportunity to clamp down on arguably the most unconventional nightclub in the city.

Has my inane accumulation of prattling gossip done anything to elucidate this universal uncertainty? I’m unsure, yet I must make something clear; I present this information for your own interpretation. I felt that no publication had yet attempted to cover the protracted demise of The Reading Rooms. The legitimate reasons behind this closure will undoubtedly remain murky for some time. Yet, I hope that this succession of garbled hearsay may prove useful to some of you, in your efforts to come to terms with the loss of Dundee’s best boogie-woogie megastore.

Words by Alexander Ferrier

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ARTS + ENTS

Review: The Battle of Algiers

A cinematic review of Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (1966) admires Pontecorvo’s jarringly realistic and visually dreary directive style whilst constructing a bold case for the return to neo-realist projects within film. Must, Loftus argues, a film have to be bursting with romantic drama and adventure to capture our imagination?

When given the task of translating an actual historical event into film, a director can take several different approaches.

Some choose to portray the affair with relative accuracy with only some liberties taken for the sake of dramatic effect, while others dilute the complex interplay between different individuals and factions to nothing more than a seasoning to mask the bland taste of an otherwise typical summer blockbuster. Few, however, opt to endure the masochistic pursuit of realism in both style and tone that’s displayed in Gillo Pontecorvo’s 1966 film The Battle of Algiers.

Aiming to document the use of terrorism in the Algerian War between the French colonial government and local successionist rebels in Algiers, the film doesn’t so much as dramatise these events as it does attempt to take a life-like snapshot of them. The word “realistic” is an insufferable cliché given how often it’s tossed around like a child’s teddy bear at any piece of fiction that’s even slightly grounded.In the case of Algiers, however, no better word describes it. Not only is there the usual inclusion of historical figures in the cast and real-world historical milestones as plot points that one comes to expect

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from historical fiction, but what is particularly noteworthy about these proceedings is how they’re portrayed with complete detachment. Bombings of French civilians are shown with a shrug of indifference, deaths or defeats of major characters are unromantic, and the film’s soundtrack by Ennio Morricone is understated to the point that it’s forgettable (a surprise given the composer’s reputation). Yet despite the almost clinical way in which the film chooses to present itself, it never once gives off the impression that it’s lacking in artistry. In addition to having some incredibly tense scenes such as the aforementioned bombing, the film possesses certain aspects that add a touch of the esoteric. This is conveyed most of all through Jean Martin’s stellar

Words by Jack Loftus / Design by Leah Cameron

performance as the fictional Colonel Mathieu, whose stoicism and ruthless efficiency in combating the rebel insurgents makes him seem both otherworldly and a physical embodiment of that same detached coldness that runs through all aspects of the film. On the whole, Algiersis certainly not an exciting film. It’s cold, distant and alienating. Yet its attention to historical detail and attempts to stylise its own realism show that this dryness is not the product of careless direction. For fans of melodrama and adventure there’s little to enjoy here, but for those fond of realism as an artistic style, there’s much to be found in Algiersto make it an absolutely essential viewing.

ON CAMPUS

THE SRC: WHO ARE WE? I had no idea who the Student Representative Council (SRC) were and what they did until someone suggested that I run for a position.

Doing so was the best decision I’ve made during my time at Uni.

The SRC is a group of students that represent the wider student body, giving students a voice with different positions that speak for more specific groups of people. The SRC meets roughly every three weeks and all meetings are open for students to attend; however, only SRC councillors have a vote on motions.

The SRC is made up of students from different bodies: the DUSA executive, school presidents and the SRC councillors who are specifically elected onto the council. The SRC councillors are elected in by the wider student body after running their election campaign in the first semester and hold their positions until the end of the academic year. The SRC’s Chairperson is an elected unbiased member of the council who doesn’t vote, except in the case of a tie. The SRC also includes the Independent Member of Court, who sits on the Wider University Court, and the Sports Union President.

This year I’ve been Disability Representative, in which I’ve had to advocate for students on campus who live with disabilities, whether they are registered with the disability services or not. My role involved ensuring that the motions were accessible to people with all disabilities. I got a motion passed to get signs with “Not Every Disability Is Visible” on toilets and parking spaces around campus to tackle everyday discrimination.

The SRC councillors also sit on sub-committees which can make a real difference in the university.

The facilities sub-committee ran a campaign introducing reusable water bottles and coffee cups which have massively reduced the consumption of paper cups in the Union and library café. To ensure

student safety in the Union, SRC councillors sit on the Disciplinary Panel.

Each representative has a different focus of student life, and as everyone has different expertise, it is essential that all these roles are filled to ensure that no group of students are left unrepresented.

Roles that will be elected in the upcoming elections include: . 1st Year

. Black and Minority

. Disability

. DUSA Student Staff

. Employability

. Environment and Sustainability

. Equality and Diversity

. Facilities

. General (x3)

. Halls

. Housing

. International

. Learning and Teaching

. LGBT+

. Mature Student

. Postgraduate Research

. Postgraduate Taught

. Societies

If you are interested in running for a position, there’s still time to get involved! The nominations are open until September 17th. The SRC elections are overseen by the Vice President of Representation, Olaf Postola, and the Democratic Support and Policy Co-ordinator, Stewart Squire, who will guide you through the whole election process and make it so much more enjoyable. Taking part in a campaign teaches you a lot, and it is an invaluable skill to have when looking at jobs in the future.

Being on the SRC has been such a positive experience and not only have I met new people and learnt so much but even engaging with the process has enhanced my university experience.

Design by Neil Connor / Words by Alyssa Faulkner

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LEADING MORE THAN JUST A NIGHT CLUB BEHIND THE SCENES OF DUSA’S TOP JOB

The Union is committed to representing the whole of the student body, acts as a key connection with the University, and notably also provides hospitality services and a clubbing scene. It is led by eight Executive members, six of which are full-time paid positions, and two non-sabbatical part-time. The roles are taken on by recent students from the University, and at the top of the decisions is the President - a student-elected leader of the Exec team. The Magdalen had the opportunity to sit down with the President-elect for this academic year, Josh Connor, and with Sofia Skevofylaka, the outgoing head of the Exec.

Among the most significant achievements of Sofia and her team was launching new campaigns, including Don’t Settle and Don’t be a Prick, whereby the latter has been replicated at the King’s College London. The list of successes goes on, including facilitation of countless recurring as well as new events, and also the expanding of campaigns to other University of Dundee campuses which had previously been often neglected, including Kirkcaldy and Ninewells. With that in mind and in line with the Theme of this issue, we wanted to reflect on the last year from both outgoing and incoming perspectives, and to look ahead into the year before us.

Upon asking Josh to reflect on the past team’s achievements, he stressed the unprecedented efforts and overall commitment of the 2018/19 Executive, leading to what he referred to as ‘too long a list of successes to recount’. He went on to highlight the elevation of the overall student experience as something crucial in his eyes. Sofia

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brought up the impressive statistic of the 85% accumulative accomplishment of the originally stated Manifesto, with new projects brought in on top. While admittedly, that is due to the efforts of the whole Exec and wider DUSA teams, undeniably Sofia’s leadership and management skills, alongside her caring and committed nature, enabled these achievements.

“ THE UNION IS COMMITTED TO REPRESENTING THE WHOLE OF THE STUDENT BODY “

Whether you are an insider to the Dundee University Students’ Association, or if you have not had the opportunity to look beyond its face of a nightclub, one thing that stands is that DUSA is and does much more than most of us notice.

Further emphasising the learning curve of the Union, Sofia points to the ongoing development of its business strategy. To be able to raise student engagement with DUSA and to truly represent diverse student experiences, the charity has been undergoing a restructure to bring focus on its innate purpose, beyond the widespread branding as a nightclub. Hinting insight into what’s been going on behind the scenes, the outgoing president reassures that necessary changes are underway, which is supported by some of the evidence from last year’s monumental increase in student engagement. Similarly, Josh shares one of his key plans to focus on outreach, in communications but also physically, aiming for the team to be seen on all three Campuses more. As Sofia mentions, Josh is a relatively junior leader, having just finished his second year of university, which she sees as an opportunity for him to bring in a fresh perspective, and to effectively address ‘some of the core issues students are facing.’ That prediction is supported by our conversation with Josh, who explains that while he values the assets the building of the Union provides, he understands a wide spectrum of reasons why some students may feel detached

Design by Neil Connor / Illustration by Nicole McLaughlin

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from it and do not want to engage with the offered support. He elaborates, “without the student body, we’re nothing. Engagement is at the forefront of our minds for the upcoming year.”

Now having stressed the complexity of the job, we refocused on some of the inevitable personal aspects to these roles. Sofia recalled an initial challenge to feel accepted as the new leader, as she had campaigned in support of a different team than the rest of the later-elected Vice Presidents.

To show how that soon ceased to be an issue, she shared one of her fondest memories from her term, which details a beautiful surprise put on by the rest of the Exec for her at the President’s Dinner, ranging from speeches to other thoughtful touches which gave no room for doubt that they had become a true family: “It was the best night of my

life so far. The team thanked me not only for being by their side but making them a better person every day. I will never forget this.”

Although it has been very early on for Josh to comment on personal reflections, he felt confident in his capacity to be a strong voice for students ‘whoever and wherever they are’, recounting empathy as something he is determined to put at the forefront of his presidency..

It has been a pleasure and an invaluable learning opportunity to work with Sofia and the rest of the Executive last year, and The Magdalen felt the duty to try do it but a small justice by highlighting some of the key moments of their year. And as well as the thanks we owe to Sofia and her team, we are excited and anticipative for Josh’s term.

“ I wish all students continue to be active in the University of Dundee and DUSA since they are the ones that make this University so Unique. Please come and grab an opportunity within DUSA to make this place even more great. We need you <3 ” - Sofia Skevofylaka

Words by Barbara Mertlova

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ON CAMPUS

RAG REFLECTS In conversation with Scott Quinn, VPF & head of RAG, on the 12 months of Raising And Giving in Dundee and his plans for the coming year.

Reflecting over the last year doesn’t always give you the warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling that you might expect. We have no shortage of bleak news stories to choose from: global data breaches, natural disasters and not to mention every other sentence has ominously started with Brexit or Trump. Now, before we all start stocking up our underground bunkers, I promise you good news exists even in the darkest of times. Good people exist in a world full of Trumps and Borises. You just need to know where to look and, lucky for us, we need not look any further than our very own Scott Quinn.

