Issue 101 - Freshers 2023 by The Magdalen

the magdalen issue 101 - freshers '23

Destroy Your Mandalas How destruction of art and grief tie together with an emphasis on Buddhist sand mandalas

for students, by students

Who's Sixty! - The 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who

The First Wildfire Season: Perfect for Cooking Frogs

Celebrating Doctor Who's 60 years anniversary - why it is still an engaging, much loved and appreciated show.

A piece on global warming, explored through the lens of generational experience, comparing us to frogs in a warming pot of water.

Messages from the Senior Team Creative Directors Dep./Editor-in-Chief Hello and welcome to the first issue of the 2023/24 Magdalen! All of us on the team are incredibly excited to share this issue with you, with the theme “new season, new experiences, beginning anew”. A new semester and a new start is always a wonderful feeling, and we hope that the pieces resonate with you. I would like to say a word of thanks to our wonderful predecessor, Dani McFawns, for allowing us a new start for the new year of The Magdalen, and for throwing on their EiC supersuit to help us out so much as we worked through our first issue. - Roshni & Mariya

Hey everyone! We're very excited to be back this year and to publish this issue with our new redesign!! We hope you love it just as much as we do. So far, we have been meeting and chatting with all our creatives it’s been such an amazing time to see you guys in person. We hope you guys have a great time being back despite all the ongoing stress. We also want to thank all our new members who have just joined, please feel free to ask us any questions, we look forward to building up our Design Team we honestly could not make the Mag without all of our absolutely amazing creatives! So, until next time…. xxx - Katy & Fiona

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Current Affairs, Society Spotlight

Creative Writing

Feature, Arts & Entertainment Feature

Destroy Your Mandalas

Arts & Entertainment Who's Sixty! - The 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who

Creative Writring New Beginnings

Curent Affarirs

Another BRIC in the Wall Museum Property or Stolen Heritage? Ron DeSantis: The Martyr No One Asked For X Marks The Spot: Political Ads return to the Twitterverse

Unreal Unearth: A Review

Seasons; Summer Dance

Applying Barbie to the Real World

Society Spotlight

The Phoenix Season

Ride the Waves

Burn, Burn, Burn

Ballin' since 2003

The Bear Season 2 The Show Must Go On

Lifestyle

Save Me, Student: How to Step into University Life Living in a Disorderly Fashion Society’s Beauty Standards: A Losing Game Keeping Up with The Magdalen

Opinions

Rishi Sunak's Low-Value Degrees: Low-Value Opinions from a Low-Value Man The Gross Nature of GB News Bringing the Patriacrhy to Barbieland Chat Shit For The Good of the Human Race To Date or Not To Date

Science & Technology

Opinions

Lifestyle

Science & Technology The Dark Side of the Moon The First Wildfire Season: Perfect for Cooking Frogs

Words: Anonymous

Destroy Destroy Your Your Mandalas Mandalas

Feature

Design: Katy Blair

Sand mandalas are beautiful. Buddhist monks in Tibet spend weeks creating big, detailed patterns out of colourful sand, putting time, effort and skill into the work. Intricate designs that take hours of work until they look perfect. Then, they’re destroyed. Swept up and poured into moving water so that their energy is dispersed to the world.

When I was seventeen, one of my closest friends passed away. It felt like my intestines had turned to ice when my mum came into my bedroom with the news early on a Monday morning. A deep discomfort and disbelief filled me at the idea that this person who had grown into someone so wonderful was no longer going to be there every day when I went to work. We would never have our accidental two-hour long chats in the biscuit aisle of Tesco, we had had our last laugh about her brother’s latte art, perfected through watching YouTube tutorials after his shift had ended. She wasn’t there anymore. She just didn’t exist. She was swept away and now her energy is floating around the atmosphere. It seemed so ridiculous and so unbelievable that I couldn’t cry. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t cry.

Feature

Grief isn’t an easy thing to navigate. I had seen exactly what I was supposed to do, share my favourite memories with friends or hole myself up in my bedroom and lose myself in my own thoughts, wallow in sadness until the world started to turn again. But one thing that they don’t tell you about grief is that the world won’t stop turning, it won’t give you a break and let you process it all.

“You can try and curse the sun for rising, but that won’t stop it.” My mum took me to my favourite place in the world, the big IKEA in Glasgow, to try and cheer me up, and I was shocked that the earth-shattering news of my friend’s passing hadn’t torn the place down. But, somehow, being around people whose lives weren’t impacted in the slightest by the tremendous tragedy that I was going through made me feel a little better.

The Buddha’s enlightenment came from the realisation that people suffer because they demand and expect consistent and unchanging states of being in an everchanging world. An attachment to the illusion of permanency inhibits people to live freely as the circle of life continues on and on. A reliance on the unchanging results, naturally, in feelings of unsatisfaction and unhappiness. The materialistic constant that we want is an illusion, and shedding that desire leads to a new point of view.

Words: Anonymous

Leaving can be sad, but it can also be freeing. I attended the funeral and the floodgates opened as I read one of her poems aloud. The finality of the situation set in, her life, wonderful and messy, sand on a brush, never to be seen again. Sympathetic looks followed me as I tried to move on, her ghost stood at the end of my street, and I knew she would stay with me as long as I stayed where I was. “Fly high, angel” posts on social media made me nauseous as people inserted themselves into the lost life, “this must be really hard for you” when people passed me on the street. When I walked through the forest, I pictured her as Ophelia amongst the reeds, clutching a red poppy, still and beautiful, non-existent. I needed a different situation and a lack of permanency, so I moved three hundred and eighty miles away to become a small, unknown, insignificance in a big city that waits for no one. I traded one new reality for another to free myself of the pain that awaited me in my hometown. Suddenly, no one knew me or my story, no one would look on in pity. I was a droplet of water in a sea of people, and I could become the person that I craved to be all along, the pink haired, Whole Foods shopping, party going adventurer, and no one would bat an eye. Someone unknown crawled out in this new setting, someone who took risks because others couldn’t. I allowed change to cleanse me, disruption ruled my life until I could see clearly once more. I was liberated through the change that I had made.

Five years on, Dundee has become my home. For many of us, it’s a place we know like the backs of our hands, no matter how we came to be here. You could drop us anywhere in the city and the sense of normalcy and routine will lead us to Dalhousie for our 2pm lectures (or to think about all the reading that we haven’t done and skip them in favour of a nap). For others, it’s new and it’s scary. The people, the layout, the ability to wear a Josie top to class instead of a school shirt and tie, these are big changes. The expectation of the change being exciting is often underwhelming as feelings of homesickness set in and you feel small in a place that seems big and daunting. If you can find comfort or freedom in the change, then I urge you to grasp it. The ability to take life as it comes and embrace the changes that come your way is a wonderful thing to have. But, if it takes a little time, know that this is a change that you will be glad to have made. Embrace the change, and it will embrace you.

The purpose of sand mandalas is to symbolise the transitory nature of material life. Nothing can stay the same forever, and these works of art cannot be permanent. Their existence is, like ours, short, worked on meticulously until the end. The transition is given a form within these painstaking artworks, one moment they are a wonderful work in progress, chak-purs being guided by steady hands, until they are ready to be washed away and left in the past.

Feature

Design: Katy Blair

I stood on the cold pavement outside of my flat to see the recent blue super-moon with a little help from friends reminding me that I would have to wait fourteen years until I could see it again. Wide eyed and shivering slightly, I marvelled at the sight. I thought about all the people who have marvelled at it before, and all of the people who will once I am returned to the Earth and the memory of me has been erased. I thought about my friend, who’s memory will never leave me, looking up at the moon with me on winter nights in the school playing grounds as we shared the latest gossip and discussed the latest development of a favourite TV show. The moon, the sun, the stars, constant reminders of life’s ability to go on once we cannot. Reminders that some things are permanent, and they will look on as we change, along with the ever-developing world that we live in.

Thoughts of the changes I am yet to make fill my mind. One day, I will be a wife and a mother, and I will make a home somewhere new. One day, I will be a new person, and I think about all the things that my friend will never be. No one will walk her down the aisle, no one will tell her children that they have eyes just like hers, no one will complement her choice of paint for the front door as she welcomes people into her home for a birthday party.

Feature

I think, not only of her losses, but of the losses of her family and her friends, those who will never again be in attendance as her life passes by. It felt selfish for me to move on without her. The idea of stopping where I was tempted me, the idea that she was robbed of becoming someone new, therefore I must be too. I thought that she was stood frozen in time, but she, too, has become something new. My attempt to leave her behind proved unsuccessful as she sits, shadowy yet welcome, in my life. Her memory lives on in everyone who had the privilege of knowing her. Far from a haunting presence that brings a twinge in my chest, she is, in my life, an inspiration, an anecdote, a happy memory. She is the picture on my wall, the tattoo on my thigh, the thoughts in my mind.

I have written about my friend countless times. Essays and diary entries and poetry and prose, she finds her way in to all that I do. And then, I destroy my work. My own little acts of creation are cathartic, but I never dwell on them for long. My unorthodox form of meditation. Bundles of balled up paper surrounding my desk fill me with clarity as I discard my thoughts; these pieces begged to be written, then needed to disappear. So throw out the drawings wedged in between book pages, burn the sonnets of a lost love, delete the note of the text that you will never send. Exhale, then start fresh tomorrow as someone new.

