The Gaudie 22nd March 2023

Vol 90 No 3 - Wed 22 Mar 2023 iV magazine inside ‘An internationally funded university’: UoA Turns to International Students to Boost Revenue Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) The University's student body has become increasingly diverse, an investigation by The Gaudie has found. A review of the most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data reveals a significant increase in both the numbers and percentage of students from Asia and Africa at the University of Aberdeen since the 2017/2018 academic year. In 2017/18, the University enrolled 790 Asian students ( 5.5% of all students), whereas in 2021/22 those numbers were 1,760 and 10.6% respectively. Data for African students displays a similar trend, an increase in number from 330 to 610 and an increase in percentage from 2.3% to 3.7%. However, the overall percentage of students that come from outside the UK has declined over the same period, from 33.3% to 28.3%. This decline can largely be attributed to the collapse of EU student populations following the UK’s exit of the European Union and the cessation of European education schemes such as Erasmus +. In 2021/22, EU students comprised only 9.2% of the student population, less than half of the 19.9% in 2017/18. Data concerning American and Middle Eastern students revealed no significant differences over the same time period. Supporting the trend of increasing diversity, individuals on a Tier 4 student visa now comprise 5% of undergraduates and 14% of taught postgraduates, according to data received via a Freedom of Information request reviewed by The Gaudie. In the 2018/19 academic year, those numbers were 3.6% and 6.9% respectively. Tier 4 students pursuing postgraduate research have also increased, albeit by a more modest amount of less than a percent, 1.9% compared to 1.2% in 2018/19. When asked for comment, a representative of the University told The Gaudie: 'We are proud to have students from more than 130 different countries and staff from more than 80 countries – it benefits our teaching and research output and is just one of the reasons we are consistently ranked among the best in the world for international outlook. Inclusivity is at the heart of our Aberdeen 2040 strategy and this includes a commitment to secure the highest standards of equality, diversity and inclusion as well as our commitment to provide an international education to learners from all around the world.' 'The growth in our international student population also reflects the high levels of demand for studying in Scotland, which brings clear economic benefits to universities and the wider economy. An additional factor is the rise in the number of EU students who now require a Visa as a result of Brexit.' According to Universities Scotland, the representative body of Scotland’s 19 higher education institutions, more than 65,000 students from over 180 countries study in Scotland, generating an almost £2 billion net contribution to the Scottish economy. AUSA VP for Communities Camilo Torres Barragán told The Gaudie he believes the University is courting more international students to Aberdeen due to financial reasons, as international students often pay much higher fees than UK students. While the University did not respond directly to the assertion, they directed The Gaudie to a statement made by the Director of Universities Scotland, part of which read: 'Scottish universities … are reliant on income from international students to subsidise the cost of teaching Scottish students due to underfunding from the Scottish Government.' According to the University of Aberdeen’s annual report & accounts, the total revenue from fees paid by students on Tier 4 visas amounted to £57,297,000 in 2022. This is a substantial increase from the £42,447,000 of the previous year, and more than the revenue gathered from Scottish, RUK and EU students combined. As previously reported as part of our coverage on the recently launched Borderless Campaign, concerns have been raised by AUSA about whether this change in student demographics is being represented among staff. When these concerns were raised by The Gaudie, the University offered this response: ‘The latest HESA statistics for 2021/22 report indicate that over 25% of our staff are from outwith the UK, only a few percentage points below the percentage of students from outwith the UK. However, we continue to strive to ensure our staff community reflects the multiple diverse characteristics of our students.' When asked whether recent demographic changes have spurred any changes in the University’s hiring practices, they responded: ''Last year the University launched a new Recruitment and Selection Policy which places an emphasis on equality, diversity and inclusion – including steps to ensure we attract candidates from under-represented groups. This Policy supports our Antiracism Strategy, where we outline key steps the University is taking to improve staff racial diversity across the University.' According to statistics revealed in the FOI request, persons belonging to racialised groups constitute 18.14% of academics, persons belonging to racialised groups who are also from non-UK countries constitute 12.55% of academics and only 5.62% of all staff. When asked for comment, Torres Barragán, the face of the Borderless Campaign, had this to say: 'We understand that the focus on international recruitment is a sector-wide issue and responds mostly to finance reasons, but we still demand our university to work as hard on welcoming these students as they do on bringing them here. We also welcome a more international student body, but if the university just stays the same and doesn’t work on offering these students a good experience, it means this will become an internationally funded university, not an actual international university.' MISSING After reading that the film received the lowest rating of any Marvel picture at 47% from Rotten Tomatoes (joint with Eternals), I wasn't too optimistic walking over the red and black flooring of Cineworld to see the film in cinema. Still, I felt I had to come to my own conclusions: once I left the screen, however, I could see why. Continued on page 2-3 in IV by Clive Davies by Grace Taylor As Numbers of Non-European Students Grow, AUSA Raises Concerns Over Diversity and Inclusion Lush VS The Body Shop The Daddyfication of Pedro Pascal Life & Style IV p.9 Features Newspaper p.5 LeBron James breaks NBA alltime scoring record Sport Newspaper p.12 'We stand together. Iran Forever': Aberdeen's Iranian community calls for change. News Newspaper p.8

The sun began to dip below the horizon as members of the Granite City's Iranian community warmly greeted one another with hugs and handshakes. Gathered in front of Marischal College, awash with the red, green, and white of the Iranian flag, the group came together to remember the many men, women, and children killed by the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Iran. Since September 2022, when a young Kurdish woman named Mahsa (or Jina) Amini died in custody after being detained by the Iranian morality police, protests have swept the nation of 89 million. Ruled as an Islamic theocracy since 1979, Iran has one of the poorest human rights records in the world. Per human rights watchdog Freedom House, at least 500 people had been killed during the protests by the end of 2022, with 14,000 more arrested. About fifty people attended the rally here in Aberdeen, which was organised by UoA law student and Student Council Chair Nirvan Abedi. Several representatives from AUSA, including Student President Vanessa Mabonso Nzolo, were also in attendance. Abedi led the crowd in a number of chants, including 'woman, life, freedom': the phrase that has become the heart of the resistance against the current regime. Abedi also shared several stories of Iranian children and students who were arrested and killed during the protests. 'This is the prospect of the people who fight against tyranny in our country,' he said. 'But it has not bowed them down and it has not stopped them… it has just flamed the fire even more…' The crowd called on the UK government to declare the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation and to shut down the Iranian Embassy in London. 'You need to support this cause,' Abedi said. '... You need to stand up and be part of this movement, otherwise you will be on the wrong side of history. UK government, stop supporting mullahs.' 'Sometimes I think about what would have happened if Mahsa Amini wasn't murdered,' he told the crowd. 'Her unfortunate death was a rebirth for our nation, was a rebirth for our identity as Iranians, and as people who will not stop fighting. Mahsa could have been my sister, could have been your sister. Mahsa could have been your daughter, could have been my mother… [Mahsa] could have been any of these brave Iranian women who are now losing their lives for continuing to fight. So for the sake of their sacrifice, we shall continue until the day our country is free.' To which the crowd responded, 'democracy for Iran'. Ruled as an Islamic theocracy since 1979, Iran has one of the poorest human rights records in the world. Per human rights watchdog Freedom House, at least 500 people had been killed during the protests by the end of 2022, with 14,000 more arrested. p.2 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF ([email protected]) Holly Ferguson Matthew Sheppard NEWS ([email protected]) EDITOR: Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco DEPUTY EDITOR: Kani Barzani DEPUTY EDITOR: Clive Davies FEATURES ([email protected]) EDITOR: Maeve Topliff DEPUTY EDITOR: Fi Hennicken INTERNATIONAL ([email protected]) CO-EDITOR: Gemma Mcleod CO-EDITOR: Eddie Nicholls SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT ([email protected]) EDITOR: Straun Donachie SPORTS ([email protected]) EDITOR: Ewan Knox OPINE ([email protected]) EDITOR: Caterina Fumero DEPUTY EDITOR: Tiina Heikkinen SATIRE ([email protected]) EDITOR: Maggie Johnson PUZZLES EDITOR: Holly Ferguson Editorial Team HEAD OF PRODUCTION ([email protected]) Theodore Williamson PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Zeta Kartsagkouli Isabelle Hampton-Zabotti Beth Templeton Fred Allen Grace Taylor Jukka Seppälä Miles Rothoerl SOCIAL MEDIA Leah Flint Alex Lawson Charlotte Hill SOCIAL SECRETARY Cathy Steven PHOTOGRAPHER Aedan Brennan Leah Flint Production Team We voluntarily adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (www.ipso.co.uk) and aim to provide fair and balanced reporting. The Hub Elphinstone Road Old Aberdeen AB24 3TU Tel: 01224 272980 The Gaudie is printed on 100% recycled paper. Note from the Editor: Hiya everyone, Welcome to our fourth edition of the Gaudie this year - yikes, the penultimate one!! This edition is coming out a week later as dissertation season is well and truly underway. If you haven’t had to submit your diss already, you will be like many of our team - very, very stressed. Luckily, we have an amazing editorial team who still, on top of uni, compile a wonderful selection of articles which entertain all of you!! This week in the Gaudie world - the shortlists for the Student Publication Association National Conference awards came out. We have been shortlisted for three awards; best arts and culture piece; best life and style piece; and finally best website!! I am so, so pleased that we have the opportunity to win some more awards and have the Gaudie recognised on a national scale. It is crazy to think this little paper has done so much for so long. Next year will be the Gaudie's 90th year in publication! What on Earth! Personally, I feel it's a flex to be entrusted with the running of it, but it does lead me to think how permanent the newspaper is. The Gaudie existed through the second World War, the arrest of Rosa Parks, Concorde, creation of the internet, the European Union coming into force, 9/11, COVID and so much more. All of that - and the Gaudie has experienced it all. Crazy. I wonder what is to come in the next 100 years. While time is flying by, the SNOW is making uni seem to slow down just a little. I think that is a universal feeling attached to snow - life just moves that little bit slower. Although, very inconvenient as the uggs get pulled back out, and the electric blanket is back to working full time. Hopefully the snow will be short-lived as summer is on the horizon. I have been dreaming of sitting in a beer garden, summer dress on, exam free - and until then this is my only motivation for submitting any piece of work to uni. Hope you enjoy this edition, Love Holly xxx 'We stand together. Iran Forever': Aberdeen's Iranian community calls for change. Marischal College lit in colours of Iranian Flag. by Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco Photo courtesy of Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco

p.3 UoA professor selected to compose music for King’s coronation Professor Paul Mealor inspires students to write music Aberdeen University’s music composition professor, Paul Mealor, has been selected to compose a piece of music for King Charles III’s coronation in the spring. The coronation is taking place on the 6th of May at Westminster Abbey. Notably, this is not Mealor’s first time writing music for the royal family. According to his biography on The University of Aberdeen website, Mealor composed pieces for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding, said motet was heard by over 2.5 billion people. Mealor also told The Gaudie: “A decade ago, I was busy preparing music for Her Majesty The Queen Consort’s installation as the University’s Chancellor.” Mealor also mentioned that HM The Queen Consort has been an “active supporter of our University music.” In addition, Mealor composed an album entitled A Tender Light, which was at the top of the Specialist Classical charts for over a month. Among his other achievements are his composition of a song entitled In My Dreams which was performed by Jonjo Kerr and rose to number one of the pop charts according to his biography. Mealor studied music composition at the University of York, graduating in 1997, and has been at the University of Aberdeen for 20 years working as a professor of composition. Mealor told The Gaudie that “it is the most amazing honour to be asked to produce a piece of music for such an important historic occasion.” He also expressed that the process of writing this piece could be an intimidating experience, stating: “once the adrenaline of being selected for this honour wears off, it is rather daunting to begin putting pencil to manuscript and trusting that what you write will be worthy of such a stage.” Students at The University of Aberdeen have described Mealor’s experiences as inspiring. One student told The Gaudie: “I think it’s quite cool that one of our own professors is able to take part in something this big.” Another added: “Seeing a professor who started in the same place as most of us - at university - do something so monumental is incredibly eye opening and I really hope to see myself achieve something like that someday.” by Megan Widley “Seeing a professor who started in the same place as most of us - at university - do something so monumental is incredibly eye opening and I really hope to see myself achieve something like that someday.” “it is the most amazing honour to be asked to produce a piece of music for such an important historic occasion.” ‘It’s very accessible to everyone’: UoA geography students are mapping for a purpose Students were motivated by devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria I n the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria last month, which killed tens of thousands and left millions without homes, UoA geography students are doing their part to help relief workers via their mapping skills. In late February, a number of students gathered in St Mary’s to learn about OpenStreetMap, an open source mapping platform which allows users to chart roads, buildings, and other infrastructure using satellite imagery before uploading them to an easily accessible online database. As Dr David Green, the Director of the Msc programme in Geographical Information Systems at UoA, explained, humanitarian open street mapping is very important to those on the ground. He said: ‘The availability of up-to-date, 'near real-time' maps are crucial in postdisaster relief and recovery, especially where the infrastructure e.g. buildings and roads [have] been seriously damaged by earthquakes, flooding, [and] tsunami. In many countries, existing maps that may be available are usually of little use, may be out-of-date and unavailable for numerous reasons…’ Green continued: ‘... Using recent remotely sensed imagery from satellites and drones for mapping purposes can be an important way to establish the current situation, and being digital and online can become rapidly accessible to relief agencies and on-the-ground rescue teams through the Internet…’ Likewise, Douglas Morrison, a 4th Year Geography student, told The Gaudie that the process helps to reduce inequality by opening up areas that were previously unmapped. He commented, ‘It's a good way of empowering people there, because in a lot of cases if you’re not on the map, you’re a nobody. Governments aren’t very interested, because it’s too much effort for them to bother going through these [areas] because they don’t know how many buildings there are, but by doing that, you’re empowering those people.’ After seeing coverage of the earthquakes in February, Morrison felt compelled to act. He worked alongside Green and Geoscience Society Co-President Jennifer Pirie to run an event intended to teach the system to their coursemates. Pirie stated, ‘... I was taken back by how something so easy could be carried out from home and make such a difference. As the president of the geoscience society, I figured I had a platform to share this information to more people. This received a very high level of interest from our members to which Douglas and I then decided to hold a mapathon.’ Morrison was encouraged by the event, which allowed people to drop in and learn the system before continuing to map at home. ‘It’s very accessible to everyone,’ Morrison told The Gaudie. ‘You certainly don’t need to be on a geography or geomatics degree pathway. If you know where North is and you can click a mouse, you can get it to work for you. There’s various levels… easy, medium, and hard, so you can choose very simple ones or challenge yourself a bit.’ If you are interested in learning more about OpenStreetMap, you can visit its website at https://www.openstreetmap.org. by Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco Photo courtesy of Douglas Morrison Photo courtesy of Paul Mealor

p.4 I n the weeks since The Gaudie's reporting uncovered UoA’s collection of over 200 human remains taken from non-European groups during the colonial period, students have reacted in a variety of ways. According to a survey conducted by The Gaudie, nearly 80% of students who responded were unaware of the existence of the University’s collection prior to our reporting. Furthermore, the poll found that students were divided on several issues relating to the collection. 51% of students said they believe it is unethical for museums to house human remains, while 56% of students said the University should apologise for their possession of the remains. One student noted: ‘I think an apology would only be meaningful if it accompanied returning these remains to the communities they were taken from. At the end of the day, no one currently in charge of these collections was involved in violently stealing them, so we'd be apologising for having kept, objectified, and used them. And there's no point in apologising for something and then continuing to do it.’ However, other students were less supportive of the University’s repatriation efforts which included the agreed repatriation of a Tasmanian man's skull in 2020, with comments including: ‘Finders keepers, losers weepers’ and ‘Long time ago get over it.’ Some students also questioned if the University had been transparent about the extent of the collection, with one commenting: ‘I feel that the university has been very secretive about this whole process. They have not done much to make students aware of the situation and they have downplayed its severity while trying to keep a good name. For a uni that prides itself on its seeking of the truth, the University of Aberdeen is doing a poor job of being truthful itself. University Museums and Special Collections staff have consistently maintained that discussions of the repatriation of human remains is extremely sensitive and as such, have refrained from commenting publicly on the actions they have taken thus far. The University’s website acknowledges their possession of the remains, but does not go into further detail. It states: 'The collections also include human remains which were collected to demonstrate racial diversity in the teaching of anatomy, and others that were acquired alongside ethnographic collections. Some have now been returned to descendent communities and other discussions are under way to address this legacy.’ As previously reported, UoA has also digitised its museum catalogue, which includes descriptions of the human remains. However, the database does not provide specific data on how many remains are held by the University. In a statement, the UoA Black and Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) student forum strongly criticised the University's collection, arguing that the continued possession of the remains perpetuates 'colonial and racist ideologies.' They stated, '... The mere commercialisation and exploitation of human remains benefits individuals who hold racist beliefs similar to those of the 18th century colonialists. This practice has gravely undermined the integrity of the Aboriginal culture; established here is a hierarchy where the academic endeavours of the Western world warrants the dehumanisation of the indigenous people. The BAME Forum does not condone these beliefs and actions, and we hope the university is working towards making the appropriate repatriation of these remains with immediate effect.’ The AUSA Sabbatical team also responded to the collection, stating: 'We should look past what happens beyond apologising. Apologies of colonisation is an easy out, as we have witnessed with many European states concerned of their imperial history. The question should investigate what active practice UoA Museum Collections should adopt, to disrupt the system [in] which the collection was acquired in the first place. As a community we need to be conscious of what exactly we’re demanding the university to do.’ They continued, saying: ‘The university has begun “intellectual decolonizing” in the form of decolonizing the curriculum, which begs for the next step of material decolonizing – dismantling power structures and reallocation of resources to restructure hierarchies. What could the role of the human remains collection be in this process…' 'Dehumanisation of indigenous people' Students react to University's collection of human remains Revelation of remains has sparked conversation around UoA's colonial legacy by Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco Kuwait National Day Celebrations at UoA Kuwaiti community comes together to mark festivities The 25th of February marks the Kuwaiti National Day. However, here at the University of Aberdeen, the first ever celebrations for Kuwait’s national day began on Wednesday the 22nd and were organised by Kuwaiti engineering student representative, Najat Al-Salem. Kuwait began as a small fishing village that later transformed into a crucial trading point in the Middle East as well as a prosperous country. Kuwait’s National Day is to honour the day Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah became the ruler in 1950. He was a respected ruler who liberated his people by putting an end to Kuwait's status as a British protectorate in 1961, as well as establishing the Constitution of Kuwait and Parliament of Kuwait. The dynasty of Al-Sabah began in 1756 and rules until this day. The first ever Kuwait National Day was celebrated in 1963. The people celebrate by watching fireworks, spending time with family as well as friends, and decorating their houses and monuments with lights. Kuwaiti flags hang all over the country as the streets buzz with pride and nationalism. On the 22nd of February, Najat Al-Salem, along with other members of the Kuwaiti and Arab community, came together to bring this joy to Aberdeen. Najat stated, ‘As an international student, connecting with your culture, and remembering your history and background is important.’ She went on to discuss how students and staff here at the university immensely enjoyed the hospitality brought forth by the Arab community at the Student Union Building. Staff and students were enlightened about Kuwaiti cuisine and culture, such as Arabic coffee, dates, and traditional ornaments. Giveaways were also provided, so everyone had an opportunity to immerse themselves into the Kuwaiti National Day celebrations. ‘As a Kuwaiti student living in the UK, celebrating and sharing my culture and tradition with others gives me a sense of belonging,' Najat Al-Salem said while handing out sweets and coffee at the Student Union. ‘As well as for many Kuwaiti students got the opportunity to celebrate their country’s independence and reconnect with their culture and heritage.’ As for AUSA, organisers of the event stated they were very helpful and supportive in promoting the festivities. Najat went on to comment: ‘In conclusion, it was a successful celebration. I'm really proud of how well it turned out. And I’d like to thank everyone who helped and contributed to make this celebration special.’ ‘I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity to celebrate my heritage and background. I’m very proud to represent my culture. This event reminded me that I couldn’t be more proud to be Kuwaiti.’ by Kani Barzani Photo courtesy of Baraah Bader Al-azri established here is a hierarchy where the academic endeavours of the Western world warrants the dehumanisation of the indigenous people. ‘The university has begun “intellectual decolonizing” in the form of decolonizing the curriculum, which begs for the next step of material decolonizing