Humble as he is, Scott is very much a campus celebrity. I’m sure you all recognise him by now: DUSA’s rising star and Vice-President of Fundraising. You may have seen him around the Union, or maybe from when he used to check your IDs before a night out. However, nowadays, he is known as the architect behind our very own Raising and Giving programme. Raising and Giving

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Design by Neil Connor

(RAG) societies exist across the UK, as a way for students to help give back to their communities and support a whole host of local and national charities. Dundee’s own society has been around longer than many of us and yet, in recent years, this once beloved treasure had been gathering cobwebs: neglected and forgotten. On campus, RAG had become just our old, unloved clothes.

We had lost sight of its real meaning, its purpose and what good it could do. What a difference a year makes and what a year it has been! We have seen RAG grow from strength to strength, hosting radio marathons to book fairs to drag shows, and we must not forget our very own Foodbank! Staff, students and societies came together and united under a common cause of raising over £11,000 for an extraordinary local charity, Dundee Foodbank: an organisation that gives hope to people in some of the bleakest times, something we can never get enough of.

I sat down with Scott during the summer and what should have been a grace period for him.

Unsurprisingly, he was as busy as ever, working 12-hour days between his responsibilities here in DUSA and at his part-time job as well. There was

ON CAMPUS

no need to ask him why he was re-running as VP of Fundraising - why would he put himself through the endless hours of payless work to then have to leave to go to his actual job? His face gave him away. He loves what he does and he wouldn’t have it any other way. When I asked Scott to reflect on the past year and all of his accomplishments, I, naturally, asked him what he was most proud of.

I knew not to expect to hear about his National Student Fundraising Awards nomination as ‘Student Fundraiser of the Year’ or the fact that one of last year’s fundraisers, ‘Jam’s 55hr Radio Marathon’, had also been shortlisted. People brush off recognition all the time as unimportant. Most people don’t mean it; Scott did. The first thing he highlighted was that this year’s success was a testament to all the staff, students and societies that were involved... Sweet, right? I told you he was a good guy.

It is no understatement to say that Scott is the leader of RAG in all it entails. He knows what’s involved in leading it better than anyone since he has had to build it from the ground up over the last year. Going forward, Scott has already started to make alterations and has been steadily putting

in place plans for next year. He has put together a wonderfully talented team of senior fundraisers, including: Billianna Allen-Mandeville, Caitlin Kavanagh and Lois Glithero who have already been helping him outline his ambitious plans.

This year will see a new local charity being recognised - Dundee International Women’s Centre. Scott certainly has a way of spotting them, as DIWC is another shining example of good people making good news. In short, DIWC gives a much-needed home to vulnerable women who are so often excluded and marginalised. Not only was Scott delighted with the choice but sees DIWC’s selection as an opportunity to increase their efforts this year. Promised are new, bigger and better events to look forward to, as well as some old favourites returning too. However, one thing is certain, do watch this space!

Reflecting on such a successful year for RAG does make you stop and wonder at how we will ever top it. But the funny thing about nostalgia is: a sentimentality for the past is a surprising(ly?) powerful motivator to do better in the year to come.

Words by Rebecca Carey

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DESIGNERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CHOICE

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Illustration by Patrik Vojtas vojtas

DESIGNERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; CHOICE

SOCIETIES’ MESSAGES

THE MAGDALEN

INTRODUCTION TO DUSA SOCIETIES AERIAL SOCIETY Ever wanted to defy gravity? Offering Aerial Hoop, Pole, Trapeze and Silks, the Aerial Society is always looking for fun-loving new members to grow their wings. We have lots of awesome opportunities to perform at our events or meet new people at our amazing workshops and socials!

CENTRE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP: ENTERPRISE CHALLENGE Fascinated by all things tech, or do you just like the flashing lights? Either way, come and join the Computing Society! We’ve got something for everyone this year from pub crawls & games nights to workshops & guest talks. Find us at Freshers’ Fair or on Facebook (@DundeeCS), everyone’s welcome!

FEMINIST SOCIETY ‘Feminism’ is the radical belief that we are all born equal. Do you agree?

Then, Fem Soc is for you! Along with charity projects and campaigns, we love film screenings, powerful talks and collabs with other societies. Not to mention a drink and a dance when it’s all done! Find us on Facebook @uodfemsoc or stalk our Insta page - @uod_feminist_society!

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Design by Neil Connor

SOCIETIES’ MESSAGES

THE PHYSICS SOCIETY The Physics Society brings socialising to Science - we’re DUSA’s Society of the Year 2014/15 and 2016/17! Highlights of a year with us include: renowned annual trip abroad, annual Ball, themed pub quizzes/crawls, laser tag, camping trip, weekly study group to help you through your degree and more! - Facebook: Dundee University Physics Society - Email: dundeephysics@outlook.com - Instagram & Snapchat: @duphysicssoc

DUNTEA SOCIETY DunTea Society is a place to chill out with friends and make new ones over a nice cup of tea. We host themed events every two weeks with a range of interesting flavours on offer and the occasional sweet treat too.

Find us on FB at DunTea Society.

OPSOC Love musical theatre? Then how about joining OpSoc, the University’s only musical theatre society?! Renowned for our annual full-scale production performed in March, our show for 2020 is ‘Legally Blonde The Musical’ based on the American comedy film of the same name! Check us out on Facebook at ‘Dundee OpSoc’!

DUNDEE MALAYSIAN SOCIETY Apa khabar! Ni hao! Vanakkam! Hello! We are the Malaysian Society, a society dedicated to representing and celebrating the multicultural beauty of our country.

Come and join us to experience the divine Malaysian delicacies and festivals. Everyone is welcomed to be part of this amazing family!

GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SOCIETY Calling all lovers of everything Geographical - there’s a society just for you! Cutting edge guest speakers, friendly and fun themed events, brilliant quiz nights and an unforgettable annual ball. We’d love for you to join us. Lifetime membership costs just £8 - bargain! Check out Geography & Environmental Science Society - University of Dundee on Facebook.

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SOCIETIES’ MESSAGES

PRE-MED SOCIETY Are you aspiring to study medicine or dentistry in the future after your degree? Well consider joining the Pre-Med Society! We are an academic and social society that organises trips to medicine/dentistry open days, guest speakers, UCAT workshops and just about anything to make us more prepared for applying.

TENNENT’S APPRECIATION SOCIETY Fight the good fight. Reinstate Tennent’s lager in our Student Union. Get in touch via our Facebook page, Tennents Appreciation Society. We are passionate about Tennents, so much so that we got featured in the Courier!

Want to get involved? Come along to the Freshers’ Fair and sign up!

YOGA SOCIETY Looking to relax and meet new friends? Welcome to the Yoga Society! We run classes on Tuesdays (5-6PM) and Thursdays (6-7PM) so why not come along and give it a go or catch us at a social. If you have any questions, send us a message on Facebook @dundeeuniyoga.

WILDERNESS & EXPEDITION MEDICINE SOCIETY Dundee WEMS is dedicated to furthering students’ interests in wilderness medicine, combining clinical teaching in pre-hospital medicine and retrieval with learning wilderness survival skills. We run weekend hikes, clinical teaching and orienteering sessions. We also train student teams for the national Wild Trials competition. Like us on Facebook @dundeewems!

SIGN SOCIETY UoD SignSoc aims to teach BSL and D/deaf awareness, host socials, fundraise for local charities with BSL users and provide outreach opportunities. So if you are looking to learn a new language and have some fun, why not come along to our weekly classes? Follow @ UoDSignSoc for more info!

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SOCIETIES’ MESSAGES

DUNDEE FRIENDS OF MSF SOCIETY We are Dundee Friends of MSF: a student organisation dedicated to supporting Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) via fundraising events, campaigning and education on matters that affect MSF and wider global health issues. For more info check out our facebook page @DundeeFoMSF and our instagram @fomsfdundee!

MODEL UNITED NATIONS SOCIETY Interested in global affairs? Then MUN is just the right society for you! We meet every week to discuss current issues and find solutions, just as the real UN does. We attend conferences with other societies from all over the world and are known for our great socials. Join us!

SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETY New to Scotland and want to experience some traditional culture in a friendly, active setting? Or miss your old ceilidh classes? Open to all, we run dance classes with a mix of ceilidh and traditional Scottish country dances. There is also the potential to visit other universities for balls too!

JUSTLOVE DUNDEE We are a passionate community of Christian students in Dundee relentlessly pursuing God’s heart for social justice in our city, nation and world. We would love to welcome you to our events where you can find out more about what we do and how you can get involved as well as get to know like-minded people, or find out more @ justlovedundee on both Facebook and Instagram!

KINK SOCIETY If you’re a pro or an absolute newbie to kink, vanilla or not, DUKS is a safe and inclusive space to learn and chat openly about all things kinky. Our regular munches, social events and workshops allow a great and friendly environment to meet and socialise with other like-minded people as well as maybe learn something new in a safe way.

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SOCIETIES’ MESSAGES

DUNDEE UNIVERSITY CHRISTIAN UNION Dundee University Christian Union is a Mission Team which exists as a united community that strives to follow the teachings of God. We desire to give every student on campus the opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. All welcome!

DUNDEE BULGARIAN SOCIETY Come to the Freshers’ Fair and meet the Bulgarian Society. We’ll provide delicious traditional homemade food & Bulgarian music. Also, have you heard about the Balkan Night yet? We bring all members together as one big family with the help of our spectacular events and an incredibly dedicated and talented executive team.

FB: @DundeeBulgarianSociety - Instagram: @uodbulgariansociety Youtube: UoD Bulgarian Society

DENTAL RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC MEDICINE SOCIETY Dental DRAMS is dedicated to research and serve as a stepping stone to the world of dental-specific research for students. Our objectives are to promote research and impart useful skills in discerning reliable pieces of research. In our Summer Internship Project, participants conduct in research by themselves too! Find us across social media @dentaldrams.

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SOCIETIES’ MESSAGES

PARTICIPATION SOCIETY DUPS is UoD’s “Best New Society”! We’re a sports society catering for all abilities and playing a new sport every week..

“I was struggling to find people to connect with at uni, but joining such an inclusive and crazy society made me feel like I was part of a family!”

MARKETING SOCIETY The University of Dundee Marketing Society (UDMS) has been set up this year to provide a unique opportunity for students to learn about marketing from fellow members, attend exclusive networking and recruiting events, and prepare for a future career in the industry. We will also be holding various social events throughout the year and everyone is welcome! Find us on Facebook, Instagram @uodmarketing and LinkedIn for updates.