Words: Tom Christison

Who’s Sixty! The 60th Anniversary of Doctor Who It may have all started as a mild curiosity in a junkyard, but it has turned out to be quite an adventure. On November 23rd 1963, overshadowed by the Kennedy assassination, a legend first stepped onto British television screens – the Doctor. So began the adventures of an alien wanderer sauntering through time and space in a blue police phone box (really a disguise for their dimensionally transcendental time machine - the TARDIS). The Doctor has been saving planets, fighting monsters, and sorting out fair play throughout the Universe, whilst picking up many companions to join them on their adventures for over half a century now. It all sounds barmy, right? But this barmy plot has produced a quintessential British hero just as loved and iconic as Robin Hood or James Bond. It has entertained audiences for generations, making it timeless. Therefore, a question arises: what is the secret to the longevity of Doctor Who? To begin with, Doctor Who thrives on the new, whilst also being mindful of the past. It is a thrilling, captivating, genre-leaping

rollercoaster adventure throughout eternity, it is a show that has something for everyone. To put it in the Second Doctor’s words, “Life depends on change and renewal,” a theme which Doctor Who capitalizes on. The actor that impersonates the Doctor changes every couple of years, thus allowing a new actor to bring a fresh take to the character every now and then. There have since been fifteen main actors to play the role - Tom Baker, Matt Smith, David Tennant, and Jodie Whittaker, to name a few. This allows everyone to have a favorite (cue the internet wars!). Any actor can be cast and bring their personal touch to the character, thanks to the Doctor’s ability to alter their entire personality, gender and race. This keeps the show fresh and renewed. The series first started as an educational programme to teach about science, history, and cultures, using the Doctor’s travelling companions to ask questions on the audience’s behalf. Over the years the companions have varied from schoolteachers to journalists, scientists, robot dogs, policewomen, kissograms, nurses, bus drivers, and of course, students.

Arts & Entertainment

Design: Katy Blair

Anyone can be the Doctor’s companion, another factor that allows for the show’s success and longevity. As the audience changes, the companion changes too, but there is a sense that all who travel in the TARDIS become one big family, one that the audience is very much a part of. Doctor Who has also never been scared to confront politics. Stories about mining rights, taxes, and censorship were all the rage in the 70s. Fake news, human rights, resource wastage and climate change have all been successful storylines in 21st century Who. In the second story, back in 1963, we were introduced to an icon of the show - the Daleks, a metaphor for fascism. We later got the Cybermen who characterized machine dependency and removed all human tendencies, a scary example of technology going too far. Trailblazer Verity Lambert was the show’s first producer, becoming the first female BBC drama producer, paving the way for future generations. In 2017, we got our first female Doctor, and in 2019 our first POC Doctor – a sign of evolution and progression. This ability to move along with the times and to roll along with social, technological, environmental, and political trends, has been vital to the survival of Doctor Who.

Arts & Entertainment

Scotland and Doctor Who have always been inseparable. Four of the Doctors have been Scots, including the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa (whom some readers may know from Netflix’s Sex Education). Stories have been set in Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Highlands (watch out for werewolves), and even in Dundee – the TARDIS truly travels everywhere! Furthermore, in the real world at our own University of Dundee, medical technicians discovered a way to rotate objects using only ultrasound waves to improve precision in surgeries utilizing ultrasound technology. Noting the resemblance to a beloved tool of the Doctor’s, they nicknamed this device a ‘Sonic Screwdriver.’ This is just one example of Doctor Who’s impact and legacy, and shows how it has inspired people for sixty years and will continue to do so for countless years to come. In 2023, Doctor Who turns 60! To celebrate the achievement, writer Russell T Davies is bringing back fan-favorite David Tennant as the Doctor for three new specials in November. With such a legacy, it may seem daunting to want to get into Doctor Who, but there are many jumping-on points for new fans. Every new Doctor or new companion is a great place to begin your adventures in space and time! With a new Doctor just around the corner, maybe now is the time to give the show a try. So, in the words of the Doctor… “Allons-y!”

Words: Mia Duffy, Design: Fiona Howard

Unreal Unearth: A Review Hozier’s new album explores the events of a couple who have just passed away. He integrates and combines Irish Gaelic, history, and the nine circles of Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. The artist, when interviewed by DORK magazine, described his new release as follows:

“This album sits in various eras and styles and is a little retrospective as well. Each circle, each song feels like it’s something new, something different.” The album opens by exploring the first two circles of hell - Limbo and Lust. From De Selby alone, the listener is immediately thrown into the album’s wide range of rhythms. De Selby (Part 1) concentrates on Limbo. It is slow, reminiscent of a morning sunrise and its Gaelic lyrics add angelic tones to it. De Selby (Part 2) turns to Lust, becoming instead a more rigid, punk tune. First Time brings the mentioned two songs together. It explores the cyclical process of having uplifting experiences only to feel their loss at the end.   Eat Your Young, representative of the circle of Gluttony, draws towards Irish history, as it alludes to Jonathan Swift’s 1729 satirical essay ‘A Modest Proposal.’ The essay proposes a solution to Irish poverty: the poor could sell their children as food for the rich. This continues in Butchered Tongue, representing 12

the seventh circle and its theme of Violence. It depicts British brutality upon Irish rebels during the 1798 Wexford Rebellion, where body parts would be cut off as a punishment.   Digressing from the circles, Francesca and I, Carrion (icarian), instead, touch upon Dante’s Francesca de Rimini and Greek mythological figure Icarus, respectively. Hozier claims that Abstract (Psychopomp) is written by a ‘sphinxlike’ narrator, one that is found in the eighth circle (Fraud). The alternative title to the song, Psychopomp, refers to a homonymous mythological being who guides spirits into the afterlife/underworld, ‘unearth.’

In the final circle, that of Treachery, we listen to Unknown / Nth. The lyrics reflect a feeling of betrayal, distance, of being misunderstood, unknown in a relationship. Despite the sombre undertone of the song, the album finishes on a positive note with First Light. However, that the album ends with First Light, Hozier reminds us that though the album may have come to an end, even endings are also new beginnings.     The album exposes its listeners to a variety of music genres and rich lyrics in just a brief one hour run time. This makes Unreal Unearth a worthwhile listen for everyone. Hozier will be playing live in Glasgow on the 11th of December 2023. Arts & Entertainment

Words: Chelsea Dalscheid , Design: Joshua Harris

Applying ‘Barbie’ to the Real World

Considering its record-breaking box office numbers, you’ve probably heard of the new Barbie film that was released in July. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the storyline creates an insight into the longstanding Barbie universe and the stereotypes that surround it.

The film’s premise is that even in the fantastical ‘Barbie Land’, things are far from perfect. There is a direct juxtaposition between what people think living as a Barbie should look like (mostly created through how they interact with their own Barbie dolls) and what Barbie herself is confronted with in the film. The real world’s issues such as sadness, depression, thoughts of death, and worst of all, cellulite, are what consume her mind.   So, why can we see this film as a new beginning?   The naiveté of both Barbie and Ken gives a refreshing outlook on how our society has been working for decades, with the everyday discrimination against women becoming routine. Criticism therefore tends to stay at bay, although female protests are on the rise. When Ken has his first experience with the patriarchy (which he thinks involves horses), his excitement upon seeing that men have all the power is depicted in a cynical, yet funny manner. However, there’s an inevitable disappointment when he finds

Arts & Entertainment

out that horses don’t have much to do with it. Similarly, Barbie is left disillusioned once she realises that she’s not loved by everybody, when she’s cruelly welcomed by Sasha and her friends, and when she finds out that Mattel has no female employees on the board of directors. All of this contributes to the film pointing out what is wrong with our society.   What touched me the most is the speech that Sasha’s mother, Gloria, gives to the Barbies to reawaken them after the Kens overtake ‘Barbie Land’. She expresses everything every woman has felt growing up in the real world, with the contradictory and ridiculous rules imposed on women. She points out that you must be thin, but you cannot admit it, and that you must be pretty, but not too tempting. A woman is not allowed to be selfish, step out of line, or have too much power. Could this movie be a new step towards a better perception of women in our society, and for women themselves? There should be no more competition. Women are supposed to help each other and grow stronger together. They shouldn’t solely care about what they look like, and they should not base their worth on whether they have cellulite or not. So, which would you choose, heels or Birkenstocks?