p.5 I f you are one of the blessed few whose algorithms have not transformed into an amalgamation of Pedro Pascal/ The Last of Us edits, let me give you an overview. The videos you will encounter will likely be in one of these three categories: thirst traps of Pedro Pascal (the actor), thirst traps of Pedro Pascal (as Joel Miller), or absolutely heart-wrenching edits of Joel and Ellie (the main characters of The Last of Us and a father - adoptive daughter duo). Despite being seemingly harmless, the first two kinds of videos always make me incredibly uncomfortable and I wanted to explore where that discomfort stems from. We all know celebrity culture is weird. Parasocial relationships are weird, and the ethics involved in them are complicated. We often forget that celebrities are real people too and that consent, despite the distance between you and the celebrity, is not optional. When making a thirst trap, or writing a horny tweet about a real person people forget that they are just that - a real person, who could in theory see and read these. And a person who has not asked to be sexualised in that way. Yet, doing things like that is so normalised that there’s even a Buzzfeed video series about it (Celebrities Reading Thirst Tweets). Some might argue that being a celebrity means that being sexualised online is just a part of your job, and that you agree to it by virtue of having this job, but that is simply not true. As an actor your job is to act and to promote your work, being a public figure does not mean that your image too, is public property. This becomes even clearer when you consider the stuntman Adam Basil who played a bloater zombie in episode 5. He’s received a lot of sexual comments from fans and he hasn’t even shown his face or body in the actual show. While Pedro Pascal has implicitly said that he doesn’t mind people sexualising him - he’s called himself the internet’s daddy and admitted he watches edits of himself when he feels down - there is a difference between what you say in recorded interviews and unequivocal consent. Replying to questions about being sexualised by nonchalantly agreeing or leaning into the sexualisation of one’s person could simply be a way to deal with and react to this lack of consent. I don’t think that that’s the case here, but my point is, we can’t be sure. There is also another aspect to the question of consent that often gets overlooked and that is the consent of people consuming content sexualising these actors. As an ace person I did not ask to see thirst traps of (anyone really, but specifically) people who have not consented to being edited, yet my algorithm thinks that me liking The Last of Us must mean that I’ll enjoy actors on my FYP edited in sexually suggestive ways. Believe it or not, but I would much rather not have Pedro Pascal licking someone’s hand or saying flirtatious things (in character) on my phone screen. People who make thirst traps of themselves or others, whether consensually or not, often disregard the lack of consent on the part of their potential viewers. On apps like TikTok or Instagram, you are not always in control of what you will see next and therefore your only chance to consent would be in a disclaimer by the content creator, which I’ve only ever seen once before and really appreciated! Unsurprisingly, I think there’s a gendered component to this as well. When Scarlett Johansson played Black Widow in the MCU, she was treated similarly by journalists and fans. Interviewers would ask her questions about her underwear and her character was edited in plenty of thirst traps. Unlike Pedro Pascal’s treatment, the general feeling tends to be that the way the press treated her was not okay. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying women are being sexualised less than men nowadays. However, I do think that there is a gendered expectation that men should somehow like being sexualised more because they are supposed to want sex more. In reality, we should afford men and women the same dignity by not reducing them or the characters they play to sexual objects. There is also, I think, a difference between sexualising an actor as a character, and a character themselves (there’s nuance, shocker, I know). I believe there are ways to make thirst traps of a character as played by an actor without sexualising the actor himself, for example by focussing on the character’s behaviour rather than their body (which is coincidentally the body of a real person). Similarly, you can make all the comments you want about how Joel is a DILF without implicitly calling Pedro Pascal one. In my opinion, it really only becomes unambiguously icky when you sexualise the actor specifically in online spaces. Of course, there is an argument to be made that even sexualising the character is on some level wrong because you are condensing the richness of a character and their story to their sexiness. And yes, I’m talking about how people are calling Joel/ Pedro Pascal ‘baby girl’ when those words have huge significance in the plot of the game and the show. However, before you roll your eyes and turn the page with a sigh of ‘It’s not that deep’, I should probably disclose that all of this is coming from the mouth of somebody who has a ‘go piss baby girl’ poster with Pedro Pascal’s face on it in their bathroom. Maybe it’s not that deep, but maybe, just maybe we should think about how to be more considerate in our treatment of male celebrities online. The Daddyfication of Pedro Pascal by Anonymous Sexualising Men in Online Spaces The videos you will encounter will likely be in one of these three categories: thirst traps of Pedro Pascal (the actor), thirst traps of Pedro Pascal (as Joel Miller), or absolutely heart-wrenching edits of Joel and Ellie. In reality, we should afford men and women the same dignity by not reducing them or the characters they Photo courtesy of Flickr play to sexual objects. As an ace person I did not ask to see thirst traps of (anyone really, but specifically) people who have not consented to being edited, yet my algorithm thinks that me liking The Last of Us must mean that I’ll enjoy actors on my FYP edited in sexually suggestive ways. Photo courtesy of Flickr