MARVELESQUE CABARET SOCIETY Our mission is to inspire creativity and positivity through community cabaret production with emphasis on inclusion and accessibility. We aim to achieve this by using body positivity and good mental health practices in teaching dancing, burlesque, costuming, act/character creation and behind the scenes production.

Words by DUSA SOCIETIES

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CREATIVE WRITING

The Abrupt Red Flower I live in thoughts, floating from one to another.

The branches root deep into the concrete as the vines squeeze my last remains.

In oblivion I reject myself and water the strengthening web.

An inexhaustible yearning, but aren’t I crazy to want to reach?

I’m being fed, given instructions, even provided with tools to build for the common purpose.

I was insane, but then the red flower abrupted and reminded me of myself.

I returned not to depart midst work, run after silver or gold— I’ve always echoed and so has everything around me, always listening, and answering properly.

The pedals flow, calmly swing washing over me with remembrance, a reflection; So long ago I dipped my brush in ink painted, only to forget my creations in a tightly packed tube stuffed in the attic.

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Design by Carla Cassidy / Words by Daniel Pukkila

woollen

CREATIVE WRITING

...

Since my mother’s death last November, life has been strange (to say the least). There is so much grief and guilt. Guilt for being overseas instead of home the last three years, guilt that my father is now alone in the big house filled with her memories. Guilt that my grief sometimes becomes so overwhelming it is all I can see and I have to get help from the people around me to even try jumping to see the top of the mountain.

Losing my parents, especially my mother, was always my deepest fear as a kid. I was terrified of tornadoes and the house spontaneously burning down, and in all these nightmares the one loss that hit the hardest was the repeated scenario in which my mom would run back into the house to rescue something she’d forgotten and we’d never see her again. That is not what happened. It wasn’t a fire or a tornado of sharks or a giant troll that took her, it was cancer. And it took her exactly five years to the day of her diagnosis, on Thanksgiving day. Of course it was painful. But we were all there. It was beautiful. We joked that she would wait for both her children to be home and once they were, she wouldn’t give any of us less than twenty-four hours with her. Witnessing someone die is not like the movies. There’s no heartfelt goodbye and then they slowly close their eyes. It takes hours, if not days. We had hospice nurses over every day, checking her symptoms and telling us what signs to look out for to know it was time. She died as she lived, surrounded by love and at the most inconvenient time for everyone else. As she took the first of her last breaths, what the nurses called “the death rattle”, I was alone with her. We had all been singing and holding hands, but of course as soon as everyone had left she decided it was time. My brother had his hands elbow deep inside the thanksgiving turkey, pulling its gizzards out. His wife was feeding the cats and my father had just put the kettle on. And it happened.

One long slow rattling inhale. My worst fear had been that we wouldn’t recognize the signs but there was no way not to. She had been holding my hands seconds before, quietly whispering that she loved us all. And we all held hands around her bed and sang to her, in the living room that she painted and designed, in the home she had built for her family. The tea kettle went off. My father’s quiet voice “well my love, this is how the world ends, not with a bang but with a whistle”.

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Design by Neil Connor

CREATIVE WRITING

She died as she lived, surrounded by love and at the most inconvenient time for everyone else.

While losing her has impacted my life in so many ways, it has allowed me to hit pause on life. To take the time to reflect and look at where it’s going and whether it’s where I want it to go. I want to live and love the way my mom did, with courage and truth and a thirst for adventure. With a new term starting, I hope I can remind myself everyday to live life boldly, to live with love and grace and stay true to myself, plant my feet and “stand firmly in your truth”.

Words by Sofié Ruderman

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CREATIVE WRITING

Letter to a Younger Me, Leaving Home for University

Dearest Crispin.

It might be presumptuous to think that you’ll take any of your own advice, but given the opportunity, I believe it’s important to warn you a little about what life is going to be like once you fly the nest.

The first thing that you will realise is that no one knows anything.

Even your parents who once were the smartest living people on Earth don’t seem to know what to do when you leave. Not only them, but your friends back home and your teachers and your dog and your boyfriend will all have to slowly adjust to the fact that you are not as reachable as the day you left. They will be sad, frustrated and he will break up with you. Even a small distance changes a great deal.

No one you meet will know anything about what the point of it all is. Of course you will meet intelligent people but no one can throw you the ultimate knowledge bone of telling you what to do with yourself or what your purpose in life really is. A meaning to it all is something you will have to discover on your own, and even at the time of writing Dearest Crispin, an answer hasn’t presented itself. This will

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This will make you immensely sad, but in the end you’ll be mostly alright.

Once you move out and grow up a little, you will notice yourself finding joy in things you once found soul destroying -like ironing, paying bills and looking after a small family of cacti (two cactus adults and their cactus children). But on the other side of the coin, you will lose interest in things that once exhilarated you -like video games, going out and even some of your old friendships. Interests will fade but there will be new things to keep you from being too homesick or thinking too much, although these things will plague you too I’m sorry to say.

Lastly Crispin, I want to assure you that while life can be a lot to handle, it can also be a truly wonderful adventure. If only you do what makes you the happiest and stick to it despite anyone’s judgements. And while I am not writing to you from a place of full contentment, I have a big smile on my mostly adult face.

Much Love, Crispin Joseph (21)

Words by Crispin Joseph / Photograph by Domas Radzevicius / Design by Leah Cameron

COMMUNITY

Línte Comhthreomhara (Parallel Lines) A personal account of imposter syndrome in a foreign country and musings on how it has affected him and his studies.

I write to you now, perched on a hillside on a foreign shore. My shore. To the East, mountains string out like the spine of the world. Formed from the remains of giants long past, great boulders litter the slopes from their battles – if the myths are to be believed. They shield our lough from the cold winds. To the South the land slides deceptively into the bay. Gaunt fingers of an oyster farm paw meekly at the waves as they outline the coast. And to the West, home. Nestled deep in the safety of a valley hallowed and ensanguined. This is where my roots lie.

on your shoulder can be conducive to learning, and a useful lens to rehash paths that others might deem trivial. In a profession like academia, a mind open to new ideas and an eye for angles cannot be undervalued. However, as with all things, moderation is paramount. You cannot allow doubt to drown out your voice. There is a fine line between contemplative silence and paralysis.

It’s a path you will have to learn to navigate, and you will. Because we were all strangers here. Remember that university is your opportunity not only to learn, but to teach. Give voice to your heritage and the lands you live in. You will find your feet, and your voice. You will learn what it is to be a child of both worlds. When winter’s winds carry you home with the first frost - make sure you bring home tales to tell.

Back along the bay, over the wall of Mourne granite and far across a biting sea – you sit. My home is a world away from the familiar shadow of the Law Hill. Geographically, culturally, linguistically, I’m a stranger to Scotland. And I felt it when I first landed in Dundee. Meetings, lectures, tutorials – all were dogged with whispers reminding me that I was in a world outside of my own. Unqualified, undeserving, and unprepared. Years later I would learn that this voice had a name: imposterism.

There are excellent resources to learn to negate this (particularly a mantra from Michel de Montaigne which I doubt would make it past my editor).

However, I am here to offer a counterpoint – a defence of fraud syndrome.

Though it may not feel like it, those anxieties are a powerful tool. Don’t view them as a defect. A chip

Illustration by Nicole McLaughlin / Words by Fiachna Mac Carráin

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COMMUNITY

Do Not Get Bitter, Do Better Author’s own experience of taking part in the Ration Challenge 2019.

There are days when I can stand still in awe of how blessed I am. How blessed I am to have been born in the part of the world I was. I have a roof over my head and I have plenty of food every day. I can study at university in whichever subject I find interesting with no pressure and no debt. I have time to hang out with my friends, to go for walks because I enjoy it, go workout or even travel the world. In these moments, I feel like the luckiest person alive. But this might be 1 out of 10 times that I realise such things because, let’s be honest, sometimes we forget. Sometimes we forget there are so many people out there so much less fortunate than us.

People who have lost loved ones to wars, to hunger, to things so horrible I can’t even truly imagine them. People who have experienced events so traumatic they have been scarred for life. They didn’t have choices or time before everything they knew was gone. Leaving them in the worst kinds of situations imaginable and now their lives will never be the same again. The only thing that really differs us from them, is the place we’ve been born. I happened to be born in a country with one of the best welfare systems in the world where luckily there have been no wars the entire time I’ve been alive; not everyone is as lucky as that.

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Words by Lizzie Husum

That is the exact reason why I chose to do the refugee Ration Challenge. That is why I chose for one week to eat very limited food rations; going to bed hungry most nights, suffering daily headaches and deliberately having to restrict myself when I was cooking. The day I was done and could finally pour myself a cup of coffee and enjoy a bowl of fresh fruit I almost burst into tears. For me it was one, little week and I got to go back to my normal eating habits. But for a refugee, they have no choice. They have to live like that, day after day. I felt so malnourished just after those few days, I cannot imagine how they must feel. How weak and hungry they must be, particularly with no fresh fruits or vegetables. This lack of food really made me think about the restrictions so many people on the earth have to endure, the Syrian refugees being just one of many groups. Going through what they do, even just for a little while has changed my views on food and hunger. I’m so proud to have been part of something that highlighted just some of their experience because I believe that by sharing it with people around me, I am drawing attention to an issue that is impossible to ignore. We need to stand together and help those less fortunate; it should be our duty as citizens of countries so fortunate as ours. Because by doing so, the money we may raise can ensure that parents can provide food for their families, their kids get to go to school and they get access to life-saving healthcare. All of these are things that are a part of our everyday lives, something we would never have to live without.

COMMUNITY

And I do know many of us do not have a lot of money. We struggle through our everyday lives as it is. But there is something noble and incredibly inspiring about sharing the little that you have with someone else. And it is just a few pounds that would make such a big difference for someone else. Skip that last drink this week and give the money to someone who needs it so badly. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough good causes out there for you to choose from, I just want to encourage you to choose one.

Donate once. Share one post. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t matter what you do really, because no effort is too little.

If you consider the horrific events they have been through, maybe your heart will soften a bit like mine has. Do not get bitter. Do better. I believe that giving up some food for a bit or asking for donations/donating is just a small sacrifice to make in order to help those with so little. I am forever thankful for what this experience has taught me.