Words: Mihaela Denkovska

The Show Must Go On The Bear’s second season doesn’t waste time, because in line with life itself, the show must go on. We’re back in the thick of things, a new kind of chaos is brewing in the small Chicago joint-turned-restaurant. The financial, legal, and time-sensitive problems that plague the new business provide the perfect backdrop and motivation for character development. External change inevitably leads to change within. But character development isn’t always a hero’s journey. In The Bear we don’t get overt exposition, nor a perfectly linear telling of events. We are also definitely not dealing with characters who are completely open

and at peace with vulnerability by the season’s close. When trying to understand them, we need to sift through layers of sarcasm, maladaptive cynicism, inside jokes, and subtle acting to get each character’s core. Luckily, the show’s soundtrack is very informative when it comes to decoding the characters’ intentions and moods. The music does more than simply set the scene, as it often doesn’t fade out during conversations. It instead remains almost as audible as the characters’ voices, conveying their mood and emotions. Music’s noticeable presence also acts as a nod to the conversations that happen in restaurants

Arts & Entertainment

Design: Fiona Howard and bars, adding something more to the many voices chatting, whispering, yelling, and laughing. But it’s not just songs that accompany The Bear’s scenes. When characters are alone, they are often surrounded by exaggerated noises, be it traffic outside their apartment, or the gargling of a broken toilet. This very simple but effective decision provides clear contrast to the scenes accompanied by music. Loneliness in itself seems to exaggerate noise too. It is, in fact, a feeling that tends to overemphasise a person’s already negative thoughts. Though it may be quite outside, the viewer perceives the character’s unbearable inner tumult. We also find scenes that are in silence, where intimate, gentle, and kind conversations occur; no extra noise, just people talking. These moments come across as incredibly profound when they are preceded by cacophonous conversations or inner panic. Episode six of The Bear, “Fishes,” deepens the audience’s understanding of the show’s characters. In an hour-long Christmas episode, we learn more about the Berzatto family dynamics. We learn that yelling is very much the primary mode of communication, avoidance is their love language, and food is the temporary glue that holds them all together. An hour-long panic attack shows us the origin of so many of the characters’ neuroses. From “Fishes” we jump into “Forks,” an episode dedicated to Richie’s search for purpose. His existential frustration comes out as unjustified anger and righteousness. As human beings, we are all very attached to what we think we deserve. However, life is unpredictable, and it usually doesn’t take the turn we want it to unless we take full control of it. In this season we eventually see a gentler and more inspired side of Richie, after he goes through a noticeable character arc. He doesn’t achieve anything jawdropping and he doesn’t miraculously find a new career path, but he finds, or rather re-discovers, his spirit. Richie knows his way around people, and people fulfil him. Arts & Entertainment

In “Honeydew” Marcus is sent away to Copenhagen to develop his craft as a pastry chef with a friend of Carmy’s. Here, Marcus has to deal with his mother being ill whilst also being away from home, which is a challenge in itself. The situation is a ticking time bomb, waiting for it to explode and turn Marcus’ world upside down. Meanwhile, his relationship with Sydney seems to be crossing the boundaries of friendship. The stubborn lack of resolution in their plot line makes the audience empathise even more with the frustration and awkwardness of Marcus’ position.

”External change inevitably leads to change within.” On her part, Sydney is focused on the menu as she frantically tries to develop new recipes. However, an increasingly strained partnership with a distracted Carmy slows this process down. She ventures into Chicago for inspiration whilst trying to ‘shut down’ her doubts about working with Carmy, and simultaneously feeling the need to prove her dad wrong. The obstacles that she faces all feel like personal attacks against her very self. Tina and Ebra are both sent in turns to culinary school. Tina embraces this opportunity after an initial struggle to fit in, whilst Ebra, on the other hand, rejects innovation. There are many ways one can deal with change; ignoring or refusing to acknowledge it is frustrating and yet is completely in line with this show’s characters. It is in line with their way of dealing with things - avoiding something until it’s too late. Most characters eventually do accept, though begrudgingly or enthusiastically, the new status quo. However, by the end of the season, all of them are still in the process of overcoming their challenges. This establishes an ambiguous but exciting future storyline ready to take place in the next season.

eg i n B n in w e The cold Winter weather Shoves sea shells On the shore The water wrinkles Become angrier The wind weeps The grains of sand mould Into arrows You run upwind just to feel something

Words: Nicolanna Gulino, Design: Fiona Howard

A leaf sways from afar Brushing against the water The deep blue sea blends with its vibrant orange The sadness you felt before mutates Into this new energy you struggle to name As the skies turn brighter And the leaves soften the impact Of arrows Your purpose is unblurred As Spring comes And the migratory birds Lead the way to new beginnings You wonder whether the life Beneath your feet Is ready to face the world Between feathers and small sea turtles struggling to reach the shore There’s nature ready to bloom Soon the warmth of the sun will keep you company Will it burn your skin Or will it feel like the hug You were yearning for? And then again Set an intention and spin the wheel Your father once said it doesn’t spare anyone It’s up to you Whether it goes forwards Or backwards 16

Creative Writing

Words: Rowan Clark, Design & Photography: Heidi Le

Seasons; Summer Dance Wild and untamed, her dance goes on

and

bare feet stamping a rhythm into dirt a beat, quick as a hummingbird’s wings, carrying her across the grass – there!

on,

there!

She leaps and flowers bloom in her wake, The sun gives chase, a golden haze warming everything she touches in her endless dance; a gossamer of light slipping through

clouds,

flooding bustling streets; her heat, her dance, contagious. She harnesses the sun, thrumming in her veins, the buzz of fresh life; shares it, paints the darkest shadows in gold, imbues music into air; a hum in the back of day. And then her steps slow; elegant moves, arms and legs drawing inwards, she settles; pulls herself inward, light slipping below the horizon. The dance falls to a close; the world hangs in her wake, satisfied, pleased. Even when gold paint cracks; dries out; shadows grow, fresh leaves shrivel and fall, a bed of her own creations to rest upon, her song hums in the cool breeze, only an echo, a lingering warmth reinvigorated in steaming cups, crackling fires. Summer settles, a cat stretched out on a bed of leaves, cooked by her heat. And he, with his slow, heavy limbs, his cold touch, watches from afar - always Afar Never has he danced, nor does he know her song, but perhaps the crunch of grass beneath feet is akin to the crunch of snow.

Creative Writing

Words: Lara Luyts, Photography: Katherine Donaghy, Design: Heidi Le

In the end, the almosts tear her apart the most. The images that form on the back of her eyelids as she awaits the embrace of sleep, domestic scenarios that would never be. Cooking meals together, then her washing the dishes while Jane dried. Arguing over what show to watch until she eventually gives in, because they both know that she’ll always give Jane what she wants. Falling asleep curled up on the sofa, warm and loved.

slipped away as soon as you took your eyes off her. Amy never minded it, not even when her attempts to breach the ‘what are we’ question were met with brazen dismissals. If anything, Jane’s carefree attitude balanced out Amy’s tendency to overthink and over-plan every little aspect of her life. That’s part of what made them work. Amy, is it?

There was a time when Amy believed in that future, the one where she had it all. Or maybe ‘believed’ is too strong of a word – more than anything, she hoped. On mornings when Jane’s arm was still draped over her stomach by the time she awoke, on days when they had drinks that led to kisses that led to nothing more. What they had always seemed like the prelude to something special. Something permanent.

She never felt more nervous than she did in Jane’s presence, and she never felt more powerful than when she made Jane smile. During those fleeting five months, Jane became her ocean, wild and ruthless, always drawing back and then returning, yet still the most beautiful sight Amy ever witnessed. She embraced the salt air, the frigidness, for the chance of dipping her toes in those magical waters. Now, she has come to learn that the coolness of Jane’s company was nothing compared to the cold she left behind.

Were you a friend of hers?

Jane never mentioned you, I’m afraid.

They never spoke of it, of them. It started with a drunken kiss at a mutual friend’s party and never advanced into anything more secure. Months passed, and still their meetings held that same hazy sense of urgency. That’s how things were with Jane. She lived in the here and now, and

All that remains of their time together are a chipped mug in Amy’s kitchen cupboard, a pillow that still smells like Jane and a formal black dress that lies discarded on the floor.

I don’t think we’ve met before, have we?

Were you two close? Creative Writing

Words: Clare Havertape, Design: Mia Duffy

The Phoenix’s Season Not one Fortune’s spindle’s leaf is left out when a fire breaks out in my heart for it. All around me, the mountain ashes on the side of the lake burn alongside my desire. It’s nearly here— I cannot wait for the air to grow cold, for the leaves to turn crisp on the ground, for nature to ignite the town with a cosy embrace to guarantee warmth for everyone. Over in the distance, the summits will be met with fresh snow, and for once they may not seem as daunting to me, as they usually are in the Summer when they are bare and looming. The comfort that is the fiery colours of Autumn is what allows me relaxation and warmth, even on the chilliest day. The red leaves are my fireside, the golden making the honey in my tea as I walk beside the river. I once thought the intensity of the burning bush was rage, and the slumps of the willow sorrow, but it is rebirth: the leaves fall to the ground like the phoenix burns to cinder, and then it returns again. More leaves fall, more

Creative Writing

turn blazing colours. Do you think that the Earth would let her jewels and pearls become sombre? They peak before they disappear, but they will always return in a year’s time. Autumn is a time of tenderness toward yourself — you must keep your hands warm, so you hold a hot chocolate on your way to your destination. You must keep your body well with batches of soup so you don’t catch cold, and you must love fiercely the nature around you so the Earth can be reminded that it is acknowledged that she is doing her best, and that is absolutely fine. If love for the autumnal season is fierce, then it can be infinite. The phoenix is not reborn for nothing, and autumn is not recurring to be redundant. The season gives me and you a chance to restart, to re-love, and to relax in the comfort that we make for ourselves in an elegant embrace that the world gives us.

Words: Ren Jakab, Design: Luna Jezzard

Burn, Burn, Burn see how fast the fire turns to dust, and freezes to the roof of my mouth, the icicles bursting through my skin, in the place of a burn, hot like the sun.

see how fast it decays, the life of a mayfly, and ephemeral spark between you and me, did I smother your flame with dew on clovers, did it feel like an ocean leaking through a seal?

see how slow the mind forgets, no purging of spring, of sweet tranquillity, just a match burning quiet under my chest, just a hunger I’ve learnt to call emptiness.

see how I put my torch out for you, the ashes simmer in my palms, leaving bruises that burn, and now you smell of decay, and fallow and myrrh, and the wind takes my woe, and the wind takes my hurt.