p.6 If you’re a fan of high energy beats and fast paced rhythms, then look to the newly established Aberdeen Drum and Bass Society, organising events in and around the City throughout the semester. Drum and bass also known as D&B emerged in the early 1990’s in the UK. Characterised by fast breakbeats, in the 165-180 BPM range. Its origins can be traced back to other genres such as breakbeat hardcore, techno and most influentially Jamaican dub music. Originating in London, and inspired by the British Afro-Caribbean soundsystem culture, it quickly formed the soundtrack for the early UK rave scene, with one of the pioneers being DJ Fabio, who started playing D&B in his sets at the legendary London Club, Heaven. Another important figure in the development of Drum and Bass is the DJ and producer LTJ Bukem, who is credited with creating the ‘intelligent’ style of D&B , featuring more melodic elements and atmospheric soundscapes. Following this the genre began to diversify, with sub genres like liquid, Brazilian SamBass and Belgian Jump-Up. Jungle music has played a significant role in the evolution of drum and bass, featuring even faster breakbeats, more aggressive basslines and ragga vocals taken from many of our favourite reggae artists, many of its DJs and Producers going on to become significant figures in the D&B scene. D&B has also gone on to inspire a wide variety of genres such as Hip-Hop, Grime and Techno. Today drum and bass remains a vibrant and influential genre, with a thriving UK scene and international popularity, both in mainstream clubs and underground raves. With the UK being home to some of the biggest and most respected labels and artists including Hospital Records, Shy Fx and Goldie. Many may have already heard of D&B or listened to highly popular tracks such as Original Nuttah and the peoples favourite Jungalist, Nia Archives, who is well known for her Jungle inspired Boiler Room set and collaboration with Skin on Skin. One of the more exciting developments in the UK scene in recent years has been the rise of new labels and artists who are bringing fresh energy and innovation to the genre. Labels like Critical Music, Shogun Audio and Exit Records have become major players, releasing cutting edge music from some of the most exciting new producers around. Another notable trend is the increasing prominence of live events and festivals, from the massive Rampage festival to the legendary Boomtown and all the way to Croatia with Hospitality. Overall, the current state of the UK scene is one of creativity, diversity and exciting opportunities. With new artists, labels and events popping up all the time, the genre shows no signs of slowing down, and fans can look forward to many more years of groundbreaking music and unforgettable live experiences. While paying homage to the British origins of drum and bass music we must also acknowledge the global sound it has become. Having particularly large followings in Oceania, the United States and South Africa. In previous years Aberdeen has had a sizable drum and bass scene, however during covid there was a hiatus in events, which has begun to turn around in recent months. Jungle Nation Scotland have led the scene for many years, having brought the likes of Pendulum, Goldie, and Fabio & Grooverider to Aberdeen before the pandemic. Even now, they are bringing some serious heat with Dillinja, Serial Killaz and their most recent event being Mrs Magoo. Their residents consist of DJ Davy, DJ Tez and DJ Tee who supply the crowd with non stop drum and bass over some heavyweight sound systems. Midnightbass are situated in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. With the Bongo Club in Edinburgh being called the heart of drum and bass in Scotland, all thanks to Midnightbass. They have supplied the granite city with DJs from all over Scotland; with their last event having our society join them on the line up. If you’re a fan of D&B or you're looking to connect with like-minded people, who are interested in learning to DJ, the new University of Aberdeen Society for Drum and Bass music is the perfect place for you. Whether you are an experienced DJ or Producer, or you're just getting started with the genre, the society welcomes anyone with an interest in drum and bass, jungle and the many sub genres. As a member of the society, you'll have the opportunity to attend events, meet other fans of the genre and gain experience with using decks. We also have opportunities available for DJ’s and producers to get their sound out through both our own and collaborative events. The Society welcomes everyone with an interest. To learn more about the University of Aberdeen Society for Drum and Bass, Visit our AUSA page, find us on social media or listen to our collaborative playlist with the Aberdeen Student Radio. We look forward to seeing you soon and hope to get you skanking. Aberdeen Drum & Bass by Finlay James Morrison, Jonathan Brocks and David Schopen A Brief History and the UK Scene Overall, the current state of the UK scene is one of creativity, diversity and exciting opportunities. With new artists, labels and events popping up all the time, the genre shows no signs of slowing down, and fans can look forward to many more years of groundbreaking music and unforgettable live experiences. While paying homage to the British origins of drum and bass music we must also acknowledge the global sound it has become. Having particularly large followings in Oceania, the United States and South Africa. Today drum and bass remains a vibrant and influential genre, with a thriving UK scene and international popularity, both in mainstream clubs and underground raves. Photo courtesy of Holly Ferguson To learn more about the University of Aberdeen Society for Drum and Bass, Visit our AUSA page, find us on social media or listen to our collaborative playlist with the Aberdeen Student Radio. We look forward to seeing you soon and hope to get you skanking.

p.7 The Ness of Brodgar, only a ferry ride away in Orkney, is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in the world, with thousands visiting every year. If you have not yet visited Orkney, these islands are rich with remnants of our prehistoric history ranging from stone circles to ancient villages and tombs. Landmarks across the archipelago have attracted visitors for centuries, capturing their imagination with recreations of our history. Visiting Orkney was a defining moment in my life as it sparked my interest in becoming an archaeologist. I was captivated by the ancient landscape, scattered with vast standing stones and burial chambers and pounded by the wild ocean. The Ness of Brodgar isn't just the settlement site; the title also refers to its location on a strip of land between two lochs off Harray and Steness on the West Mainland of Orkney. This peninsular nestles between surrounding hills, creating a dramatic backdrop to an abundant array of archaeological remains that command your attention from afar. It is easy to imagine our ancestors choosing this mystical landscape as the ideal home for their ceremonial monuments. The Ness of Brodgar is a Neolithic settlement - this means it dates from 4300 - 2000 BC in Britain, within the Stone Age. It is one of Western Europe's most important and unique sites, covering two and a half hectares of land. Its location is now isolated and rural; however, in its zenith, travelling by land was more difficult than by sea, and Orkney was a hub of Europe's activity. The site’s existence was proven in 2003 when a farmer started preparing a new wildflower garden and dislodged a large, decorated stone slab. This stone's importance grew as it resembled materials used in Bronze Age cairns, mounds of stones often used to mark burials. The wildflower garden project was quickly halted for further investigation. A rescue excavation was launched, revealing a large building similar to previous Neolithic houses. Extensive surveying then attempted to uncover what could be hidden beneath the soil. The findings astonished archaeologists…they began to suspect that the entire mound was artificial. The first building in Ness was only the tip of the iceberg. The earth hid an extensive settlement complex that nobody had seen for thousands of years. This impressive discovery led to years of excavations, disrupted only during the pandemic. The first building was soon joined by many more, currently totalling nearly forty. The settlement would have covered more ground before the loch levels grew, meaning our finds are only a portion of what exists. Materials like pitchstone - a deeply coloured volcanic glass originating outside of Orkney - found at the site show the great distances covered to visit the Ness. Hearths, midden (rubbish) deposits and various tools provide glimpses into the everyday lives of the community, allowing us to peer into the lives of those who lived here - who stayed here? What did they eat? What was crafted? Did they hunt or fish? These questions are being decoded by archaeologists through over 800 decorated stones and countless artefacts left by our ancestors as clues. The most unique part of this settlement, outside of the scale and quantity of the find, is the grandeur of the architecture. The elaborate designs, the size, and the quality are all remarkable. Pigments and coloured stones, paired with painted carvings and decorations, combine to make an aweinspiring work of construction. Parts of the wall that encloses the site are four metres wide, thicker than Hadrian's Walls, and remain standing (albeit buried) today! Most typical sites are much more basic, implying Ness of Brodgar was important to the Neolithic people. Each dig uncovers more theories surrounding this; Was it the home of important individuals? Are these temples and halls built to house events and ceremonies? Was it a place of pilgrimage to others in Europe? Whichever is true, these monumental buildings were the product of immeasurable amounts of craftsmanship and time - they must have been special to the 75 generations of humans that lived or visited here. The settlement's use likely ebbed and flowed through the ages, changing the site's function to fit. It is not even clear if this was home to some people or if it was only a place to be visited for special ceremonies. However, at its peak, the Ness of Brodgar would have been a gathering place for the people of Orkney and beyond; the stunning architecture and location make it easy to see why. It was likely where ideas and artefacts changed hands between people from different communities, as many materials could only have originated from outside the island. Many mysteries are still waiting to be solved - why was the site abandoned after over 1000 years of use? Were the inhabitants forced out? Did changes in religion render the site unnecessary? Why is a new-born Neolithic child buried here? Why is a singular human arm bone on the site? As only a tenth of the site has been uncovered, we hope to answer these questions in the future. However, as is common in archaeology, as one question is answered, many new ones arise. Visiting these ancient sites gives a humbling sense of perspective, and it is easy to visualise the vibrant lives of people from 5,000 years ago. Time dissolves as you stand on the ground they walked and imagine our ancestors performing rituals by the moon's light. Generations of lives, beliefs, temples and homes were lost to time and forgotten until twenty years ago when we began to piece them back together. If you get a chance, visit there this summer to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors yourself. The dig at the 'Ness' will be open to the public on weekdays, from 9.30am-4.30pm, between Wednesday, July 5 and Wednesday, August 16. See https://www.nessofbrodgar. co.uk/visit/ for more details. Ness of Brodgar: Twenty Years On by Georgie Burns A revisit to Ness of Brodgar, an extraordinary Neolithic site, after two decades of discoveries It is one of Western Europe's most important and unique sites, covering two and a half hectares of land. The most unique part of this settlement, outside of the scale and quantity of the find, is the grandeur of the architecture. Photo courtesy of genevieveromier via Flickr