Design by Leah Cameron

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COMMUNITY

A Little Bit Dazed &

Perpetually Confused Richard Linklater’s Dazed & Confused presents an idealised and aspirational vision of what the summer holidays should all be about.

The characters in Linklater’s seminal bildungsroman drink, smoke, and wax philosophical about the period of time in between class finishing and the next academic year beginning. ‘You gotta keep L.I.V.I.N’ announces Matthew Mcconaughey’s David Wooderson as he instructs Randall ‘Pink’ Floyd on how to maximise his summer experience. My mind often wanders to this specific speech during the long, hot summer evenings; cooped up in my familial home; scrolling through various Instagram stories of my contemporaries thriving on holiday in exotic locations, socialising more frequently the me and just generally having a better time than I am.

I feel, during the summer holidays, I’m hardly ‘L.I.V.I.N’ at all.

‘You gotta keep L.I.V.I.N’ During the summer break, the delicate spheres of ‘university’ and ‘home’ are profoundly disrupted.

The symbiosis of the two disparate communities, to which I feel connected, feels profoundly unsettled.

The transition from university to the provincial

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northwest city where I was raised is never a smooth one –forgoing the relative freedom of university for the creature comforts always begets teething problems. A constant feeling of unease pervades my summer breaks that, year-upon-year, results in me experiencing persistent stasis whilst in the hinterland between term-times. When at home I feel like I am, at best, an outsider and, at worst, an imposter. I must add that this is a result of my insecurities and mine alone –my family circle are nothing but loving and welcoming. The way that I skirt round the periphery of my home and university communities during the summer months results in me not wholly participating with either –one could say that the Siberia that I find myself in during summer is undoubtedly self-inflicted.

The realisation that my deep-seated fear of not ‘L.I.V.I.N’ during summer is related to my relationships with the respective communities that I am a part of causes a reassessment of how I exist within said environments. I should embrace the creature comforts that my home community offers me –make the most of the free Wi-Fi, home-cooked meals and unfettered attention afforded me in my provincial town. The dual-citizenship of being a part of home and university communities isn’t something to be ashamed of –it is something to be celebrated.

Design by Lisa Dyer / Words by Will Edwards

DUSA BELIEVES THE FOLLOWING BEHAVIOURS ARE UNACCEPTABLE...

UNWANTED SEXUAL COMMENTS, INCLUDING COMMENTS ON AN INDIVIDUAL’S BODY OR PRIVATE LIFE COMMENTS DEEMED AS RACIST, RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, XENOPHOBIC, TRANSPHOBIC AND DISABLIST UNWELCOME SEXUAL INVITATIONS, INNUENDOS (SEXUAL SUGGESTIONS), AND OFFENSIVE GESTURES WOLF WHISTLING, CATCALLING, OR OFFENSIVE SEXUAL NOISES GROPING, PINCHING OR SMACKING SOMEONE’S BODY MOVING OR GRABBING SOMEONE’S CLOTHES WITHOUT CONSENT EXPOSURE OF SEXUAL ORGANS ANY CONDUCT WHICH INTIMIDATES, DEGRADES, HUMILIATES OR VIOLATES AN INDIVIDUAL’S DIGNITY OBJECTIFICATION, FETISHISATION AND STEREOTYPING OF INDIVIDUALS BASED ON THEIR GENDER OR SEXUAL ORIENTATION LEADS TO A CULTURE OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION AND ITS NORMALISATION.

Dundee University Students Association (DUSA) Registered Scottish Charity No. SCO16047

INTERVIEW

Let’s Talk n o i t c A e t a m i l C t u o b a Interview with climate activist and recent MEP candidate, Daze Aghaji As a student in the UK, I’ve been experiencing first-hand the actions of young people fighting for the climate and raising awareness of this pressing matter, which not only affects our health, but the future of our planet altogether.

It is groups like Extinction Rebellion that have followed in the steps of Greta Thunberg, who started the Fridays for Future movement, where young people gathered in front of Parliament and demanded action in the face of climate change.

Extinction Rebellion is a non-violent group whose three demands include the governments telling the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, halting biodiversity loss through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2025, and organising a citizens’ assembly for climate and ecological justice.

Back in May, Scotland became the first country to declare a climate emergency and on June 20th, the UK government announced a citizens’ assembly on climate change, which is to address two of the group‘s demands, although members are still concerned about the legitimacy of this decision.

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Last month, I had the chance to speak to an inspiring individual who, at only 19 years old put herself forward as a Climate and Ecological Emergency candidate in Parliament for the European Elections. This was one of my first steps in connecting with the active youth fighting for the future of our planet and showcasing them through the platform Earth Youth Project, designed to share stories relating to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as defined by the United Nations in 2015.

Daze Aghaji, a History and Politics student residing in London is also a member of Extinction Rebellion, and she opened up about her trajectory in climate activism, sending an inspiring message of empowerment to the youth and future generations.

I had the privilege to interview her alongside radio host and sustainability expert Ricardo Fraguas Poole of Emision Cero at Radio Internacional de España, who engaged in our discussion.

Conchita (C): In the midst of what is currently happening in the UK in terms of climate activism and how it’s expanding to other countries around the world, what pushed you to become a climate activist?

Design by Neil Connor / Photography by Talia Woodlin

INTERVIEW

Daze Aghaji (DA): I think it really stems from feeling somewhat helpless because we forget that the climate crisis is such a heavy-weighing topic, and instead of becoming really disempowered, I decided to take so much more action, and that’s when I became really engaged in climate activism, which led to my work as a coordinator for Extinction Rebellion.

C: That’s amazing. So, from that starting point where a lot of us have stood, of feeling helpless as a result of seeing the lack of response from our governments when it comes to climate action - how did you start taking action and begin your journey defending the climate?

“that’s not where we will stop, we’ll continue to make noise, continue to be active, and that’s how we can get the legislation in place to actually help the Earth, rather than destroy it” DA: “Before working with Extinction Rebellion, I used to work with Amnesty International and I see the amazing work that they do just by simply inspiring people, where each person feels that their actions can create massive change. I’ve seen it work before personally as a History student, where I’ve studied it working; with the LGBTQ community, in the civil rights communities as well.

[Such groups] make everyone feel so important and like their actions are worth it and that overall, that can amount to a larger change. We’ve seen it happening here in the UK - we’re the first government to declare a climate emergency. And that’s not where we will stop, we’ll continue to

make noise, continue to be active, and that’s how we can get the legislation in place to actually help the Earth, rather than destroy it”.

Ricardo Fraguas (RF): Daze, isn’t it also fantastic that as a society we are improving our ways, but we could still make these big changes happen a lot quicker. On our way to the studio, we listened on the BBC to a story about the first gay marriage in the 1970s in the US, something that was against the stream and 40 years later, it has become legal in every state. Similarly, we can take more urgent action in production of clean energy, as we know we can produce all our resources out of renewable energy and to decentralise its production while also using it for transport, to preserve life on Earth - and to go faster perhaps is why we need you, Daze?

DA: 100%, There’s a real need for urgency at this point. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) investigation basically said we have around a decade to really make change in the face of climate change, and that’s the kind of change that we need to demand for. We often forget that the governments are meant to be working in our favour, representing us and our values, and if we show that this is something we truly care about and that needs to be done, they have no choice but to almost come to the point where it is no longer voluntary. “We can see a future where renewable energy is common, and a zero waste, plastic-free lifestyle is possible. It is breaking through and young people leading the way and pulling the rest of society along is what needs to be done.”

RF: The wind blows in the right direction also, with this fantastic possibility of universal interconnection and communication because, and we feel it here talking to you, we are closer than ever to feeling like one human family with a common destiny, and we can work together to preserve the planet and make it possible for everyone to exercise their human rights.

DA: Exactly, I feel that one of the most forgotten human rights is to be able to breathe clean air, to be able to live on Earth which won’t try and kill you.

So yes, we have to remember, it is a human right we’re fighting for. The technology is out

Words by Conchita Fraguas Bringas

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INTERVIEW

there, it is made to be understood, and this is when we actually have to start putting our money where our mouth is, embracing renewable energy sources, and make sure that that’s what we’re using instead of fossil fuels.

C: I liked what you just mentioned - the technology is here - this isn’t a sci-fi fantasy dream of us wondering what if we had these resources. Knowing that polluted air is killing so many people every year, there’s an apparent need to move away from comfortable and harmful lifestyles that are detrimental to us and our planet. And like you’ve said, it is up to us to be vocal about this. Though, it requires a shift in regulation, particularly from the EU - what was the main reason for you running?

DA: Yes, especially considering the uncertain situation in the UK where the Elections were overshadowed by Brexit and potentially weren’t going to take place at all, I was really scared that we wouldn’t talk about the climate crisis altogether. So me and the other candidates running as Climate and Ecological Emergency Independents led to there having to be a space for the conversation. Although the EU has set much of the existing environmental legislation, there is still so much more we can do. It’s the large corporations creating much of the pollution, and we must ensure they stop promoting ecocide all across the world. It is by putting that pressure on, by showing that young people can stand up. If I have the right to vote at the age of 18 why can’t I stand to be represented in the EU. And by highlighting these issues, I now know that I’ve created the space of where other people can do the same thing and really act within that democracy.

RF: Give us information about the future, what do you think we can expect politically? As you are part of a future generation and the future of humanity, I’m interested about what you think will happen.

DA: I think young people have to lead the way, especially when talking to really young people - one of the youngest extinction rebellion members in London is only 10 years old - and she’s a climate activist! It’s that urgency to know that we are going to be the ones that will have to make it out of this mess if it continues, and that leads us to really

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wanting change now rather than later. We can see a future where common renewable energy, zero waste and a plastic-free lifestyle are possible, and it’s breaking through with young people leading the way and pulling the rest of society along the way.

RF: We all want that future, we believe in it and we have to collaborate to bring it sooner.

As the last remarks of the programme, I asked Daze about an upcoming event she would be organising the following afternoon, tackling the global issue of fast fashion.

DA: The event is called F*ck Fast Fashion. It’s designed for young people under their 30s. We’ll bring clothes, have swap shops, I’ll be doing embroidery and tie-dying, and it’s about making sure we understand what fast fashion does to the planet. As the second biggest pollutant after agriculture, fast fashion is something we really need to tackle head on, by promoting the opposite; reusing and re-mending, recycling and up-cycling our work. With less emphasis on recycling, the event will focus on reusing and reducing buying the products in the first place. We hope F*ck Fast Fashion could inspire other people to organise similar events to help spread awareness, so people aren’t unconsciously buying something that’s detrimental to the Earth.