Creative Writing

Words: Angus Coleman , Design: Fiona Howard Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Together they account for nearly half of the world’s population and have a combined GDP of $28 trillion, which represents just over a quarter of the gross national income of all the countries in the world. They are also collectively referred to as BRICS (formerly BRIC, before South Africa joined the group in 2010), a term coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill. This group of nations are thought by some to be the heirs to the lion’s share of the global economy, and the growing counterweight to the West’s waning dominance of the international system.

Another

BRICS have held annual summits since 2009, however, this year’s conference in Johannesburg has caused more of a stir than previous meetings. This is mainly because expanding the bloc has moved to the top of the group’s agenda. In the run-up to the summit, 23 new countries had applied for membership with over 40 expressing interest in total. At the conference, it was announced that Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates had been invited to join as early as January next year. The incorporation of new members is key to counterbalancing against the West. However, the main purpose of BRICS seems to be one of the areas in which the five core members are divided. At the Johannesburg summit, the priority for China and Russia seemed to be balancing against American economic dominance. Vladimir Putin, while not attending in person due to the international warrant for his arrest, stressed “de-dollarisation” as a key objective of the group. Conversely, Brazilian President Lula da Silva said the purpose of BRICS was simply to allow the members of the group to self-organise. This fracturing of priorities is symptomatic of a general lack of cohesion among the BRICS nations. While a desire

Current Affairs

BRIC in the Wall for less dependence on western financial institutions and further international cooperation is shared between them, their individual motivations and priorities differ significantly, which has led to a lack of progress. Serious discussion of a possible shared currency has yet to materialise, and the New Development Bank, the money pot intended by BRICS to serve as an alternative to the World Bank and IMF, has been frustrated due to the necessity to cut ties with Russia in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Until greater cohesion can be achieved amongst the BRICS, the group will not be able to sufficiently challenge Western dominance of the international system.

Words: Tom Christison

Museum Property or Stolen Heritage? On the recent thefts from the National Museum

t is no secret that the British Museum is home to treasures that were stolen from their home nations during the era of British Imperialism. Thus, when it was revealed that there had been recent thefts from the British Museum, our immediate reaction may have been to scoff at the irony. On the 16th of August 2023, 2,000 artefacts were confirmed to be either stolen, damaged or missing from the Museum, leading to a global outcry as to how so many artefacts could have disappeared from the institution, and re-sparking controversy surrounding repatriation. The stolen artefacts were all treasures, dating from 15th Century BC to 19th AD, which had all been preserved in storage for

Despite sacking a member of Museum staff, police have not identified the thief and no arrests have been made. No report has been issued to reveal how and why the objects have been taken. The market for antiquities is vast, continually being probed by Scotland Yard. The ongoing investigation seeks to

academic research purposes, not exhibited, therefore laying suspicion on Museum staff. An official inventory of all stolen items has not yet been released, however, a police spokesperson said that the artefacts range from gold to jewellery and semi-precious stones, but as of yet no other information has been released. The theft was first suspected when antique dealer Ittai Gradel reported to the Museum a selection of items of questionable origin in an online auction. They were then identified as artefacts thought to be held in Museum storehouses. Concerns were first raised regarding stolen artefacts in 2021 and an investigation at the time discovered no anxieties, however, these initial concerns show the “significant” period in which the thefts had been occurring.

return the stolen artefacts, which has so far been partially successful. The fallout of the theft has seen the museum Director, Hartwig Fischer, resign and increased political pressure to act quickly to investigate the thefts and how they occurred.

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Design: Rachel Middleton A more global outcry has also pushed the investigation. The controversy surrounding the original procurement of artefacts held by the Museum has led to endless campaigns for artefacts to be returned to the countries they originally came from. Parliament prohibited all repatriation (return of items to their home country) under the British Museum Act of 1963, unless the artefact is a duplicate or unfit for the collection, thus these thefts have reignited global debate. Chinese State media has called on the Museum to return artefacts originating in China “free of charge.” Since 1835, Greece has requested the return of the Parthenon Marbles currently on display at the Museum, which has also pressed heat regarding the recent scandal. It is common knowledge that many thousands of artefacts held within the Museum are the spoils of British Imperialism and due to this, many artefacts have now become contested by countries wishing the safe return of their cultural heritage. The Museum (which boasts a collection of over eight million artefacts) has been called out as the world’s largest receiver of stolen goods due to holding these items, leading to opinions of the institution being decadent and unlawful. The Museum has also been questioned over whether it has the right to be custodian of the world’s heritage, with some labelling the Museum a remnant of Imperialist ideals. With this in mind, it is perhaps best to examine why museums are important institutions.

Current Affairs

Why do we have museums? They are an ancient concept devoted to the collection and preservation of historically significant artefacts. They are used to store artefacts, allow public viewership, and allow for study, security, and restoration. In turn, they become vital and influential knowledge repositories. The British Museum could be described as cosmopolitan, encyclopaedic, and universal, but this encourages debate about artefact ownership. The institution can perhaps maintain artefacts and allow for them to be viewed by a greater number of people, however, original countries who were robbed, wish for repatriation, claiming ownership and reverence to cultural heritage. This argument of course varies with every artefact depending on its significance culturally, historically, politically, or personally. The debate is long and endless. Either way, a shadow has been cast over the British Museum and its gatekeeping of other cultures’ artefacts. In 2009, an act was passed to permit the return of remains to their home countries, a step forward in answering the controversies. The right to certain artefacts in a museum is therefore debated heavily but it cannot be denied that the loss and theft of 2000 artefacts from the British Museum is a tragedy, even if it does shine a light on the ironies of the Museum’s unethical past. Perhaps, like the artefacts it holds, the British Museum is also just a relic of the past. The investigation into the stolen artefacts is ongoing, as is the debate surrounding repatriation.

Words: Liam McClurgv

Ron DeSantis: The Martyr No One Asked For

It took seasoned anti-communist Richard Nixon to capitalise on the Sino-Soviet split and shake Mao Zedong’s hand. Similarly, only a homophobic theatre kid could stare straight into the eyes of Mickey Mouse and declare: “No more.” And so has Florida Governor and Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis in his baffling war on the Disney Corporation. As Governor, DeSantis has aimed to limit the autonomy of the company’s Florida theme park. Disney caught the Governor’s ire for its opposition

to what’s become known as the ‘Don’t Say Gay Bill’, which is legislation intended to prohibit discussions of sexuality and gender in Floridian classrooms. On the surface, a Republican lawmaker declaring war on one of America’s most beloved institutions, a largely conservative one at that, seems like a cynical manoeuvre for name recognition. However, as it became clear that one of the world’s largest corporations is more powerful than the state

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Design: Joshua Harris of Florida (who’d a thunk it?!) the Governor doubled down. What could explain such a brazenly foolish move? DeSantis is a former Disneyland season ticket holder; he had his wedding at Disneyland; he is a certified ‘Disney Adult’. When the corporation ‘went woke’ it hurt his feelings. So petty is Ron DeSantis, that when he heard that Disney were opposing his plans, authoritarian as they are, he didn’t hatch a Machiavellian plot to pretend he was offended. He WAS offended and poured the state’s resources into taking them down a peg or two. There are two possible responses to this: 1) What a megalomaniacal fascist and/or 2) Low-key relatable. To explain the latter, one must delve into the whacky world of Governor DeSantis. In 2020, DeSantis was the rising star of the Republican Party. A beacon of Trumpism after Trump, he would unite the braying mobs of the far right and the humiliated wonks of the Republican establishment. In the 2022 midterms, President Trump virtually hand-selected the candidates who would go on to perform poorly, and DeSantis was all but anointed to the Republican nomination. However, it turned out he had an Achilles heel - his off-putting personality. The Governor of Florida has the energy of an American Alan Partridge. A shifty, wide-eyed replicant. His drive to impress is hampered by his total misunderstanding of social situations. A petty and vindictive nature matched only by an awkward demeanour. Where Donald Trump falls upwards, spitting poisonous bile and dragging down those who cross him, Ron DeSantis methodically pratfalls from grace with a misplaced grin. The Governor reportedly doesn’t say please or thank you. An aide reported he once spent a flight to Israel staring straight ahead, with no earphones or screen, resting his operating system ahead of a long day of networking. Watch him and you’ll see a man cycle through facial expressions until he finds a suitable one. It’s rumoured

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he fired a staffer the week she returned to work from cancer treatment. A viral video recently showed him pulling what can only be described as Anime Face. He is the un-millennial Conservative: vapidly feigning concern for his fellow man through a confused grin. Some of you might be thinking, is this relatable? The rest of you get it - Covid did a number on our social skills. Perhaps you’re not at the point of saying: “Ice cream huh? I bet there’s a lot of sugar in that,” to a child on the campaign trail level (something he really did), but you know the impulse. You know the feeling of shame when your political rival publicly accuses you of eating pudding without a spoon, and even though you probably didn’t, your prospective voters believe it. That familiar burning feeling when your prospective voters see a deepfake video of you saying “I’m hungwyy” and assume it’s real. That friend who works in marketing, who gives lip service to various causes but votes Conservative; they know it. They might view themselves as a Donald Trump, but nine times out of ten, they are more like ole’ puddin’ fingers. What’s worse, they won’t even vote for him. DeSantis is currently polling way behind President Trump, a man who has four indictments to his name. Why? Because any self-respecting adult hates it about themselves. They correctly despise the Governor DeSantis who lives in their head. This generation of Conservatives has lived through the twilight of their villains: Castro, the Soviet Union, single mothers, and Atheists. All were replaced by demons, “fifteen-minute cities,” and inclusive advertising campaigns. The modern American right is composed of self-hating Governor Rons’. A martyr, he sacrificed his presidential run over a culture war GOP voters pretend to care about. They shrug and vote for Donald J. Trump: who may contest the 2024 Presidential Election from prison.