p.8 The young field of computational psychiatry attempts a new, improved understanding, prognosis, and treatment of mental illness. It's an interdisciplinary field which includes psychiatry, experimental and clinical psychology, neuroscience, machine learning, artificial intelligence and computational neuroscience. The combination of those results in two types of approaches: gathering data topically and attempting to build mathematical or computational models of the relevant neural, circuit, or cognitive processes. Those new to the field are often intimidated by the need to understand both mental health and formal methods. The teaching programs rarely include everything at once. Is mathematics really necessary to treat patients? And which mental health symptoms should be the main objects for formal study? The fairly new book Computational Psychiatry: A Primer, authored by Janine Simmons, Brice Cuthbert, Joshua Gordon and Michele Ferrante from the US National Institute of Mental Health, brings new insight into the field. Until now, when approaching computational psychiatry, students interested in the field needed to acquire expertise in various areas, but each of them separately: maths, machine learning, computational neuroscience, reinforcement learning, psychotherapy, psychiatry, and neuroscience. It's a long list and, rightfully, puts students off. The beginning of Computational Psychiatry: Primer has a broad introduction, which is followed by chapters with more details on the current state of computational understanding of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, addiction and tic disorders. They give a focused and resourceful overview of the recent history of psychiatry. Among the most important computational methods are highlighted: Lapicque's integrate-and-fire model of neurons, Rall's cable theory, Hodgkin and Huxley's description of action potentials, Hebb's plasticity rules, and Barlow's information-theoretical characterisation of sensory adaptation to today's models of reinforcement learning and neural networks. The book also provides a tour through the main theoretical approaches, identifying the key formalisms and outlining their applications; in-depth reviews of biophysically based neural network models, cognitive control, and reinforcement learning as applied to issues in mental health; explanations of how dynamical models enable cellularlevel processes to be related to highlevel phenomena, for instance, how alterations in receptor dynamics affect working memory. "The book has many strengths," says Quentin J.M. Huys in a 2022 review of Computational Psychiatry, "and much to like. It should become a useful and approachable, hence important, introductory text to those interested in the field." It is expected that this field will likely substantially advance psychiatry in the near future. However, there is a downside to it. The data-driven approaches are limited in fully capturing the complexities of interacting variables in and across multiple levels. On the other hand, theory-driven approaches are yet to be applied to clinical problems. Even though the treatment outcomes appear to be very promising, the computational tools have a number of limitations too: they require the substantial expertise of a trained user. Another major challenge is generating a fruitful exchange between clinicians, experimentalists, trialists and theorists. “This”, says Huys in the article Computational psychiatry as a bridge from neuroscience to clinical applications from March 2016, "might be helped by a stronger focus on establishing utility by actively pursuing computational approaches in clinical trials." Overall, there are many standard clinical and theoretical boundaries still, and their integration remains untested at large. Still, computational psychiatry opens up many new opportunities to gain insight into mental illness and, ultimately, promises better outcomes for patients. Computational Psychiatry: Is Mathematics a Cure for Mental Illness? by A.M. Kalus An investigative review of emerging technology Photo courtesy of mohamed_hassan via Pixabay Even though the treatment outcomes appear to be very promising, the computational tools have a number of limitations too: they require the substantial expertise of a trained user. Until now, when approaching computational psychiatry, students interested in the field needed to acquire expertise in various areas, but each of them separately.

p.9 Both the civil war that began in Somalia in 1991 and the ongoing drought in the region have been devastating, resulting in huge numbers of refugees. Dadaab, a refugee complex located in Northern Kenya, with three camps is one of the largest in the world. Humanitarian aid charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) states that “The area currently hosts over 233,000 registered refugees and 80,000 unregistered. Many people have been living in the camps for over three decades since the civil war in neighbouring Somalia”. The drought has only increased these numbers, with UNICEF saying that “By early 2022, most regions were experiencing severe drought conditions, with water shortages and loss of livestock displacing hundreds of thousands of people in search of food and safe water”. According to United Nations estimations, close to 1 million people have fled Somalia in the last two years, with around 10% of these refugees fleeing to Kenya. These Somali refugees, particularly children, are facing sky-rocketing levels of malnutrition in Dadaab. MSF says that a cholera outbreak in late 2022, coupled with the increasing numbers of refugees has forced them to increase their efforts. However, a lack of humanitarian funding is making this incredibly difficult, and MSF is calling on donor organisations to release funding rapidly. At least 32 children have died within the last year in the sections of the camp run by the International Rescue Committee. Part of the reason this can happen is that it takes a significant amount of time to process refugees once they arrive, meaning they often do not get their fair share of food, causing families to share and forgo sufficient food for themselves. The complex is now hosting three times the number of refugees it was originally intended for, and the humanitarian agencies are struggling to keep up with the demands. This pattern can be seen in many places, because while the European Union and the United Kingdom have been squabbling about housing refugees since 2015, it is in fact the states that neighbour the country in crisis who usually end up taking the most refugees. Often these countries are also being impacted by similar issues, and Kenya is certainly feeling the effects of the drought, in turn diminishing resources for existing Kenyans. This crisis is only set to get worse, as the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs predicts another poor rainy season in Somalia and around the horn of Africa region. As well as this, it is expected that there will be funding cuts to humanitarian organisations, further exacerbating the existing issues. The long term solution needs to be a real focus on climate change,which causes more erratic weather events such as droughts which developing countries are most vulnerable to. However in the short term, there must be more immediate aid to the refugees in these camps. Malnutrition Spikes in Kenya Refugee Camps Médecins Sans Frontières Concerned as the Rate of Malnutrition Amongst Children in Kenya Refugee Camp Grows Rapidly by Gemma McLeod What is a Working Holiday Visa and Why Are They So Popular? With a Rise in Working Holiday Visas for Australia, this is What You Need to Know A working holiday in Australia is becoming increasingly popular for young UK Citizens, and there is no shortage of reasons for this. On a national level, working holidays boost tourism, increase the ‘low-skilled’ labour workforce, promote different cultures, and strengthen ties between countries. On a more personal level, working holidays are an incredible opportunity to travel long-term if you’re on a budget. Meaning that although the UK applications are open to 18-35-yearolds, it primarily appeals to students like you and me. If you are truly considering a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) in Australia, there is a lot of information that you’ll need to know. This article only provides a very brief overview of this information and the requirements needed to apply, so I recommend stretching your research further if you’re interested! It goes without saying that your passport needs to be valid before applying for a Subclass 417 Visa (the 417 is the visa for British citizens). The application itself costs £285 but you do also need to prove that you have at least £2500 in your bank account to show that you can financially support yourself. A lot of people seem to have saved up more than this at home and regretted it, as once you’re in Australia, the average salary for ‘low-skilled’ labour is higher than it is in the UK. One common concern that people who are considering a WHV share is the stress of securing a job. This may seem daunting, but it is important to remember that Australia has implemented this scheme because they have a shortage of workers. There are apps and Facebook pages where you can work waitressing for one or two shifts, or if you work for an international company in the UK like Starbucks, they may even be able to secure you a position in Australia. Another equally daunting aspect of a WHV is finding accommodation. Australia is suffering a housing crisis in certain parts of the country, and besides wanting to find affordable accommodation, you also don't want to take away property which locals need. Therefore, if you have the extra cash, I recommend looking into tours such as the ‘Welcome to Sydney Tour’. Tours like this are made for WHV and provide a range of benefits. Tour guides can assist with setting up an Australian bank account, phone numbers, tax numbers, etc, and they not only help you find both temporary and long-term accommodation but also connect you with a list of potential employers they work with. These tours are also made by locals, so they aren’t going to find your accommodation in an area which other locals need. Overall, the WHV scheme can be a really attractive opportunity for a lot of young Brits looking to spend some time in a warmer country, and experience something new, but there is definitely some things to consider before applying. by Kendra Clark This crisis is only set to get worse, as the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs predicts another poor rainy season in Somalia and around the horn of Africa region. On a more personal level, working holidays are an incredible opportunity to travel long-term if you’re on a budget. Photo courtesy of Flickr Photo courtesy of Catarina Sousa via Pexels