As the radio program drew to a close, the show presenter and myself exchanged looks and smiled.

It had been a good show, I could tell. Not only had we done something innovative, but the topics we had discussed reassured me that I was headed in the right direction, that my voice did matter, and just like Daze, I was ready to put my ideas into action and defend our right to live on a thriving planet for all. And already by talking about these topics, we were opening up a space for thought and a shift in mentality, contributing to creating positive change.

Instagram: @theearthyouthproject - Follow us to be part of the positive change

INTERVIEW

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COMICS

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Comics by Justine Matthew & Harri Johnston

COMICS

Comics by Leah Cameron (top) Ellen Forbes (bottom)

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

1989 as a Pathfinder for Today’s Europe Exercising our democratic duty to ensure an open Europe

Anniversaries crave for reflection. They can help us understand the present and what made the foundation we stand on today. This year, it has been 30 years since the unravelling of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe took off.

and Estonians, the Velvet revolution in then Czechoslovakia to the tumultuous fall of Ceaușescu in Romania. The public demanded freedom, inviolable sovereignty and to be re-connected with Europe, just as they had been before foreign domination and occupation.

A year of freedom and sacrifices, unification and chaos. From the roundtable talks in Poland, the Pan-European Picnic in Hungary and Austria, through to the fall of the Berlin Wall, over the Baltic chain made of brave Lithuanians, Latvians

They wanted to ‘return to Europe’ and be part of the European institutions, which they had been cut off from. Many Central and Eastern European countries became members of the EU with the ‘big bang’ enlargement in 2004 and 2007, and many

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Design by Neil Connor

CURRENT AFFAIRS

countries still want to become EU members now.

The new members have experienced significant economic growth and democratic progress, and are today the core members of the EU. Their leaders, politicians and citizens participate on equal footing with their Western counterparts in the European project. However, in recent years severe cracks have appeared and old divisions have re-emerged, despite the Iron Curtain being gone for 30 years.

The progress has been overshadowed by political instability, corruption and violation of democratic values. Most notably, EU leaders have clashed with Romania, Poland, and Hungary over reforms clearly going against EU standards and values. I experienced it myself during my semester abroad in Wrocław in Poland, where the political divisions appeared with a clarity brighter than a Coors Light in the Union on a Saturday.

Reflection entails understanding and examining what brought us forward, but also opens up for a restart. I believe 1989 can work as a pathfinder for a new beginning and bringing European politics forward. 2019 is perfect for a restart for many reasons. The EU will have new leaders and they need to bring a divided and insecure Europe back to its feet as a beacon of liberty and democracy. 1989 shows us that freedom is the beating heart of Europeans and that it is our utmost important task to guard our democratic values.

That is why the developments in Poland, Hungary, Romania and other places are unacceptable and a betrayal of the heroes of 1989. The EU needs to act boldly and engage without overruling or bypassing democratically elected governments. It is a difficult balance, but a critical dialogue is needed to ensure that acceptable democratic standards are the benchmark of the EU, instead of vague words on paper.

elections. The EU needs to change in order to be fit for the world of today. The result of a positive transformation will see the EU shifting their time and money from smaller policy areas, to ones that have a greater, and more important impact in the whole region. The EU is a unique ‘hybrid’ and can be perceived as ‘over-democratic’ because it is not only accountable through its own parliament, but also through the 28 (as it stands, soon 27) democratically elected governments. The current structure of the EU has developed a lot since Thatcher called the European Parliament a ‘Mickey Mouse parliament’ and the ‘democratic deficit’ was the best way to describe the bureaucrat-ruled EU. This is not clear to the European citizens and it makes the EU overly complicated and distant. The policy process and the role of the institutions should be simplified and more clear to the citizens. It would both make the EU more manoeuvrable in global affairs and more present for the citizens it serves. The EU needs to respect the nation-states as the main democratic entities and should not interfere in domestic issues.

The EU has to deliver for everyone, equally the mine worker in Katowice, the IT start-up in Cluj-Napoca, the unemployed university graduate in Thessaloniki or the butchery in Sæby.

That is the reflection we need to make 30 years after the brave men and women fought for freedom and independence in 1989. It is the pathfinder for the national leaders, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, David Sassoli, Joseph Borrell and Christine Lagarde. We have to rethink the EU, so it both respects national sovereignty and becomes more democratic and visible for the European citizens.

That should be our lesson of yesterday, and the motivation for our actions tomorrow.

The restart needs to rest on the wave of optimism and expectations reflected in the recordhigh turnout for the European parliamentary

Words by Christoffer Nielsen

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Crisis or Norm?

How many tragedies of the migration “crisis” will we watch before we act?

The migration ‘crisis’ is omnipresent in today’s media. The stars of the latest circus are the people trying to cross the Mexican-U.S. border, which has consistently been a point of contention. Currently, the biggest ‘threat’ to this border are refugees fleeing from war, prosecution, gang violence and poverty towards what they hope is a better life. Hundreds and thousands of men, women and children cross every year with the ‘American Dream’ in their minds and the clothes on their backs, facing great risk.

Why such risks? Because obtaining legal entry into the U.S. has never been easy. It is a misdemeanour in the U.S. to cross the border without proper documentation at an unofficial point of entry, and crossing it again after deportation is a felony. Until April 2018, prosecution for illegal entry and re-entry was relatively unheard of but under Trump’s brief-lived ‘zero-tolerance policy’ adults were separated from their children in order to be prosecuted. The policy was rescinded after public outcry and court dealings. To date, the administration has yet to fully comply with court orders to reunite families. This has set an important and unusual precedent, in which prosecuting individuals from fleeing misery is the new normal; in some States, they have even started prosecuting those that provide food and water to people who have crossed the border.

The U.S. system has made seeking a better life, the ‘American Dream’, a crime. They are taking away the fundamental human right to life, liberty and security of person (Art.3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) and human solidarity.

ICE, the U.S. Immigration and Customs

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Illustration by Nicole McLaughlin

Enforcement Agency, or the PTSD providers (depending on your point of view), recently found itself directly in the crosshairs of the global news as the international public finds a ‘new’ refugee crisis to feel briefly outraged about. It was a series of stories about the inhumane treatment of people within the four walls of a governmentsanctioned building, so-called “camps”. Camps being a euphemism for detention centres or internment camps.

The treatment in ICE centres has always been horrendous but detention centres have ballooned in population, surpassing the capacity they were built to hold. Poor conditions and numbers detained have exponentially increased since Donald Trump took office.

If anyone missed a Trump official arguing to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that soap and toothpaste are not necessary for living conditions, and making children, forcibly removed from their parents, sleep on concrete floor then they should congratulate themselves for living a while longer in blissful ignorance.

Mike Pence, the U.S. Vice President, recently visited a men’s detention facility in McAllen, Texas. He was greeted by 384 men standing in a sweltering concrete room. The room contained no bedrolls or any basic comfort of any description. Officials on site said there was no room for both the men and bedding, not even enough space for the men to sit or even lay down. The CBP (U.S.’s Customs and Border Protection) informed journalists and Pence that the men had only recently gotten access to showers, after minimum 10 days of standing in the heat. Members of congress such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have visited these

CURRENT AFFAIRS

There is little doubt that the migration response in the U.S. needs to be rethought, throwing more money at the current set up is hardly working, a mere glance at any detention centre says as much. The system is broken and needs to be rebuilt in a more human way to accommodate and support those fleeing war, poverty and climate change.

Sadly, we cannot say that this does not happen here simply because the examples are different.

The Mediterranean is a daily graveyard for those fleeing misery to seek a better life. The photo of a dead child on a beach went viral, causing us to raise our voices as a community but once that sensation died down the voices yelling out for change started doing so in an empty room.

The United Kingdom has one of the largest immigration detention systems in Europe and one of the few that has no time limit on

the length someone can spend detained. This means that, like the U.S., people can spend years in the system with little to no healthcare, poor living conditions and unable to make a proper living. Once more, seeking hope has been gifted a life sentence. Equally striking was the failure of the UK to uphold its promises the Dubs Amendment in 2016. Out of the 3,000 vulnerable children who should have come to find safe homes in the UK, only 350 were accepted.

This influx of people is our new normal, it is trivialising the issue by referring to it as a crisis.

It allows politicians to pretend that there is a magic solution. We need to learn to adapt and accept this new reality or else be doomed to continue this vicious cycle of neglect. We need to remember when the media says ‘migrants’ they mean people. All of this to say that, being able to ignore politics and the present antimigration ‘crisis’ is a privilege.

Words by Caeleen Saintraint

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FASHION

Being Fashion Conscious Dundee’s High Street is full of ‘Fast Fashion’.

The Overgate is teaming with people who make a day of getting the best bargains and carrying their purchases in plastic bags (5p isn’t much after buying a £50 jacket). The High Street doesn’t offer more than can be expected in any city: commonplace retailers and brands that have become household names.

Yet, underneath the pinging of tills and rustling bags is a more environmentally responsible Dundee. Zero waste stores are popping up, and there is a clear shift towards sustainable shopping. One such shop has opened on Perth Road within the last month and its prime location suggests targeting of environmentally conscious students. If Dundee is making the change from high-waste groceries to paper bags and glass jars, then why should clothes be any different?

Giving clothes a more responsible life, rather than condemn it to landfill, is a contributing factor to why ‘Fast Fashion’ shops are scorned.

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Fast fashion is retailers’ response to keeping prices low whilst churning out the latest catwalk styles. On the face of it, this appears a great bargain, but as you may be aware, there are costs cut somewhere, whether that be labour, quality of fabric, time invested in making the garment, or transportation.

Don’t be fooled by companies that claim they pay their workers well, they might do, but if the price of the clothes remains conveniently low, they will have made adjustments elsewhere in the production process. Watch how shops release a new line of clothing every two weeks. That is Fast Fashion. Such high turnaround means frequent shoppers buy more, spending relatively less, and then all too soon, throw those clothes away to buy the next trend. Anything not sold in the sales joins the customers’ rejects in landfill.

There are plenty of options in Dundee for changing shopping habits, most unaffecting your bank account.

The least research-demanding option is giving clothes a new lease of life by using charity or vintage shops. Dundee is

Design and Illustration by Aylish Kelly

bursting with second-hand clothes; Reform Street boasts a fine selection of charity shops in an ideal location, just around the corner from the Overgate, giving opportunity for more conscientious garment choices without feeling deprived of those shopping endorphins. Perth Road, although more hidden, also never disappoints.