Words: Freya Giles

Marks the Spot:

Political Ads return to the Twitterverse

Twitter X has been in the spotlight a whole lot recently as the internet reels at Musk’s takeover of the site, and his many subsequent changes. The most recent (at time of writing) is the announcement that political advertisements are going to be reinstated on the platform for the first time since 2019. Candidates from across the political spectrum can pay for political adverts so long as they comply with the platform’s

rules, and the site has promised to be proactive in enforcing this, however, the ‘political advert’ section of their regulations is (at time of writing) yet to be updated. It does make sense in one respect to bring back this content to the site as so many users utilise the site for political coverage. It has consistently been shown that up to 70% of users read news on the platform, so people are definitely interested in this kind of content. However, it is debateable whether bringing a paid element to this dynamic is

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Design: Fiona Howard

going to improve the site or simply lead to more widespread misinformation. Something that has struck me recently is that online advertisers are finding increasingly creative ways to avoid being scrolled past. Indeed, it has been reported that oil companies like BP and Chevron have been doing paid partnerships with influencers to boost public opinion among climate-conscious younger users. Creators will use product placement as a way to avoid disclosing adverts. Heck, even arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin has released a streetwear collaboration. Political content has already been tainted by foreign and national manipulation in recent elections; so, when tactics like this are becoming more pronounced, can we trust politicians to be upfront in their adverts that are going to be splashed all over our feed? On the flipside, one of Musk’s new improvements to X is the introduction of the ‘Community Notes’ feature. This is basically an open-source fact-checker that allows notes to be added to any post clarifying or rectifying false information. In a blog post on the 29th of August, it was confirmed that community notes will be utilised in political adverts just as in any other tweet, meaning that any false or misleading information posted by candidates can be addressed. The notes cannot be edited by X and have even ironically been used to disprove some of Musk’s own tweets. Musk tweeted on the 18th of August that the block feature was going to be removed from the app, however, a community note then clarified under the post that both the App store and Google Play store require block features for any app on their platform. To be honest, it is almost exciting seeing how this feature is going to fare against some of the more unbelievable claims

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made by politicians. For example, at the recent Republican primaries only one of the eight candidates implied that they actually believed climate change was man-made. But with the wealth of climate changesupporting evidence we now have, I’ll admit it does make me grin to picture a slew of paid denialist adverts being posted, only to immediately be hit with note after note of evidence proving climate change as a reality. X also announced at the same time that it was creating a “Global Advertising Transparency Centre”, something it is required to do under new EU legislation. Interestingly, this new Digital Services Act actually bans targeted ads based on personal characteristics, and political affiliation is classed as a personal characteristic. However, as this is only EU legislation, X are well within their rights to allow targeted advertising to its US users in the run-up to the election. Not to mention X does have its own advert targeting software making it even more effective at directing content in the most efficient way for the buyer. This is going to affect not only the US in its upcoming election but the UK too. Our own general election is not too far off and with data scandals such as Cambridge Analytica in our recent history, there is no telling how personalised one’s advert feed is going to get. At the end of the day, advertisements will always try to influence our views, habits, and our opinions. That is what they are designed to do. However, there is much more regulation in the way that advertising and targeted content is used now due to this history of misinformation. Platforms like X are better equipped to ensure that advertisement is done honestly and faithfully, however, as a user base it is important to remain vigilant.

Words: Writers Dundee Uni Surf Club, Design: Katy Blair

Dundee Uni Surf Club is all about getting outside and enjoying the waves and the beach. Whenever there’s waves, we’ll be there. We get a bus and make our way out, whether its St. Andrews, Belhaven, or even Thurso. Meet us at our weekly socials every Thursday, we have lots of different socials planned, there’s bound to be something for everyone! Every year we have a trip somewhere warm to take a break from the icy Scottish water, last year was Morocco, the year before that Fuerteventura. Not only are there great waves, but there is also always something to see when we’re not out on the water. If you have a competitive streak, we also travel to various surf competitions over the year such as BUCS down in Cornwall, so you can show off and make us all look good. We have everything you’d need to surf, so no need to have your own kit. All wetsuits, boards, and more are provided, all you need is the willingness to try something new. We’re welcome to absolutely everyone, of all abilities! Whether you’re a complete beginner or training for the World Surf League. We are going to be hosting give-it-a-go sessions for anyone wantingto give surfing a try! Surfing can seem intimidating, but everyone in the club is willing to help. Any of the committee can give you tips and tricks you might need as you learn. DUSC is a great place to get to know people who share a love of the water.

Here’s a few quotes from some satisfied customers: “Joining the surf club has truly transformed my life in the most incredible ways. It’s not just about riding the waves, but also about the amazing camaraderie and laughter that fills every session. I’ve met some of the most genuine and fun-loving people who have become my second family. Whether we’re sharing stories over a drink or cheering each other on, the surf club has brought so much joy and adventure into my life.” – Dan Kirchin “Dan is full of shite” – David Cowan “Dan is on ChatGPT” – Callum McDonald We post all our trips on social media, so make sure to keep an eye out. You can find us on Instagram @dusurfclub and our Facebook page. Any questions or concerns, just pop us a message!

Society Spotlight

Words: Ellie Campbell, Design: Fiona Howard

Ballin’ Since 2003 Red kit on, laces tied, hair up. 5 women stepped onto the court in 2003 as part of the first Dundee University women’s basketball team. Over the last 20 years, that team has grown to a club with over 60 players, a committee of 11 people, and two competitive teams. “The incredible and inspiring women of Dundee University Women’s Basketball Club (DUWBC) have set the bar high for women’s university sport”, says Caitlin Daff (2022/2023 President).

Over the years, DUWBC has been home to hundreds of women, no matter whether they’ve never touched a basketball, or they have a decade of experience. In a basketball game, experience and talent can be beaten by a united team, enthusiasm and dedication. Such an incredible moment was winning the BUCS Conference Cup in season 2019/2020 against University of West of Scotland. The club has therefore come a long way since those five women first stepped on the Uni court. Winning the cup is the visible aspect of the growth of the club. However, what seems hidden are the relationships built between the players, new and old, experienced and unexperienced alike. The support from teammates has allowed members who have never played before to not only have fun but also play at a high level. When not working up a sweat at the ISE, the team can be found at the pub for some cheap food, at a game’s night fighting over Uno, or

Society Soci ety Spotlight

dressed up ridiculously for a night out. An event, also known as ‘Welcome Night,’ is a highlight of the club experience where old players celebrate new ones whether they are dressed up as a pea, the three little piggies, or Mr. Potato Head. It also provides an opportunity for new players to shine with skills such as sneaking an egg into the club, only for it to get broken 10 minutes later. Another big event is the biennial alumni weekend which, by some fate, and a pandemic, aligns with this year’s 20th anniversary. It’s an event where previous players come back to show the current players how it’s done both on the court and on the dance floor. DUWBC is a club where players get a break from the hardships of being at uni. Basketball people somehow seem to be everywhere, so we support each other both on and off the court and most definitely in the library. Whether you want to play socially or competitively, DUWBC is a place where you’d feel supported, giving you the confidence to play as if you were over six feet tall.

Words: Eshar Bola, Design: Fiona Howard

Save Me, Student!

How to Step into Your University Life

“I’m pretty nervous about starting at university with a whole new group of people! How do I make friends in first year?

Dear reader, Moving to university and making new friends can be daunting for everyone, but that also means you will all be in the same boat! Don’t worry, there are lots of different ways to make friends.

weeks. Lectures don’t have assigned seating, so you can sit next to different people and introduce yourself. People usually appreciate you doing this since everyone is trying to find friends, especially at the beginning.

If you are living in student accommodation, your flatmates will be the first people you meet, and hopefully your first friends. They’re usually the people that will join you to go to the Freshers Week events, such as the Fresher’s Fair and the various nights out hosted by clubs such as DUSA and AURA. My best advice for moving in is to bring a door stopper to keep your door open so that you can say hi and introduce yourself when flatmates pass by. You can also suggest exploring Dundee with your flatmates as most of them will be new to the city too.

A great thing about Dundee University is the large number of societies and sports clubs on offer. During Freshers Week, the Freshers’ Fair is where the majority of these societies and clubs have stalls with freebies. If you sign up, it is just to get an email about their welcome event, so feel free to put your email down and try out as many societies and clubs as you are interested in! It’s a fantastic way to meet like-minded people, and I know so many students who have met their besties through a society or club. Regardless, the Fair itself is a good opportunity to stock up on pens and tote bags!