p.10 I ’ve recently seen that around 2 weeks ago, Puffin (the book publisher) has hired a sensitivity team which will change and edit parts of Roald Dahl’s books. Additionally, the owners of the James Bond book series will also make some edits to the books; this is a catastrophe for literature. References deemed offensive will be taken out of the book and changed. I understand that people have a right to be offended, they do however not have a right to change the book. If we change books to our liking, then should we change books on evolution to be more accommodating to people who are religious – surely, we should respect their religious values. But we don’t, because facts don’t care about your feelings and opinions. Facts go beyond them. It will always be facts over fiction. When we change books to the way we deem politically correct we miss the point entirely. Huckleberry Finn has plenty of racist remarks and whilst this is not a good thing, you cannot change the setting. The book was written in the setting of the Deep South, during the time of slavery. Even if you change the language of the book it doesn’t change the factual truth of what happened in the South. To understand the world that Dahl and Fleming lived in you have to understand the language used. For instance, if a homophobic slur is used, it would indicate that at the time it was illegal to be gay. There was a lot of animosity towards gay people, the language they used helps us to acknowledge how public perception at the time was. Thankfully times have changed, but we cannot change the past. To think that these editing teams have even the slightest amount of talent compared to great writers like Dahl is the only offensive thing, keep your hands off the text. Additionally, it is incredibly disrespectful to the writer. Anyone who writes knows that when you change their words, the writing loses its soul. How can Ian Fleming’s or Roald Dahl’s work still be original if it has been changed by these woke police officers. The books that have been edited heavily, no longer have the original material, which begs the question; should we just re-write the whole book. If it’s outdated, then let’s just rebrand the whole thing and write it again. Let’s analyse every single book in history, from Ancient Greece to the 21st century. Let’s make sure every book is written just the way we want it to be, any hint of humour or hatred will be condemned in the highest order. It’s a sad time to be alive, we have literal censorship teams whose job it is to change books to different forms. Dahl and Fleming, among other writers, would be turning in their graves if they saw this happening and, I would argue, if we change their books they might as well not have wasted their time writing the original manuscripts. Finally, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it. People have freedom, arguably too much of it now. If you don’t like a book, or the author or the motive of the book, it is extremely simple - just don’t buy the book. You have the freedom to choose to buy it or not to buy it. We can use a Shakespearian inspired quote - ‘To buy or not buy that is the question.’ For all the people out there who have such an agenda against certain writers who are deemed homophobic, racist or fat-phobic can you please understand that your work is pointless. All you are trying to do is to model a world around your little narcissistic bubble; a world of perfection. The world is not perfect and probably never will be, but just please don’t buy the book if you don’t like it. We should never ever conform to a world that all of the sudden doesn’t respect freedom of speech and freedom of opinion. We are gradually bending to an extreme ideology, in this case censorship of books. And before we even notice, we are under the grasp of it and cannot escape. Is censoring old books wrong? by Sebastian Vanhoonacker To change old books to ‘politically correct’ versions is pointless Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons understand that people have a right to be offended, they do however not have a right to change the book To understand the world that Dahl and Fleming lived in you have to understand the language used. People have freedom, arguably too much of it now. If you don’t like a book, or the author or the motive of the book, it is extremely simple - just don’t buy the book. You have the freedom to choose to buy it or not to buy it. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

arts culture fashion lifestyle food Arts p.2-3 Arts p.5 Christmas Gift Ideas Life and Style p.8 iV Midnights (3am Edition) Review The Rocky Horror Picture Show

p. 2 Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. With love, Team iV Editors Holly Ferguson Matthew Sheppard IV Editors ARTS ([email protected]) Head Editor - Isabelle Hampton-Zabotti Deputy EditorsXandra Button Emma Chen LIFE AND STYLE ([email protected]) Co-Editor - Kendra Clark Co-Editor - Kathryn Ritchie Production Theodore Williamson Georgia Kartsagkouli Isabelle Hampton-Zabotti Front page iV The core ingredients are all there. When an outsider boy makes it into an uber-exclusive circle of rich, spoiled kids, chaos and murder ensue. Following the big move across the Atlantic, Joe seems unable to break the pattern of his old life. Much like the previous seasons of YOU, good intentions and new year’s resolutions are soon broken when bloodshed enters the scene. Joe, now Professor Jonathan, finds himself entangled in an all-British elite cluster and straight away made an accessory to murder. All fine so far, and nothing unusual for YOU. What is different about this season is the peculiar intertextual relationship, expressed in the tributes the show devotes to genres such as dark academia and the classic murder mystery. Addressing the latter, the references to the literary legend Agatha Christie are present on screen from episode one.The murder mystery plot comes to life when Joe, presented with a body and a riddle on his kitchen table, asks one of his students for help. Under the guise of seeking advice for a novel he’s writing, Joe relies on Nadia, the top student in his English class, to learn about the unfamiliar genre and start solving his body problem. It sounds almost whimsical, this side-plot lightening the overall tone of the search for the murderer. Bits and bobs slip from Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None into the chaotic screenplay of YOU, but only in small quantity. There may be a 20s Gatsby-esque flair in some of the lush parties represented on screen, and a certain ironic voice coming out of Joe, but these oldtime references don’t go past the walls of Joe’s classroom. On the other hand, the references to dark academia, and in particular to Donna Tartt’s genre-defining novel The Secret History, define the entire series. For those who need a refresher about Tartt’s book, the story is told by young and impressionable Richard, who soon ends up hanging out with a dark clique of fellow Classics students.Akin to the characters in YOU season 4, these peculiar kids share richpeople problems, together with an Inside by Rory Buccheri ‘s

p. 3 arts| film Latest Season: A tribute to dark academia and the classic murder mystery unspeakable secret, which is the fulcrum of mystery throughout Tartt’s novel. ‘I did it, fell in with the most insane, damaged people on earth’—this sentence, spoken by Jonathan, may as well have been said by young Richard in a bout of clarity. What the show does well is bringing the characters of a somewhat outdated genre, such as dark academia, to the present day. The spoiled ‘90s kid owning papa’s sugar plantation estate is now the NFTs artist whose revenue comes from crypto. The troubled aspiring lyricist has turned TikTok influencer. Arguably, the fact that we are able to recognise these characters in our own day and age makes the hated easier to hate, and the morally dubious more relatable to us. Take Rhys, the once-working-class guy now turned writer and spokesman extraordinaire. I love an ambiguous character. It has to be one that you dislike, pity and respect at the same time. And if there is a refreshing note compared to previous seasons, it is precisely Rhys’ presence (no matter how cliche’ the upcoming finale may make him. sigh). Whereas the importance of classics is almost commonplace, the countryside trope that Tartt’s book and YOU share is paramount.In this case the family estate background, far from being just a background, shapes defining moments in the narrative. Indeed, the countryside escapade employed by Tartt is quite a central point of the plot. Away from unwanted looks, the students have finally license to go wild - ancient Greek style - and unleash a ritualistic hell on earth (with their first murderous consequences). Similarly, it is at the countryside party, away from the urban landscape and from the eyes of common people, that the most sadistic and twisted of desires are acted upon by the wealthy protagonists in YOU. In one of the finest scenes in the entire series, no one stops the chase through the woods that sees the rich hunting the poor, proclaiming to re-establish the natural order of their fathers’ time. It is poetic that it should happen on grounds belonging to ancestors who made their money out of slavery, exploitation and the subjugation of the masses. It is even more poetic how the whole estate - symbolically, physically, gloriously - ends up in flames. Many good things came out of YOU’s latest instalment. For literary nerds and ordinary folks alike, there is something deeply charming about the way the show references beloved literary genres. It demonstrates that, despite following a similar trope every time, the show is still able to re-invent itself. The second part of this season, which will land on Netflix UK on the 9th of March, promises a lot more than any previous season. © Netflix 2022 © Pixabay

p. 4 arts | tv Though a fair number of recordbreaking blockbuster films and shows have come out in the past few years, I’d like to travel back to 2017 to review a show that somehow didn’t appear on my radar until this year. After finishing both seasons of HBO’s Big Little Lies— and picking my jaw off the floor—I knew I had to write about it; partly to dissect and appreciate the intricacies of the show’s story and characters, partly to gush about the lasting impression it left on me. Set in Monterey, California, Big Little Lies tells a dark story about five women, the secrets they keep and the lies they choose to tell each other. They do what they can to survive in a community where a life of perfection is not an expectation, but a requirement. There’s Madeline, a high-strung mother struggling to maintain a trusting relationship with her teenage daughter Abigail and suffering in a rather passionless marriage to her husband Ed. Then there’s Renata, a career woman and an overbearing mother with a lessthan-involved husband. Bonnie is young and beautiful with a calm exterior but a tumultuous childhood while Celeste, a seemingly faultless woman revered by others, is stuck in a toxic pattern of passion and abuse with her husband Perry. Finally, there’s Jane, a single mother trying to raise her son while processing her trauma after being raped. The series explores all the events that eventually lead to a murder and, in the second season, the aftermath. The Monterey Five, as the women become known as, guard the truth of what truly happened that night. What unites the Monterey Five is the fact that they are more than what they present to each other, their husbands, and even their children. All five women seem to be a part of a meticulously crafted play, where every line is carefully thought out and any deviation from the script and their role is not tolerated. Everything is carefully contained within the glamorous mansions of each character, which often have huge windows overlooking the ocean. In his article, People in Glass Houses: Big Little Lies on the Small Screen, David E. Richard points out that the cinematography of the show allows the viewer to peer through these windows, making the characters appear trapped by their lies in beautiful glass cages. Even the setting serves to highlight the show’s theme that you can never judge a book by its cover. While the opening of the series presents sprawling cliffs and glimmering California sunshine, with all the residents so rich they could never want anything more from life, the illusion of perfection is quickly broken as we are given a true insight into the characters’ lives. T h o u g h t h e w r i t i n g a n d cinematography of Big Little Lies is incredibly well done, for me it was the acting that truly brought the show to an exceptional level. The truly talented cast brought the characters and their traumas so alive that I sometimes forgot it was fiction. Nicole Kidman’s performance as Celeste was some of the best acting I’ve seen in a while and a highlight of the show. Celeste’s struggle to present an illusion of a perfect marriage to her two sons and her friends while enduring and, at times, crumbling under the constant abuse by Perry kept me at the edge of my seat. For me, her performance was augmented by the introduction of Perry’s mother Mary Louise (Meryl Streep), who steps in to ‘help’ Celeste with her children. The best way to describe Mary Louise is like a wolf in sheep’s clothing; though she seems like an unassuming grandmother, her constant moralising remarks to Celeste point towards her true devious nature. Nothing in Big Little Lies is how it seems, which is exactly what makes the show so alluring to watch. The carefully constructed facade crumbles little by little with every interaction the characters have in a way where not a minute of any episode is wasted. So, if you’ve run out of things to watch, I cannot recommend Big Little Lies enough. by Susanna Lehtonen BIG LITTLE LIES (2017) | REVIEW Rating: 5/5 Content warning: this article mentions sexual assault © HBO Max