To embrace the second-hand shop, the stigma of charity shop shopping must be overcome.

Charity shops fill a philanthropic purpose as they support a charitable organisation striving for a greater quality of life for the many, rather than an international conglomerate.

I know where I’d rather put my money.

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Fast fashion is retailers’ response to keeping prices low whilst churning out the latest catwalk styles.

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FASHION

Yet the term ‘second-hand’ or ‘previously loved’ falls short of disguising its hidden associations of ‘used’, ‘worn’ or ‘cast-off’ which often hold people back from scanning the rails. This is where your own intuition comes in. Do a quick check: always check the seams, look for stains, or any rips and scuffs. In fact, this is the same routine I use in high street shops too, especially during sales.

The other, more ‘trendy’ second-hand clothing option, is vintage sales. The attraction of the fairs that sell bin bags full of clothes is obvious: it’s fashun.

Charity shops may offer some hidden gems but they lose their lustre when compared to the dazzle of vintage fairs; although they are less readily available. Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair makes a stop in Dundee on the 12thof October and the Preloved Vintage Kilo fair travels around the country and stops in Dundee annually. The chance to own a piece of time has people flocking to the doors before they open. These fairs also thoroughly vet the clothing to ensure its high standard, but do continue to check before you buy. After all, ‘vintage’ is just another glamorous word for second-hand.

Buying brand new clothes outside the realm of Fast Fashion is more challenging. Higher quality clothes that are made well unfortunately cost more.

However, as the clothes will last longer, they save money in the long run. Although investing in clothes from shops that do not

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Being fashion conscious in Dundee does not mean forgoing Topshop or H&M forever, it just means that there might be more mindful options out there.

Lilly, Lulu & M, as well as independently owned shops across Dundee.

Being fashion conscious in Dundee does not mean forgoing Topshop or H&M forever, it just means that there might be more mindful options out there.

Even H&M is doing its bit, with its garment collection scheme, where you return old clothes in exchange for £5 off. It’s up to you to decide whether this is another marketing ploy or a genuine attempt to become one of the world’s most sustainable businesses. Either way, it has worked for them and its working for Dundee too.

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conform to Fast Fashion requires research, shopping online provides an accessible outlet for most people. But, if you’d rather shop locally and support local businesses, there are boutiques in Broughty Ferry that provide higher quality items like Tiger

Words by Thomasin Collins

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INTERNATIONAL

Go Abroad, It’ll Change Your Life!

Studying abroad is an incredible opportunity for growth, but it is also a scary endeavour. It means inserting oneself in a new community and culture - and a different lifestyle is not the only challenge.

I can safely say when I moved abroad I was most scared of not understanding the Scottish accent.

However, I instantly learned that the locals are willing to repeat themselves a thousand times, and if you happen to still not understand them they’ll use hands and feet to communicate. The shift, even between very close cultures (e.g. Germany and Great Britain) can be tough. It is usually the little things that take you by surprise the most, like 24/7 grocery stores (in Germany, stores are closed on Sundays!). A great advantage should you become hungry in the middle of a study session! There are also more organisational changes, the cultural differences. If you meet a German and ask him how he is, he will respond with an honest answer on how his life has been going, whereas if you ask a Brit he’ll most likely answer with ‘Fine. Thanks, and you?’, expecting you to answer with the same standard answer and then be on his merry way. In my first few weeks, I was puzzled by people asking me how I was whilst walking past me without any intention of stopping. British courtesy was an adjustment for me.

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Design by Neil Connor

Furthermore, there is the social part of life - not knowing anyone in a city of 150,000 people is intimidating. I realised from the start that the British social system offered a lot of support in that area. That’s why I engaged in the International Students Society (ISOC) from the start. ISOC is a society that focuses on making international people feel at home in Dundee. They organise a lot of events throughout the year to get international students, and locals alike, together. They are usually centred around cultural experiences and often food because everyone likes to eat while socialising.

Secret Santa parties (Christian/Heathen tradition), Pub Crawls (Scottish) and Balkan Nights (Balkan culture, organised with the Bulgarian, Hispanic, Francophone and other societies) are only a few of the events from last year.

I joined ISOC’s Committee in my first year as Head of Communications, a rather time-consuming job.

Through working alongside the other committee members, but especially my president Mishal, I learned how organisation, patience and bright smiles are necessary to bring an event together.

From the event idea to regular and interesting Facebook and Instagram posts to the ticket design, everything needs to be thought through and talked about.

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After my first year, I decided to go for the president role. A big step up from my first position. From August 2018 onwards, the biggest society on campus was in the hands of my committee and I. We planned, arranged, and made decisions together. The experience of working with so many engaged committee members surpassed my firstyear experience and showed me the pleasures and challenges of being the head of an organisation. It takes a lot of hard work and sweat, but witnessing the joy when people meet someone from their home country, or realise they have similar experiences, is electrifying.

Through my committee work, as well as my engagement in various other societies, I got to know incredible people with very different stories and backgrounds. Deni, for example, a fourth-year Business Management student, became my friend through Handball and we furthered our friendship

through collaboration on the Balkan Night 2019 (Deni was President of the Bulgarian Society).

Her experience of life abroad is as different as it is similar to mine. Just like me, she considers moving to Dundee to be one of the best decisions she’s ever made.

“Being an international student is amazing and a little bit risky at first but it’s worth every moment!

So, don’t be afraid to dive into this journey because nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks!”

Deni, Fourth-Year Business Management.

Going abroad and jumping headfirst into a new culture is an enriching and beautiful experience.

The risks are well worth the experience and you’ll gain friends for life. It might seem unattainable, but remember what Nelson Mandela said: “Everything seems impossible until it’s done.”

Words by Marlena Mazura

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INTERNATIONAL

Worries and Reassurances for the Bold ‘I want to travel after university’ Statement A new academic year dawns, and we are one step closer to needing an actual answer to the question: what do you want to do after university?

If you’re anything like me, you’re going to steadfastly stick to saying; ‘I want to travel’, a phrase which used to be a kind of filler excuse. But it has now gained traction and I’m considering it as realistically, and with as much determination, as my little hiking rucksack and measly SAAS savings will provide.

I’ve followed all the travel blogs on Instagram, from travel couples to girls who backpack, to bartenders abroad... And wow, who wouldn’t want to spend a year hiking through snow-capped mountains, wade through sapphire waters on white beaches and pause on a bustling city corner block to gaze up at the flickering billboards and city lights of skyscrapers towering above?!

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Design and illustrations by Gosia Kepka

Even though I wholeheartedly know I want to travel, I still have that little anxious voice that’s saying: “Woah! Hold up a second, we all know those photos are all edited and enhanced. Anyways, on your budget, you’ll be staying in rat-ridden hostels in the dodgy end of every city you visit. You’re going to be lost, lonely and sunburned.”

Okay, so there will be ups and downs, but unless you’re specifically seeking out the exact spot your favourite influencer or typical travel shot of your chosen destination, there’s a lot to be said for stopping to breathe, to not racing through and snapping photos of trip advisors top 5 landmarks.

Speak to other travellers, speak to locals who no doubt know the most secluded beauty spots, the cheapest local food and drink and - “Uh, excuse me? How are you going to speak to these locals?

It’s all very well wanting to live for a few months in Spain (it is one of the most popular EU destinations for Brits living outside the UK after all) but really, your 3rd-year level Spanish is not going to cut it.

And don’t get me started on unusual foreign food, street food where you definitely can’t identify what kind of meat has been stewed for the last 14 hours or when said locals call it a ‘mild’ spicy dish and 30 seconds later your stomach is blistering and there’s

INTERNATIONAL

steam whistling out your ears.

You’re going to be lonely, unable to communicate and have food poisoning!”

Well, now the little anxious voice is just sounding insecure and narrow-minded. You’d be surprised how much you can communicate with a few words and elaborate hand gestures.

And food-wise? I challenge you to walk down a street of food vendors, cooking delicious, authentic food, and your mouth not to water. Put your inhibitors aside a moment and realise that it doesn’t actually matter that you’re not sure what this exotic vegetable is (allergies aside of course), and you might discover a new amazing dish.

“Wait, you’re sounding way too confident and as if you have everything under control so, as the voice of anxiety, I’d just like to point out that you’re probably going to get pickpocketed, kidnapped in broad daylight and if you do make it back home alive, none of your friends will remember you. You’re going to be penniless, friendless and fearing for your life.”

people whilst travelling, with whom you can share stories of bed bug bites, sunsets on top of mountains and how you spent your six-hour layover in an Indonesian bus station playing cards with a little kid who didn’t speak a word of English, over the strong local liquor.

There’s a whole world out there, don’t let a few insecurities get in between you and the tales you’ll be telling for the rest of your life, much to the despair of your longsuffering friends but the delight of your grandchildren.

Planning to live or travel abroad for an extended period of time is something that’s going to take determination, an open mind and, to a certain extent, acceptance that whatever happens, happens. But after that, it’s entirely up to you – plan things to a T, or dive in spontaneously. Fly with just the money in your pocket or save religiously for months. Travel with friends or a partner, or take the ultimate leap and travel solo with the faith that you’ll meet incredible people along the way.

No, a little fear is healthy, it keeps you alert and tells you to hide your spare cash in your dirty underwear. But you’re far more likely to meet amazing

Words by Rose Kendall

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INTERNATIONAL

Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost.

Leaving home means getting lost, for we’re leaving the familiar; our family, friends and the area that shaped us. But it also brightens our view and offers opportunities we never would have had otherwise.

Let these range of emotions come and go, and take every chance you get to learn and grow because if there is one thing that can truly make you find yourself; it’s getting utterly and completely lost.

So here we are, ready to start our first semester at the university again or for the first time. Some of us have travelled far and wide to end up here. For us who have, we don’t have the privilege of going back home on the weekends or meet up with childhood friends on the spur of the moment. We spend years planting roots in our home town, our home country so that years later we can pluck it all out and leave our comfort zone.

The change of scenery does come with great opportunities! Not only will you get the chance to meet people you’d never encounter anywhere else, but you’ll also get those life-changing experiences you’ve dreamed of for so long. The friendships you forge are way more intense compared to those back home. Challenges look different but the show goes on - with or without you. But what you must not forget is that home is not a place, home is wherever your heart is. Maybe it will always be where you have your fond childhood memories, or where you have a laptop and a WiFi connection, or something else that’s just as wonderful.