Even before you get to university, you can do some groundwork to help the initial transition. At Dundee University, there are usually group chats for the freshers (first years) in general, for each course, and for each student accommodation. This is a good way to connect with people and get to know them in case you don’t gel with your flatmates. There will also be the other first years on your course, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and talk to lots of people in the first few 30

Lastly, try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Going to university is a massive adjustment, so give yourself some grace and time to adapt. Some people meet their best friends on the first day, for others it takes until the second semester; don’t worry if you are the latter. There will always be opportunities to talk to more people or try out more clubs even if it doesn’t all line up immediately. As Taylor Swift said: “Just be yourself, there is no one better.” Lifestyle

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Words: Holly Teri, Design: Katy Blair

As someone living with EUPD (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder), it can be difficult to describe what a day in my life is like. Generally speaking, it probably doesn’t differ much from the average day in the life of a student: I see my friends, buy overpriced coffees, and complain about my coursework. The only difference is that I find it difficult to regulate my emotional well-being, arguably more so than your average person. Although everyone struggles to remain calm and collected all the time, the issue begins when you are consistently experiencing what I can only describe as a major feeling regarding a minor situation. To put it simply, are you making a mountain out of a molehill, and is your reaction appropriate to the situation at hand? It is impossible to navigate the correct response to a situation, but getting incredibly upset and impulsive when experiencing everyday situations can be debilitating. I find it difficult to continue my day once something has upset me; it’s like the whole world’s gone wrong. The sentiment of “it’s the little things in life” means a lot, but at the same time is to my own detriment. Struggling with emotion regulation means that what may seem insignificant can have a big impact on me, like misunderstanding tone or dealing with minor conflict.

Lifestyle

It is all a work in progress to both appreciate everything I have and rationalise with myself whether something is really “that deep” or not. To cope with potentially explosive emotions, you have to work your life around them. I have a solid friend group and seeing them consistently and coexisting together boosts my mood majorly, and I feel eternally grateful they chose and keep choosing me as their friend. I take my medication (with a few slip-ups), I write in my journal when I feel like it, try to be self-aware and cherish those close to me. I do have my moments (don’t we all), where I feel like giving up. I used to wish I was different, that my emotions weren’t so powerful that they literally devastate me or feel like a drug-induced high, but at the same time, I have never known any different. In a way, it is an honour to feel emotions so deeply, and I feel like I take the way I can love and experience joy for granted sometimes.

Words: Mona Eckle Growing up in Europe with a Chinese background, my sister and I constantly faced racist attacks. People felt entitled to comment on the shape of our eyes as an insult or a fetish. Now, with the popularisation of trends such as glass skin, siren eyes, and Korean skincare, the shift in societal beauty trends is clearly visible. Suddenly, Asian women have become the most popular ethnicity on dating apps like Tinder. My sister told me that she wished she could go back in time and tell her younger self that in a decade, her “East Asian” appearance that she was being bullied and mocked for would be trendy. Nothing about us had changed (except us growing up, of course), it was the world around us that changed. When I visited China this summer, everyone praised me for my pale skin tone. Contrastingly, after spending a week in Greece, my friends in Dundee complimented me on how tan I had become. Even being perceived as “Asian-looking” in Europe but as “Western” and “foreign” looking, and, therefore, “beautiful” in China highlighted how quickly beauty standards can change depending on location and date. The harsh truth is that society will never deem you beautiful enough. If you actually felt good about your appearance and truly loved yourself just the way you are, companies wouldn’t be able to capitalise off your insecurities under the guise of feminism, self-love and being a girlboss. There is just no way to win this game of unattainable beauty standards. Instead of changing ourselves, we should demand the society around us to change and stop shaming us for the face and body we were born with. Even if one were to desperately try to change everything about oneself to adhere to certain beauty standards, those would inevitably change in the next decade or even year, making the previous efforts insignificant, and one would be forced to start the process all over again.

Lifestyle

Design: Katy Blair But all of this doesn’t mean that you can’t learn to see yourself as beautiful. In the end, no amount of validation from other people will ever be as fulfilling, healthy, and healing as truly accepting and loving yourself the way you are. The way to self-love can be an arduous and long journey that might even involve some therapy. However, it is possible, and much more liberating than continuing down the toxic cycle of unrealistic beauty standards, resulting in insecurity, shame and self-criticism. Instead, we can challenge these Eurocentric beauty norms and not view ourselves through their judgmental eyes. I am definitely still stuck in this vicious cycle of conforming to beauty standards and have not long reached the point where I don’t give them power over the way I feel about my appearance. I was recently victim to them, as I contemplated getting lip fillers. I ended up deciding against it in fear of the potential risks, but it made me question why I considered this procedure to temporarily achieve fuller lips filled with hyaluronic acid in the first place. Would this have solved my problems and made me any happier? Was I truly unhappy about my lips, or was I being influenced by social media? Just because I didn’t actually end up getting lip fillers doesn’t mean that I don’t still dislike the way my lips look, and just because East Asian beauty traits are popular now doesn’t mean I don’t still feel insecure about my appearance. However, from this moment on, I am beginning to not let beauty ideals take power away from me anymore. Understanding that perfection is a social construct, and that beauty lies in those “flaws”, individualities, and nuances, is the most liberating thing one can do. Like Alessia Cara said, “You don’t have to change a thing, the world could change its heart.” You are not the problem, and you are not the one who is flawed and has to change anything, but it is the flawed world around you that needs to change. Inspirational quotes and talk aside, the journey to break free from unrealistic beauty standards

Lifestyle

doesn’t have to be hard and horrible, as we can start with small steps and work our way towards it and our own happiness. Now that we are aware of how immoral beauty standards truly are, we can choose to reject them. Instead of feeling victimised by societal beauty ideals, we can choose to feel empowered and liberated through our rejection of them and not let them hold power over us anymore. So finally, if this is all too theoretical and cheesy for you and I am starting to sound a bit too much like a motivational podcast, here’s some practical advice for you. Since I am the writer of this article and don’t want to be hypocritical for writing this but not actually changing anything about my questionable lifestyle, I am going to give myself a challenge as my first tiny step toward rejecting beauty ideals. I am not going to cover up the dark circles under my eyes for two months, and I’ll try my hardest not to hate myself for it. So, if you want, you can join me and give yourself a simple challenge like this, and we can embark on this beautiful journey of finding self-love and breaking out of the vicious cycle of societal beauty standards together.

Keeping up with

the magdalen

Hey everyone we hope you've all had a fantastic summer! Here's a bit of what your favourite Magdalen team got up to!

Images by; Katy Blair Holly Highton Luna Marshay Ariane Legradi Catriona Pritchard

Lifestyle

Design: Katy Blair

Lifestyle

Words: Dani McFawns

Rishi Sunak’s ‘Low Value Degrees’: Low Value Opinions from a Low Value Man Earlier this year, the Prime Minister vowed to crack down on what he’s referring to as “rip-off” or “low value” degrees. This means that courses where there are not a high proportion of graduates either continuing into postgraduate study, starting a business, or getting a professional job will be capped or scrapped. What does this mean in practice? It means an attack on humanities and creative degrees. For the sake of transparency, I’ll start with this: I study English and Philosophy. I’m working class. I’m a Green voter. I hate the Tories. With this frame of reference, let’s begin. As reported in The Mirror, PM Rishi Sunak told Tory supporters last year that “We’ve got to get far tougher on those university courses that are simply not paying their way, because we are spending your money to subsidise these courses, which are not producing the goods for people, right? […] So it’s great news for the universities largely full of, you know, people who don’t vote for us anyway.”

Important to note here is that part about “people who don’t vote for us anyway”. Isn’t it interesting how, firstly, many universityeducated people aren’t voting Tory, and secondly, that Sunak just so happens to want to attack this sector? Could it possibly be that he wants to provide an educational barrier in an attempt to lessen the number of non-Tory voters, instead of caring about taxpayer money subsidising education? Sunak claims that the idea behind this policy is to enforce the idea that ‘you don’t have to go to university to succeed in life’. I absolutely agree with this sentiment. I know plenty of people – my own parents, for example – who didn’t attend university. This hasn’t stopped them from building successful careers. However, the thing about the Tories is that they seem to think this ‘succeeding in life’ thing is all about careers. Jobs, money, boosting the economy. And there’s a key point that this policy misses out on: not everyone goes to university for the job prospects.

Opinions

Design: Katy Blair

When I was 18, I went to a certain prestigious Scottish university to study maths- despite my successes in high school being largely grounded in the humanities. I excelled in Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies (RMPS). When I left to study maths, my RMPS teacher told me that he knew I’d end up studying philosophy. So why maths? Because I was fed – and completely gobbled up – this narrative that humanities degrees are unemployable, a waste of time and money, ‘Mickey Mouse degrees’. Lo and behold, despite my best efforts to be an employable woman in STEM, I dropped out in the first semester because I was miserable and maths bored me.

That’s why this policy proposal makes me so upset. There are many problems with it, for example, how are they calculating what degrees to cap and scrap? What is a ‘professional job’ anyway? Because based on their antics during the pandemic, I’d struggle to say being a Tory politician is a professional gig. Reported in the same aforementioned Mirror article, an unnamed Government source said “The PM believes it is wrong some university degrees saddle students with debt without improving their life chances. Universities should not be leaving students worse off.” Who’s to decide if humanities and arts students are worse off? I’m certainly enriched as a result of studying. I have skills, connections, and joy that I didn’t have before.

I took some time out to succeed in life without going to university. I worked fulltime, building my career, but there was a little niggling thought in the back of my mind the entire time: I want to go to uni. I love learning. My teacher was right. I want to study philosophy.