p. 5 arts |tv With numerous cinematic adaptations of video games that left a lot to be desired, the lead-up to the airing of the first episode of HBO’s The Last Of Us adaptation was tense. Add to that the risk of disappointing the massive loyal fanbase the critically-acclaimed game has amassed over the years, and the fact that many had reservations about the casting choices for the two main characters of the franchise. The pressure was on. Eight episodes down, and with the season finale just around the corner at the time of writing, these doubts can safely be laid to rest. There could not have been a better choice than casting Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams and Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller. Week after week, Ramsey and Pascal, as well as the rest of the cast, knock it out of the park with their performances. The Last Of Us follows Joel and Ellie, two survivors in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal pandemic that turns infected humans into feral zombie-like creatures. Initially reluctant, the two band together to cross the US, and their relationship blossoms into a beautiful yet heartwrenching exploration of found family. Showrunners Neil Druckmann (co-creator of the game) and Craig Mazin wanted to ‘make an experience that really explored the unconditional love a parent feels for a child,’ a love that is not always pure because its intensity can make you dangerous and violent—especially in a world that wants to kill you. It was therefore imperative that the actors portraying that love between Joel and Ellie have good chemistry. Ramsey and Pascal indubitably have that chemistry; the love and respect the two actors share for each other behind the camera are tangible on screen. Of course, being an adaptation, the characters are not carbon copies of their game counterparts. And they shouldn’t be. Ramsey and Pascal have taken the characters we know and love and have made them their own. A TV show gives you more space to really flesh out the characters and make them more authentic, resulting in some magnificently gut-wrenching performances of a Joel suffering from PTSD and an Ellie that is even more dangerous and terrifying. The TV series deviates very little from the source material, with all of the iconic sequences and emotional beats intact, some of them word for word. What we do get is more information on the workings of the infectious cordyceps, especially in the cold open of the first two episodes. This is a great way to both help contextualise the story for newcomers to the franchise and keep fans on their toes: the show is not going to be a simple regurgitation of the game. The biggest (and best) deviation from the game is the story of Bill and Frank, whom Joel and Ellie meet during their journey. In the game, Frank is already dead when we run into Bill. The show instead chose to make the subtext of the nature of their relationship explicit, and devoted an entire episode to telling their story. Even if post-apocalyptic shows are not your cup of tea, I implore you to watch this episode. There are barely any infected and you get to watch two middle-aged men fall in love and be gentle and grow old together, safe and protected and happy, while the world around them falls apart. The best possible life in a desolate world is granted to two queer people when, often, all we get is pain and devastation. HBO’s The Last Of Us proves that with taking time, putting the budget to good use, a phenomenal cast, and passion for the source material, good video game adaptations are possible. I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting Season 2, which has already been announced and will follow the events of the sequel game. by Miles Stebens When You’re Lost In The Darkness, Look For The Light © HBO

p. 6 arts | film After reading that the film received the lowest rating of any Marvel picture at 47% from Rotten Tomatoes (joint with Eternals), I wasn’t too optimistic walking over the red and black flooring of Cineworld to see the film in cinema. Still, I felt I had to come to my own conclusions: once I left the screen, however, I could see why. The movie is a sequel to Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), his girlfriend, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily), and their family’s transportation to the Quantum Realm after his daughter Cassie’s (Kathryn Newton) machine to communicate between the realm and Earth goes askew. When they reached the Quantum Realm, we were served with candescent scenery, which at first glance was fascinating. But with the movie’s progression, it became assaulting to the senses. As the story unfolded, I felt as though I was watching a challenge set by the director—how much CGI can we cram into two hours? I wished that someone in the editing room had reinforced the less is more mantra. The first few scenes were promising. It started strong, but the need for comedic relief took over the already chaotic plot. The character of Ant-Man has always acted as an instrument to get a few laughs, but the storyline was quite frankly ridiculous. It was hard to keep up with everything that was going on. The jokes were poor and could not save the weak and clumsy plot. I was laughing a lot, but not where I was supposed to. Like the other cinema-goers, the room erupted with laughter at the sheer stupidity of what we were watching. The film attempts to harbour themes of morality, but any message that might have been conveyed was entirely overshadowed by the silliness of it all. It was a shame that most of the film was absurd because the villain, Kang the Conqueror ( Jonathan Majors), was outstanding. Majors delivered a remarkable performance of Kang’s desperation to cling to power, but unfortunately, it was not enough to salvage the film. However, I do look forward to his future performances in MCU. I also did enjoy the portrayal of the father-daughter relationship between Cassie and Scott. It is rare we see this dynamic in the way we did. The bond between the superhero duo was touching and solidified how much Cassie looks up to her father. This movie begs the question of whether Marvel’s days of glory are behind us. Unfortunately, I felt as though this movie points to the Disneyfication of Marvel. A franchise that was once meaningful and serious has become tame and oversimplified. The dialogue was, in parts, childish. From what I have seen from Phase 4 of MCU, I expected a little more from the first film in Phase 5. Unfortunately, after being a fan of the franchise for many years, I am becoming less interested in the movies that are being produced. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) being the exception, I can’t help but feel let down by the new releases. It might be worth going to see Quantumania purely for the continuation of Marvel storylines, as it sets up season 2 of Loki. But as a stand-alone movie, I can’t say you should rush to see it. Perhaps the negative reception will be a wake-up call. I hope future Marvel Studios releases regain some of the original charm. by Grace Taylor Photo courtesy of disney Logo courtesy of disney

p. 7 ABERDEEN JAZZ FESTIVAL From the 16th to the 26th, new grooves have been pouring out from a number locations across Aberdeen, as its annual Jazz Festival returns to the city. This is a fantastic opportunity to hear live music from across the globe, but also, hear from Scottishborn (and even Aberdeenshire-born) talent. The Jazz Festival blurs the line between audience and performer: expect a number of events where the audience themselves can participate or even perform, and find yourself reimagining what live music really means to you. On the 24th, expect the unexpected at The Blue Lamp with Dock in Absolute, a trio lead by pianist and composer JeanPhilippe Koch, who weaves Romantic classical influences with Jazz elements. Stay at The Blue Lamp to hear David Miligan, highly celebrated Scottish pianist and composer, who will be playing pieces from his critically-acclaimed album, Momento. For people who like the blues—Aberdeen’s own Gerry Jablonski and the Electric Band were the UK Blues Act of the Year winning the title at the 2018 Blues Awards, and definitely cannot be missed. The 25th will see the Jazz The Day event, where music across 4 venues will be played all day and requires only one ticket. For those who like to get their bang for buck, or who have kids (and those who have the latter are generally the former), this is a great opportunity to hear new and upcoming sounds without the traditional barriers that keep people away from experiencing jazz. Furthermore, hear covers ranging from Stevie Wonder, Santana, and more, as well as references to Amy Winehouse with Marianne McGregor. In the evening, Magro, noted by Jazzthing as an ‘Exceptional musician in the young German jazz and hip-hop scene’, will make his way to Resident X at 9:00 pm. Having toured globally and collabled with a number of artists, Margo is an unmissable opportunity to hear international sounds. The 26th and final day will feature Tim Kliphuis, who will play Jazz Four Seasons at Cowdray Hall. See Vivaldi’s iconic four seasons reimagined with Dutch violinist Tim Kliphuis’ suite ‘Reflecting the Seasons’. Joined by Nigel Clark (guitar) and Roy Percy (double bass) and a top local string ensemble curated by Aaron McGregor (violin), this ensemble is a striking display of talent and genrebreaking. These are just a taster of what’s going on this week, so make sure to check out www. jazzscotland.com for the full itinerary. Ticket prices range from free to £16, and concessions are available. Aberdeen Jazz Festivals returns for its 20th year with a dazzling line-up of old and new sounds by Isabelle Hampton-Zabotti Right: Rachel Duns Left: Margo, photo credit Daniel Wetzel