But let me tell you something about what I’ve learned in my three years living abroad: getting lost means you find yourself in a whole new territory.

It is an amazing opportunity to test your bravery when you get completely, hopelessly lost. And it’s going to happen. You might not get physically lost, but emotionally. There’s going to be times where you might cry your heart out from homesickness, you’re so frustrated with everything being so completely different and you fall in love with your home country all over again for all the ways it differs from here. Living abroad is a whole other thing than the fantasy of going somewhere on vacation.

It’s either going to make you want to go further or make you realise how much you appreciate home. But no matter what, from this moment on you have changed. You’ve taken one step closer to finding yourself.

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Illustration by Nico McLaughlin / Words by Lizzie Husum

INTERNATIONAL

A Trip to Last a Lifetime The indigenous population striving to preserve their culture

W

hile on a six-week backpacking trip through Panama, my boyfriend and I visited one of the indigenous tribes still living in the country. There are eight different indigenous groups of which the majority live in comarcas indigenas.

The largest of the groups are the Embera, Guna and NgöbeBugle. We had wanted to stay in an indigenous village and while searching for our next destination, we came across a telephone number of someone who was able to arrange a homestay with the Ngöbe.

After a six-hour journey on three different buses, we finally made it to the village where we were welcomed by our guide Juan Carlos and his cousin Melvin.

They showed us to our homestay, and after putting down our bags and some lunch, we met Willow, who was introduced to us as “the man for everything”. Willow, Juan Carlos and Melvin wanted to show us a certain part of their comarca. On the way, however, it started to rain heavily and we stopped in a small village. With the heavy rains, they weren’t sure if we would be able to get across the river we needed to pass. And since it didn’t stop, we stayed to have a coffee and hojaldres - a sort of fried pizza dough.

Unfortunately, the festivities were cut short by the generator running out of fuel.

On the way back home, we sat in the front of the truck with Willow who told us that the coffee and hojaldres had been part of a fundraiser for a youth dance group, which is part of a bigger youth project, led by the local church, to revive young people’s interest in own culture.

For a long time, the Panamanian government didn’t allow the indigenous population to speak their own language and went as far as punishing pupils for speaking it in school. They were forced to adapt to a more Latino culture, such as by having to wear western clothes instead of traditional costumes.

All such measures seriously endangered the survival of indigenous cultures in Panama and the consequences for traditions and indigenous languages are still felt today.

Projects like the one we encountered are crucial for indigenous tribes, and particularly for the youth, to carry on and preserve their culture.

The dance group, for instance, performs traditional dances in costumes, providing a fun, engaging way for young people to reconnect with their culture.

The project also encompasses

other important subjects for the Ngöbe youth, such as health by encouraging to get tested for HIV. In addition, they helped organise the first World Meeting of Indigenous Youth which took place this January in the village.

“We assume the memory of the past to build the future with courage.”

While its primary function was to share their faith in Jesus, the meeting helped remind young indigenous people of their cultural heritage and make them feel proud of coming from an indigenous population. The meeting’s thematic message was: “We assume the memory of the past to build the future with courage.” I think this describes the efforts and mindset of the project’s members so well. We are incredibly thankful for the hospitality and insight from Juan Carlos, Melvin, Willow and all the other indigenous people we met, and we won’t forget this unique experience. It is a trip that will last a lifetime.

Design by Iona French / Words by Julia Holderer

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LIFESTYLE

Mum’s Lentil Soup

At turning points in my life, certain memories have become associated with them. Food memories are thought to be the most sensory of all memories as they often activate all senses: watching someone cook, the taste, smell and touch of the food and the sound of conversation.

People also remember food memories with more clarity and fondness due to nostalgia. I would look at “comfort food” as not being a guilty pleasure but as moments evoking times with family, security and a sense of home. There is nothing more comforting for me than a bowl of soup.

With our childhood memories it is not so much the home-baked bread but the entire experience of being nourished and a part of a family which brings a symbolism together with a sensory quality.

People often return to making these foods later in life and link them to being “comfort foods”. They end up cooking the foods that rekindle emotions linked to the original food memory. Food memories are based on more than just fact; they are shaped around context; the company, the situation, the environment and the emotions at the time.

When I was younger, both of my parents worked full time. Despite this, they always managed to cook a good meal for my brother and me at the end of the day. Being picky eaters this meant that it could not have been easy. It is something I am so grateful for now! I think of my mum’s lentil soup with fondness. The lentil soup was a meal which could be thrown together, there was never a formal

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Illustration by Nicole McLaughlin

recipe. I found that cooking without a recipe adds to the relaxation of the process. It made everything easy and homely. Sitting around the table with my family, I would be part of the warm, shared enjoyment of a humble bowl of lentil soup.

When I look back, the main memory I have of my mum’s lentil soup is from 2015. This was a hard year for me. I started university, was diagnosed with epilepsy, and had a lot of changes to adapt to, some of which were hard to come to terms with.

The impact on my mood was strong and I started taking antidepressants that same year. Food can negatively impact a memory for the same sensory reasons. I remember what food I was eating four years ago when I found out a family member had died, and I have not eaten that meal since.

This was at a bad time in my life, however, the context alongside the food can heal and become a positive memory within a negative context. One thing I remember about being depressed is how difficult it is to make decisions, even the smallest ones. I had come into the kitchen to find something for lunch and after endless searching, there was nothing I wanted to eat. My head was so foggy and I felt so unable to make a decision about something so simple. I was almost brought to tears. I was on the floor looking in the freezer when Mum walked in. She said that things like this are so hard to decide when you feel this way and that she would make me some lentil soup. Just enough for one.

She took out the ingredients and started cooking.

LIFESTYLE

Recipe Recipe: Lentil Soup: Serves one 1. On a medium heat, add a splash of oil to a large pan.

2. Add one diced onion.

3. Peel and chop one carrot and one medium sized potato. Add to pan and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring.

4. Make four teaspoons of vegetable stock with one litre of boiling water. Add the stock to a pan.

5. Shake in 100-200g of red lentils.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Put a lid over the pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are cooked.

8. Once cooked, blend if you wish.

Words by Louise Dickson

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LIFESTYLE

An Ode to Bacon One woman’s mission to forget about bacon.

I love bacon. It is one of my favourite things to eat especially when paired with an eggs benedict, potato rosti and spinach.

To me it is one of the things I think of when I am at home, a Sunday comes around and I am in my pj’s wishing that Monday wasn’t tomorrow. The smell of it wafts through the walls reaching my nose, knowing that a loved one is in the kitchen preparing a breakfast that I didn’t know I needed until that very moment, it hits me. It is a true love affair.

Never would I have thought of dumping bacon from my life. I am ashamed to say that I have been someone who heavily judged those who had decided to turn to the green side, criticising their reasoning or by thinking what difference does it really make. It is only until very recently that I discovered my own reason for becoming vegetarian. Or at least trying to.

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Illustration by Nicole McLaughlin

On the day of my decision, I was actually researching another article I was writing related to environmental sustainability. What I did not know was that this research would completely change my perspective. In a nutshell, it led me to realise how deep and important it is to adjust the way we eat. The reasons I usually heard from hardcore, long term veggies was that they didn’t like meat, animals were being killed or that they were allergic.

To me, that didn’t seem enough to adapt my habits.

I am feeling like I may be coming across as a starving, carnivorous being. Genuinely, I have just been a bit ignorant and unwilling to learn more. I have been dedicated to neutralising the negative aspects of being a meat-eater. However, having educated myself that little bit more, I have realised that consuming a single slice of bacon has so many repercussions. I was aware of the impacts that were occurring within the environment but

LIFESTYLE

stare at you point-blank in the face with no other solid explanation is a wake-up call. The chain of effects not only includes animal rights but also deforestation, emptying of oceans, climate change and human rights.

That’s what got me. Humans, people, are being harmed, removed from homes, losing property and land due to animal agriculture. All of a sudden, in the space of an hour, I had become overwhelmed by a sense of duty and principle that I had to make a change. This might sound like a dramatic reaction and to be honest as a person I can be. I can only best liken my feelings to when smokers are “hypnotised” and have this gut-based aversion to cigarettes. The fishcakes that had been ready for me to chuck in the oven for dinner were now sat mournfully in my fridge despairing at their brazen abandonment.

For the first few days, I had to actively think that I could not allow myself to eat meat. It was still an instinctive reaction to add it to meals or keep an eye out for it in reduced sections of my local supermarket. The most immediate change I noticed was my need to find new ingredients, recipes and ways to cook. Before, I would think that trying to make interesting plant-based meals would be hard work or a chore but it has developed a spark of creativity and a rediscovered love for cooking.

To the disappointment of some friends, I have become, dare I say it, one of those “insta-foodie types” taking photos of the meals I have made.

Indeed, it is the purest form of a humble brag but why should I not be proud of it and the choices I have made. I have found enjoyment from something I wouldn’t have ever in my wildest dreams thought I would.

There will no doubt be moments where I regret the decision, that I will run to bacon begging for it to take me back and nostalgically remember the good times we had in the past. The moments that I think I will miss it most are special occasions and holidays where the choice in what to eat is sparse but also because they are times of celebration and of people coming together to share in one joyous dining moment. As with any true love affair, there are always moments where you think that you could never love anything as much. Yet there is a whole world of food that I haven’t come across, tempting me to taste it. The one that eventually catches my eye might have even been sitting in the grocery store all this time.

Speaking of which, that bunch of pak choi has been looking my way for quite some time now.

Words by Billianna Allen-Mandeville

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OPINIONS

HYPERNORMALISATION: Where Has Complacency in the Face of Absurdity Led Us to?

We are living in a post-truth age. Routinely, disinformation and deceptive rhetoric pervade and define our discourse.

In an era marked by nationalist demagoguery, politicos of all leanings would benefit immensely from reflecting upon how such a profound shift came to be. To partly address this query, I direct you to Adam Curtis’ 2016 documentary “HyperNormalisation” – a thought-provoking analysis of Western politics in the digital age.