Sunak went to Oxford, by the way, and studied politics, philosophy, and economics. He studied two of the subjects he’s probably going to ‘crack down’ on. Creative and humanities subjects that, according to The Guardian, account for over 5% of UK GDP.

I know that Philosopher isn’t a job anymore. Socrates and Co. aren’t kicking around just philosophising nowadays. But I didn’t come here to get a job. I came here because I love literature and philosophy.

Anyway, back to getting ripped-off in my useless degree that’s ruining my life and financial prospects. It’s a shame your humanities degree is only high value if you were rich to start with, and it’s a shame that a love of learning means nothing anymore.

Opinions

Words: Tommy Gachagan

Th T he eG Gr ro os ss sN Na attu ur re e

n June 2021, journalist Andrew Neil launched GB News, attempting to create an alternative news channel that was different from the mainstream outlets. Despite this, Neil left after a few months stating, “it was the worst 8 months of my life” (The Mirror, 2022). In the same interview, he compared the content of the channel to Fox News. “Fox deals in untruths, it deals in conspiracy theories, and it deals in fake news.” Neil saw this coming, and he couldn’t be closer to the truth. GB News has gone headfirst into sharing conspiracy theories and fake news as well as bigoted and hateful content. Some of these have been egregious too. Neil Oliver is one of GB News’ flagship commentators. The Scottish broadcaster and historian was once known for his ‘History 38

of Scotland’ documentaries but has now become a sinister figure sharing conspiracy theories ranging from climate crisis denial to those peddled by antisemites, white supremacists and even neo-Nazis. In February 2023, Neil Oliver shared his belief of a “silent war” being carried out by groups of politicians to establish a “one-world government.” This eerily shows similarities to the Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars conspiracy where there is a section dedicated to the Rothschild dynasty, common antisemitic rhetoric. A spokesperson from the Board of Deputies of British Jews released a statement (2023) highlighting “It is highly concerning that GB news continues to air a show which embraces all manner of conspiracy theories.” Ofcom have not made any action so far, which is particularly worrying - that someone can so casually spread conspiracy theories peddled

by some of the most awful people in society. Oliver has distanced himself from some organisations due to this and his climate crisis denial. In July 2023, the Byline Times published an article detailing allegations against Dan Wootton, accusing the presenter of inappropriate and criminal behaviour where he paid male adult film stars to meet gay men that he had catfished and then recorded in secret. This would later be used as blackmail material so Wootton could make easy money. He also catfished his colleagues at the Sun, where he is currently under investigation. His column for MailOnline, however has been paused. Despite this, Dan Wootton still appears on GB News even though they were extremely critical of Huw Edwards during his scandal – making allegations that criminal behaviour took place, Opinions

Design: Fiona Howard

off G o GB BN Ne ew ws s.. despite this not being the case. GB News platforming an alleged sexual predator whilst clutching their pearls surrounding Huw Edwards is hypocrisy at its finest. Something I find particularly concerning from GB News is how they hand out jobs to MPs, despite the ongoing scandal surrounding second jobs. The two MPs in question are Jacob ReeseMogg and Lee Anderson. The above mentioned both have their own shows that occasionally violate guidelines, since it is heavily looked down on for an MP to interview people from their own party. It’s also a forum to spew right-wing talking points and bigotry as was seen recently when Lee Anderson openly started Opinions

a transphobic conversation and attempted to silence and mock a guest for challenging those views. There is also his incredibly idiotic anti-intellectual take on education where he implied that universities are “brainwashing” young adults by using an example of his son going vegetarian when he moved out. (GB News, 2023). When it comes to Reese-Mogg, I regularly see a clip from his show where he apparently ‘schools’ a climate activist after they critique him for being one of the wealthiest MPs but not doing anything good with the money he has. He then tries to argue that he doesn’t have all that money as most of it comes from assets. This may be true, but this is another example of the

right-wing talking points that verge on propaganda since he omits key information such as the fact that his assets provide him with income. Plus, we can’t forget his ridiculous salaries from being an MP and his GB News programme. Reading this may make you feel concerned about the state and nature of the media in the UK but one thing about GB News is that on TV broadcasts, they are a failure. That is correct, sometimes reporting close to zero viewers. They do appear to do well online, but the comments are usually filled with people calling them out for what they are: a complete rag in TV form. They are no different than the Sun or Daily Mail, GB News is gross. 39

Words: Sarah Mundt, Design: Joshua Harris I’m sure by now the majority of the world has at least heard of the Barbie Movie. Already a huge success, the film has surpassed milestone after milestone and earned great recognition globally for its empowering message. However, as we’ve seen with the dawn of technology and entitlement online, love and appreciation simply cannot exist without hate and criticism. In amongst the accolades, there is a very distinct group of apparent ‘film critics’ who make their opinion well known to all - especially those who express a positive reaction to director Greta Gerwig and her hit movie. You may ask, why is it that this select group do not appreciate the film like millions of others do? Is it the directing, the acting, the soundtrack, the costuming; what is it that dims the sparkle of this cinematic gem? You might agree that it’s preposterous to suggest that said millions of people are wrong, that their taste is skewed, and they don’t understand fine cinema. This group, which I believe it’s fair to say is comprised almost entirely of men, are simply misogynist. And that’s what it always comes back to: misogyny and reinforcing patriarchy. These men have plagued the internet by showing their disgust for the girlpower message of Barbie and its satirical commentary on women in society and the actions of men, the infamous hater Ben Shapiro being a fine example. These haters

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claim that the film attempts to belittle men, make them look weak, and that Gerwig is pushing radical feminist, antimen hate-speech into mainstream cinema. But I ask; isn’t that the point of the film? In that, Barbie flips the narrative to show the ridiculousness of the patriarchy and unfair expectations for how established inequality is to play out – spoiler, it works for no one! Since the early days of cinema, the silver screen reflected the harsh reality of women’s lives, from James Bond creeping on girls half his age, to female superheroes being deemed worthy due to their level of sex appeal. But now that a film has displayed men in the exact same predicament that women have always found themselves in, it becomes a “preachy woke mess”? Maybe try watching it again and love a little, like Barbie.

Bringing the Patriarchy Patria rchy to Barbieland Barbie land 40

Opinions

Words: Hannah Hamilton, Design: Connor Wharton

We tend to have a love-hate relationship with gossip, largely dependent on whether we are subject of or subjective to the information being disclosed. To listen to gossip is a wicked sort of pleasure, the giddiness of knowing something you shouldn’t — bearing witness to private shame. There was a time when this voyeuristic urge was most exploited by trashy magazines and unscrupulous TV shows (we love you Jeremy Kyle, but we’re not proud of it). Containing the explicit details of the worst moments in a persons’ life, this genre seized hold of our macabre interest in the scandals of others and keeps us glued to the plot. It’s a disgraceful pastime, right? Although, if gossip was really so bad, mightn’t we have outgrown it by now? Why is it that those people who know something about everyone -good or bad- tend not to be shunned, but rather prove to be social butterflies? One could point to manipulation but, in reality, malice is low in occurrence. Surprisingly, people don’t want other people to hate them. They do, however, want to talk about other people.

you didn’t think they did. It might make us uncomfortable, and certainly I won’t suggest the rumour mill to be harmless, but it’s just curiosity at the end of the day. Seeking out the scandal, the story, in others is a harmless function – perhaps even beneficial. We can gain context about our social circle that allows us to move more easily within it. We might know what to be conscious or wary of when talking with a person, we might feel more connected or empathetic for knowing their vulnerability. It might do us all well to consider how much we indulge in the lives of others, whether it is to an obsessive or insidious degree, but the urge to talk is not in itself corrupt. Yes, reality TV and gossip magazines can encourage that morbid sense of giddiness that we get from seeing someone exposed, but they speak to a desire we all share – we are just looking for the human in everyone else that makes us feel less alone. It’s not so bad to gossip a little.

Gossip is a commonplace aspect of life; researchers at the University of California Riverside found that the average human gossips around 52 minutes a day. It can be expected that, in any given room of peers, someone knows something about you that

Opinions

Words: Holly Teri

TO DATE University is a minefield for the dating game. The amount of new faces, hormones, excitement and drunken nights out makes it the ideal place for anyone seeking romance. However, alongside any chance at romance, comes a chance at heartbreak. (Don’t worry, nearly everyone has been through this). Crying your eyes out to Folklore (maybe that’s just me!), swiping through tinder or Hinge like there’s no tomorrow, hoping the love of your life will spring from the depths of the online dating world and sweep you off your feet. For some of the lucky ones, this is the case. However, for many it is the beginning of the end and acts as a canon event in our journey of selfpreservation and self-discovery.

“Being single is scary“ Being single is scary, but one should never diminish the importance of nourishing platonic relationships as, after all, your friends will definitely be at your wedding, whereas the bride/groom is interchangeable. Singleness is the time for spoiling your friends with affection, being present and acknowledging who is in your circle, exactly why, and to be reminded happiness exists out-with romantic validation. As someone who has barely been single six months since the age of fourteen, it’s a harrowing thought. Processing your own emotions is difficult, and the ability to self soothe takes years of practice and perfecting- it’s a perpetual work in progress.