Curtis begins by exploring the titular term’s etymology, originally coined to describe Soviet civil society in the 1980s. As the USSR fell into disarray, the ruling elite were met with the seemingly insurmountable task of maintaining the illusion that the system was working. The elite, for fear of losing the already dwindling power they held over the system, decided upon inaction. Far from addressing the very real concerns of their citizens with meaningful reform, they pretended that those concerns were unfounded. Subsequently, a

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Design and Illustration by Cait Maxwell

more manageable ‘fake’ world was superimposed upon a chaotic reality that neither the top nor bottom of society could fully exercise control over. While such a strategy seemed selfdefeating, the docile response and relative lack of protest from the masses was startling.

Although the people saw through the lies of their government, for they were forced to endure the societal malaise, they had grown doubtful of the prospect of an alternative. Compelled to embrace the subterfuge, the truth became inconsequential and the absurd claims of stability became normal.

In Curtis’ view, this elite-driven process of ‘hypernormalisation’ has manifested in the West with dire consequences.

On the outset, attempting to observe world events through this lens may be dismissed by some as a grandiose conspiracy theory, but one only need look at the ultimately tepid reactions to the outrageous scandals of the last ten years to realise that Curtis’ claims hold water. At great cost to the eponymous whistle-blower, the Snowden

OPINIONS revelations exposed how our governments, while extolling the virtue of freedom, collaborated with corporations and with each other to monitor our communications right down to the most banal minutiae. Three years later, the Panama Papers revealed that, while the least endowed were reassured that everyone was ‘in it together’ under austere fiscal policies, some of the world’s wealthiest concealed their fortunes from the prying eyes of the taxman.

Invariably, these instances of corruption and injustice prompt the same response from everyday people and establishment figures alike –a short-lived rush of disapproval that culminates in no discernible change. We revel in riding the brief thrill of a momentary collective upset, before leaving the grumbling to a select gaggle of journalists and academics. As others voice our dismay for us, we retreat into the world of simple, manageable and more appealing narratives curated by the political and media elite. This is because, much like the ailing citizens of the Soviet Union, we have grown doubtful of an appealing solution to our current woes being implemented.

In the face of this, we find ourselves basking in the reassuring illusion of stability.

But while we have grown complacent, unexpected forces have secured their grasp on the world stage. To a considerable degree, the

recent unpleasant surprises served to those more liberally inclined is a result of growing accustomed to absurdity and deception. The success of these nationalist movements, characterised by confusing shifts in rhetoric and outright fabrications, owes itself to a Western psyche already desensitised to being lied to. However, as absurd as a reality TV star riding a wave of populism into the White House is, this descent into conservative nationalism is as much a reaction to our hypernormalised climate as it is a symptom of it. The disaffected masses in the West, hungry for some form of change, found it this time in a nationalist narrative that propagated an anti-establishment message –be it ‘draining the swamp’ or ‘taking back control’. The liberal response was to insist, in between occasionally voicing discontent at instances of blatant establishment corruption, that the proverbial ‘swamp’ could wait.

Perhaps my fellow proponents of liberal values now must recognise that the anger propelling demagogues into power is not unfounded or irrational. Rather, this frustration has been grossly misplaced and capitalised on by the politics of intolerance and isolationism. Perhaps then, instead of allowing ourselves to become numb to the injustices that we all acknowledge and react to so indignantly, we might redirect this disaffection away from the perils of extremist rhetoric and

Words by Dom Taylor

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OPINIONS

Re–flect–start The “whys” are not questions, but lessons learned in time. These days I hardly ever feel like I have that and even if I do, I don’t spare it to look back.

Why did I come here?

Why didn’t I say that?

Why can’t I see them again?

I write, not only stories. I write in journals. Which I rarely ever read. Even if I carry them around, in every flat I go. In the end of all this, we’re left with memories and experiences and feelings and words that stick with us.

It’s unfair that I don’t have any answers to my question at the ends’ moments. It’s too tender, it’s too raw, it’s too much. To simply put it all behind you and start something. But not forgetting.

Before I drive away to the airport, I realise that I can’t have the mentality of the end with me, in my new beginning. But at the same time, I know that if I stop reminding myself and pondering over what I wrote, then I’ll feel sad. Truly sad, hopelessly sad.

But this isn’t a bad thing.

Feeling sad, melancholic or down or however, shouldn’t be a bad thing. I was told that much of our pain and suffering is self-chosen. I cannot accept the cheesy explanation that something only hurts so much, because it means so much. But rather accept all this pain as a small death and a new start. For my life, for his, for everyone who is starting over.

In the new steps that I make, I can’t really see myself. I keep looking ahead. But if I look back, for a moment, back to what I’ve written, to the photos I keep around in my phone, the screenshots I’ve kept and the recordings I took, they are all coming together; different pieces of the same mirror.

So, we can see everything I and others were given, by their friends or their lives.

After that I’ll start a new year, a new life on the path to the future. It might take some time, but I don’t think I can do one thing without the other. And the more I go ahead, the more I get this craving to look back. Not live in the past but see how I got here. To make sure I haven’t forgotten anything, before I start anew.

After that, all the “whys” go from questions to lessons learned.

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Design and illustration by Gosia Kepka / Words by Thanos Kyratzis

Remember the good old days? Usually, we picture the days of yore as a positive, wholesome time compared to the period we live in, even though today’s situation is substantially better to what was; equality, abundance, and awareness has risen and yet, we still long for yesterday.

We yearn for the past because it’s familiar. The current world is in a state of evolution; everything is growing, turning and twisting. From the present point of view, the past seems to have been much easier, but this is because we know what has happened and how it occurred. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring us and that frightens us to our core.

Life is change. And yet we search for patterns, trying to create routines that eventually lead to traditions.

We ask and even demand change but actually, we’re afraid of it. We want it in small increments - nothing drastic, just as a variant of the old. We prefer to know what will happen, how and when it will happen.

We dread the unknown so much that often we’re ready to compromise our own well-being. How many stay in bad relationships because it’s familiar?

Though it may be toxic and cause us a lot of stress and pain, we prefer it over the unfamiliar. It’s no

different with careers either. How many are stuck in a dead-end job that they despise? We bury our dreams and continue with just existing.

A blanket of pessimism lays on our society and it’s because we fear the future and yearn for what was, for what is lost. We want this unattainable familiarity that lurks behind us, but all that has ever happened hasn’t disappeared, but simply integrated. All endeavours are the very pieces that have moulded us to whom we are today. What comes next shouldn’t want to make us stop, but charge head first, for we’re equipped with armour built out of years of experience and knowledge which will help us guide through the new and exciting obstacles.

We shouldn’t doubt the shifts in our mind and body. It’s a natural part of our existence. We must embrace what comes and not get all tangled up with worries and questions of ‘what if?’ and ‘how?’

When we fight change, we make everything so much more difficult: birthing only struggle and agony. By resisting, we close off to all the other potentials that might be waiting for us. Change is inevitable and will occur no matter how much we oppose it. Instead, we must react and embrace, and let these shifts serve us, bringing new things that will surely enrich our lives.

Design by Jagoda Sadowska / Words by Daniel Pukkila

Elite-level training and performance enhancers go hand in hand, despite the best efforts of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

In 1968, the International Olympic Committee disqualified Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall for the heinous crime of drinking two beers to steady his nerves before a race. This was the first ever case of disqualification for doping.

Doping was made illegal worldwide in 1976. Up until that point, many countries had freely and openly prescribed a cocktail of anabolics and hormones to their premier athletes. Since then we have seen a men’s 100m records table containing four athletes banned for doping during their careers and a women’s 100m record that seems too good to be true.

The term doping can be used to describe an action that involves the introduction of any external substance into the body that has the potential to improve an athlete’s performance beyond natural boundaries. Doping comes in a number of forms, some common and others more sport-specific.

Methods such as micro-dosing are becoming more popular across sports such as cycling and athletics. Micro-dosing simply involves regular consumption of trace amounts of a substance

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in order to promote physiological development.

Blood transfusions using trace amounts have shown significant improvements with performance elevated by as much as 5%. To put that level of improvement into perspective, Bolt could reduce his 100m world record to 9.10s from its current 9.58s.

It has been 10 years since Bolt broke the world record and athletics has never seen such a display since. The closest ‘squeaky clean’ Bolt ever came to being entangled in doping was at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games; his teammate Nesta Carter tested positive for a banned substance and cost the team their relay golds.

Astoundingly, the Women’s 100m record of 10.49s set by Florence Griffith Joyner in 1988 remains unrivalled and, based on average times, unthreatened. The same year she managed to shave an implausible 0.62s from her 200m world record. This massive improvement in such a short period of time paired with drastic changes in physique raised a few eyebrows at the time; however, no tests could prove foul play.

Sports like cycling saw the introduction of the biological passport in an effort to curb doping.

Design by Alex Commen / Illustration by Jenna Mondo

Unlike a standard drugs test that simply looks for traces of a substance in blood or urine, the biological passport uses samples to highlight significant changes in athletes’ physiological readings by retesting over time. Although the biological passport has been extremely effective, particularly in cycling, micro-dosing continues to provide a virtually untraceable form of doping.

Whilst micro-dosing is considered fairly safe and controlled, consumption of substances such as synthetic hormones and anabolic steroids are often abused over longer periods of time producing substantially more dangerous side-effects.

The effect of steroid abuse is something every novice weightlifter seems to know about, regardless of their opinion or understanding. However, doping is a biochemical science attempted by many, capitalised on by few. Abuse of anything can be detrimental but in certain cases, moderation can be the key to growth or development.

Activities such as bodybuilding have thrived on its ‘untested’ categories in which bodybuilders freely take and often abuse anabolic steroids, growth hormones and insulin in search of the ‘perfect physique’. Although the tested categories

denounce the use of performance-enhancing drugs, much like the rest of the sporting world, the culture still exists. Studies have shown that male bodybuilders have a 34% higher death rate than the average population. Further studies identified the most common cause of death amongst career bodybuilders as kidney and liver failure, coincidentally conditions associated with drug abuse.

We’ve come a long way from the non-consensual doping of East German athletes in the 1980s and the critical failure of their athletics committee in safeguarding the health and wellbeing of their athletes. Although the short-term positive influences have been fiercely studied, it is unclear whether the adverse side-effects were genuinely unknown or rather disregarded in favour of success.

Each individual is limited in their potential by natural boundaries. For top-level athletes, performance-enhancing drugs offer a chemical means of exceeding these boundaries. Doping supporters argue that sport itself has been the cause of injury and death more than doping. In a number of sports this may be true, but the longterm abuse of synthetic hormones and anabolic steroids is still present in sport culture.

Words by Jack Hunter

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