Opinions

Design: Ania Wilson

“Singleness is the time for spoiling your friends with affection, being present and acknowledging who is in your circle, exactly why, and to be reminded happiness exists out-with romantic validation.” We should emphasise the importance of loving ourselves. A lot of us subconsciously seek the love we lack in ourselves in other people, which in the long run can hurt both parties. Being in a relationship can be wonderful, and if it’s going well, be proud of the work you’ve put in to get to that point. If you are not there, that’s okay too. Something that really helped me after a breakup and in spending more time alone is remembering that a partner is there to elevate your life, but you need to do the groundwork yourself- it is super unhealthy to rely on someone else to “fix you” or make your bad thoughts disappear.

As sang in the Barbie movie, in the words of Billie Eilish, “that’s not what he’s made for”- switch the pronouns as necessary, point still stands. Take a deep breath, relax a bit. You’re okay; let this article be a gentle reminder. Single or not, you should put yourself first.

NOT NOT TO TO DATE DATE Opinions

Words: Aditi Atmasidha

THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON Since the beginning of civilisation itself, the starry night sky has mesmerised humanity. This allure sparked the famous space race between the United States and the thenSoviet Union in a post-World War world. It began with the launch of Sputnik 1 but ended with the fantastic victory of Apollo 11. Mankind, which once watched the Moon transcend different phases from Earth, was now walking on it! Soon enough, many other countries joined this space league, entering the space era. But the country that made history on 23 August 2023 by soft landing a probe near the South Pole was far behind at the beginning of this new unacknowledged race. This article is a brief story of that nation’s space programme - from beginning anew to making history. This is a tale of exploring “The dark side of the Moon”.

A historic launch from Mary Magdalene Church:

The year was 1963, 6:25pm, against the backdrop of a setting sun in the sleepy village of Thumba, Nike-Apache sore high, taking with it India’s ambition of a space odyssey. This was the first rocket that was launched from Indian soil - and the launchers were none other than Dr Vikram Sarabhai and Dr Homi Bhabha. Both Dr Sarabhai and Dr Bhabha had spent their time in Cambridge - to pursue their bachelor’s and doctoral degrees. From collaborating with the pioneers of quantum mechanics, like Bohr and Dirac,

to acing the tripos - they enjoyed their time at Cambridge. But as fate would have it, in 1939, the Second World War broke out, and the men had returned to their motherland. In search of an institute to continue their postgraduate research, the two landed in IISc, and it is here where they met for the first time! Against the backdrop of bloodshed - they immersed in a collaboration that became known as the Indian National Committee for Space Research, or INCOSPAR. It is INCOSPAR that launched the Nike-Apache from Mary Magdalene Church, with the support of the Indian government, the Reverand Bishop, and the people of Thumba. The INCOSPAR, renamed ISRO in 1969, played a crucial role in lunar exploration.

The Chandrayaan series “a small step for curiosity, a giant leap for exploration” Water has been equated to life itself in many instances. This inescapable need for the presence of water for life to exist, sparked the interest in probing for water on extra-terrestrial surfaces. The Moon was no exception to this. And so, in 2008, India launched its first lunar probe - Chandrayaan 1, using the PSLV XL. In a collaborative spirit, it carried payloads from other research organizations, like NASA and the European Space agency, for studying the lunar surface and its chemical characteristics. It was during this that water molecules were discovered on the lunar surface.

Science & Technology

Design: Rachel Middleton

Following this discovery, the global curiosity about extraterrestrial exploration knew no bounds. And a second mission to soft-land a rover on the Moon’s dark side - believed to have more water molecules, due to it being shadowed, was inevitable. And thus began the journey of Chandrayaan 2. Chandrayaan 2 was launched in 2019 using the GSLV MK3. But the Vikram lander, designed to land softly on the Moon’s surface and conduct analysis of the surface, deviated from its trajectory 2km above the Moon’s surface. As it approached the surface, its velocity was too high - leading to its crashing on the surface. This was a giant blow to the on-surface exploration, and the ISRO team had to begin anew to build a more efficient lander for Chandrayaan 3. Among the many changes introduced, one was altering the increments in which the Vikram lander’s thrusters generated force. The thruster is a crucial part of the navigation system for a lander; it generates

Science & Technology

a force that propels the lander in the right trajectory for landing. It does so by taking advantage of the third law of motion – “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. By generating a force in certain increments in a direction opposite to its expected direction of propulsion; it pushes the lander towards the trajectory. During Chandrayaan 2, the increments in which the thrusters could correct trajectory were higher; this led to the lander speeding and consequently crashing. And hence for Chandrayaan 3, these increments were relatively lower. After enduring many changes Chandrayaan 3 was launched on 14 July 2023 and the rest is history. Humankind could now obtain novel data from the cold traps of the South Pole and trace the story of the early solar system through the fossils gathered. From building a nation’s space programme anew to the space programme pioneering the exploration of the south pole of the Moon - it is a giant leap in exploration!

Words: Hazel Surtees

Perfect for Cooking Frogs ome people claim we have the memories of goldfishes, but I wonder if we’re not more like frogs. Like we’re in a gradually warming pot of water. Do we notice the world changing? The term Environmental Amnesia was coined to describe each generation forgetting the previous’ natural baseline. Take for example the field on the edge of my hometown, which I mourned when converted to a building site, and then a housing estate. My friend’s parents used to pick mushrooms there! But perhaps our grandparents remember when it was farmed or a forest. I doubt any of us could tell you the field’s “natural state”, but the children living in that housing estate might think the few wildflower gardens are how it’s always been. There’s a gradual, collective amnesia descending between us and our landscape. We don’t notice the changes, nor the problems which then arise. We forget

how many butterflies we used to see this time of year, and children don’t recognise the world around them as polluted: we’ve never known anything different. I asked my friends about it. One of them told me that up until the late 90s, the Moselle River froze in entirety often enough that it was a common joke. He used to go sledging as a kid in the heavy winter snowfall; his last memory of that was 2010. Now, they only get rain, and maybe even drought. Ships were unable to travel up the Moselle River in 2022, causing petrol shortages in their region. Another, from California, told me that they remember the first ‘Wildfire Season’. Wildfires had previously occurred, but 2018 saw the devastating Carr Fire, followed immediately by Camp Fire. This was the first time school was cancelled because of the fires, with public health warnings advising everyone to stay indoors. “It had never happened before, but now it has happened every year since.”

Science & Technology

Design: Luna Jezzard development. The farm has shifted from a functional crop farm, with two cows for the family and cottages for the farm hands, to an Airbnb location selling organic flowers at the farm shop, land sold to the neighbouring business park. In fact, she’s very pragmatic: the past half-century has seen things change, but she doesn’t think anything has changed that much. But maybe even our grandparents suffer Environmental Amnesia. My friend commented on the unseasonably warm winters: “They’ll remark that the weather’s been worse in years past, but no one ever says the words climate change.”

The term Environmental Amnesia was coined to describe each generation forgetting the previous’ natural baseline. Most of my friends are in their 20s, though, so I called to ask my grandad. He’s positive about some aspects: people never used to talk about “the environment” and “rewilding”, and now we have breeding osprey pairs, sea eagles and red kites! Ospreys had been considered extinct in the UK for a century, but a breeding pair established a nest in the central highlands when he was 15. He joined the volunteer surveillance team, guarding their nest 24/7! Though, he thinks grouse shooting has become more popular. His voice soured: these days, he can’t bear to walk around Glen Esk, because of all the gamekeepers’ traps. Another friend called her gran for me. She has seen the family farm evolve over the 50 years she’s lived there: gone are the haystacks she used to play behind, and the field she used to pick potatoes in is now housing. Like my grandad, she can see the positive in it: the roads have been safer, the pavements widened, and green belts have been maintained throughout the

Science & Technology

Another added, “We had a straight 30 days with triple digit highs [~ 40C], and the old conservatives online were like, ‘Well, it happened in the 50s, so climate change is fake.’” Who can blame them? There is no communal memory of our landscapes. My flatmate’s parents were distraught when they lost the pine forest near their home. Their kids had grown up in it! Then, their 93-year-old neighbour had chimed: “I remember when they planted those trees.” It had been a year before her family moved to the area. We should have the opportunity to celebrate old growth forests, peat bogs, grass prairies and the park you played in as a kid, with the wildflowers at the edges, while we have them. Yet I feel guilty making this call for action. It sounds horrible to me, asking our children to learn about the loss of our wild spaces and green memories. The understanding comes with an inherent grief and sense of powerlessness. How are we meant to raise children, carrying that sense of mourning? But surely this is preferable to the alternative: that once lost, these landscapes are forgotten entirely. The frogs, boiled. And us, never knowing it could have been different.

We’re looking for new:

Creative Directors! What is the role?

What do I need?

How do I apply?

The Magdalen needs 2 new Creative Directors! As a CD you will be in charge of the Creative Team & will do a redesign of The Magdalen!

A portfolio that shows strong graphic design skills, proficiency with Adobe Programs, a sense of style & a can-do attitude!

To apply send your portfolio to:

This is an excellent addition to your CV and is bound to impress any employer. This role proves you are proactive, adaptable & able to produce fantastic work.

If this describes you, we would love to hear from you!

2418373@dundee.ac.uk & 2459209@dundee.ac.uk . Informal interviews will take place on Teams or in person around mid-December.

Deadline: 15/11

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Chromaculture

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...But There Are New Suns

October October

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An exhibition by Janice Aitken celebrating colour and abstract form.

1st major exhibition in Scotland by the Turner Prize nominated artist collective The Otolith Group.

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Speakeasy- DUSA

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October October

An initiative that provides community members with a safe, confidential & informal space to speak about their mental health. The Early History of Black Representation in British Cinema