p. 8 life and style | review The Body Shop is a firm favourite brand of mine! It is relatively affordable for what you are getting: products that are always cruelty-free, vegan wherever possible, and use natural ingredients. The brand believes in fighting for women around the world and they say that they “believe in the beauty of the planet and the good in people, but our world needs work”. The product range is huge, with an expanding makeup line and all the body care products you could want. Hand Creams These have been a lifesaver in winter! The hand creams are 30ml and around £6 each, they do only tend to last me around 3 months, but I think that’s worth it (and I am a bit addicted to using them). My favourite ones are the pink grapefruit (which my friends always steal as the smell is so good) and the almond milk and honey. Some of the creams claim to protect, some to hydrate, I find them all very similar but I think they are great to just chuck in your bag! Body Wash I love the body wash from The Body Shop, both the solid bars and the liquid soap. The solid bars are great, they come in recyclable packaging and they foam up really well, especially if put in a soap-saver bag which is great for a little bit of exfoliation too. They last a long time and have lots of great scents. Alternatively, there is the liquid version, which can also be sustainable if you get the refill bottle. If you do this, you can go into most stores and ask them to refill it, and you save a little bit of money and plastic! Moisturisers: Body Yoghurt and Body Butter There are 2 main types of body moisturisers from The Body Shop. The Body Yoghurt is my favourite to use a couple of times a week after a shower (it is recommended for damp skin), it’s £12 for 200ml though it is used up quite quickly. If you are moisturising your whole body, you will probably get around 12 uses from the tub, but of course, if you just do your arms, for example, it will last much longer. I like to use the Body Butter when I feel like my skin needs a bit of extra moisture, which is £18 for 200ml but it does last a lot longer as you need much less, and I probably wouldn’t use it all over my body. Overall, I would recommend the yoghurt for normal skin, and the butter for more dry skin. Chamomile Cleansing Butter Makeup Remover This is what I use to take my makeup off nearly every time I wear any! It’s a great alternative to using makeup wipes, especially if you use reusable cotton pads. The price is £12 for a 90ml tin, but I think it’s definitely worth it as you only need to use a small amount each time and it takes off a full face of makeup, including mascara, easily. The website says this is suitable for sensitive skin and I have never had any issues with it! It removes makeup pretty well in one go, though it does leave a bit of residue on your face, so I always use a toner or face wash afterwards. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for an alternative to makeup wipes which is more eco-friendly! SPF lip balm I like this although I didn’t use it for very long before winter hit. It doesn’t have much of a taste or residue which is more than I can say for some SPF lip balms. Some customers don’t seem happy that this has replaced the vitamin E lip balm but I never used this product so I couldn’t compare. SPF for face I used the SPF 50 PA +++ with pollution protection nearly every day for 5 months when I lived in Florida. I absolutely loved this, as it says on the website it has a weightless finish and I found it fine for a little bit of makeup on top too. My face never burned when I had this on and I made sure to reapply every few hours if I was out in the sun a lot. It is £22 for 60ml which seems a lot but I think I only used 2 bottles for the whole 5 months and I was definitely reapplying a fair amount. I have also been starting to get back into wearing it most days now! Overall, this is a great product and one which I definitely recommend for a daily sunscreen. by Gemma McLeod Durga Sharma and Kendra Clark THE BODY SHOP VS LUSH The Ultimate Review before winter hit. It doesn’t have much of a taste or residue which is more than I can say for some SPF lip balms. Some customers don’t seem happy that this has replaced the vitamin E lip balm but I never used this product so I couldn’t compare. SPF for face I used the SPF 50 PA +++ with pollution protection nearly every day for 5 months when I lived in Florida. I absolutely loved this, as it says on the website it has a weightless finish and I found it fine for a little bit of makeup on top too. My face never burned when I had this on and I made sure to reapply every few hours if I was out in the sun a lot. It is £22 for 60ml which seems a lot but I think I only used 2 bottles for the whole 5 months and I was definitely reapplying a fair amount. I have also been starting to get back into wearing it most days now! Overall, this is a great product and one which I definitely recommend for a daily sunscreen.

p. 9 Lush products have been a rather recent addition to my bathroom; being diagnosed with allergies to foaming agents and coconut oil makes it rather difficult to shop for skincare! I won’t bore you with the details, but after quite a bit of searching, I settled on Lush. Not only are they fighting animal testing - with 95% of their product range being completely vegan and 100% crueltyfree - they make consistent efforts to be an ethical company and reduce planetary waste. Although their products are on the expensive side, their prices are on par with other companies, and for me at least, Lush provides options within my limits for skin care. ShampooBars There is an impressive range of shampoo bars available from Lush, which I am slowly working my way through. I have tried Jason and the Argan Oil, a pink, rose-scented bar (not least because the name made me chuckle) and Jumping Juniper, which is purple and lavender scented. At an average of £9.00 per bar, they last for weeks, leave my hair smelling fresh… and they come in very pretty colours. Lush also sells tins to keep them in, as the shampoo bars are a part of their ‘naked’ range meaning that they are sold without any packaging. This is one of their greatest disadvantages; if you don’t let the bar dry after use it can get stuck in the tin. However, a short spell in the freezer will dislodge it without breaking. There are conditioners to match the majority of the shampoos which also come at around £9.00 per bar. These shampoos were a real find as so many mainstream products aren’t suitable for me, and sometimes I would only discover that after buying them because the ingredient names were rather confusing. Another advantage of Lush is that they have their ingredients on their website, with links to separate pages for their breakdown. I would recommend trying them out if you’re looking for an ethical, and environmentally friendly alternative to your usual shampoo. Conditioner Bars I have tried a variety of conditioner bars from different brands including Lush, but unfortunately, none of them seem to work for me. The Lush bars have very similar problems as bars from other brands do. They take a while to lather up and even then, don’t lather up enough for my hair, and my hair was less soft, and more tuggy when I used them. The Lush bars do smell nice though, so if conditioner bars work for you then I would definitely recommend trying the Lush ones. Unfortunately, though, they don’t really work for me. The conditioner that comes in bottles however, is really good. But they do cost an outrageous amount for what they are. Body Bars So far I have only tried out Ro’s Argan, but there are many different body and facial soaps to choose from. These range in price, from £5-£10, the latter being what Ro’s Argan costs. These bars smell incredible, and - like the shampoos and conditioners - there are a lot of similar scents, so you can match all your products. For me, the body bars have been less of a hit for two reasons. Primarily, there is less on offer, as a lot of the soaps are based on coconut and rapeseed oil (although this is specific to me). The other problem found is that if it isn’t left to dry, the soap can melt and disintegrate. Apparently, this is a common problem with soft-setting soaps as the lack of chemical agents prevents them from remaining solid if left in water. Though as with the shampoos, this can be remedied by letting the soap dry, either in a dish or by leaving it standing in the tin for a few hours before closing. I would say try it out, but have a look at other soaps in the range too! Mascara Lush sell a variety of mascaras in different colours, I’ve used ‘Eyes Right’ and ‘Lush Lashes’ which are the two black mascaras. Both have straight wands which allow a smooth application without clumps. In comparison, I’ve also used the TooFaced Mascara which has a curved wand and it always comes out clumpy. Because of the smooth application, the Lush mascaras have a really natural look to them, and it stays on all day for me. Also as a person with sensitive eyes, these mascaras really work for me. They are hypoallergenic and are one of the only mascaras that don’t irritate my eyes during and after wearing. However, they do range between £10-£15, but to be fair, other ethical mascaras are just as expensive. Another thing I noticed is that I couldn’t really tell the difference between the two products I used. They both worked great, but they seemed identical to me. Overall, if you have sensitive eyes or are trying to shop ethically, I would recommend purchasing. Body Dust I used the Sleepy body dust, which cost £10 per bottle. This was by far the worst product I’ve used from Lush. I’m not really sure what I expected, but it was definitely a waste of money. Don’t get me wrong, the dust did stay on and did smell nice, but the idea of having it in my bed made me feel a bit dirty the next night. It also made my skin a bit sparkly which could be a benefit to some people, but for me, this was just annoying. Of all Lush products, I would recommend skipping this one. Photo courtesy of Kendra Clark by Durga Sharmma and Kendra Clark Photo courtesy of Gemma McLeod Image: Pixabay life and style | review

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p.11 Good Riddance, Nicola Sturgeon The failures of The Scottish Government under Nicola Sturgeon are clear to see There’s no doubt that Nicola Sturgeon has been a hugely successful and formidable figure in British politics, standing among Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher in terms of electoral success. Her departure has coincided with hails of praise from those on the left, especially down south where she is seen to be an inspirational leader in stark contrast with the Conservative Government in Westminster. But whilst many cite her successes politically, it’s impossible to ignore her distinct failures governmentally since she became First Minister in 2014. After 8 years at the helm, the most poignant statement to sum up Sturgeon's tenure is one which was ironically used as the basis for the SNP 2018 Party Political Broadcast entitled “What has the SNP ever done for us?”. The video shows a man who poses the question at a party, before he is bombarded with many successes of the SNP. However, most of these claimed achievements of the Government aren’t actually achievements at all. They are, to put it crudely, ‘free money’. Whether it’s free tuition fees, baby boxes or free bus passes for under-22s, most are simply the subsidising of goods and services to individuals and bear no correlation to real terms success in healthcare, education, crime or in the economy. In actual fact, the SNP have hopelessly failed to deliver on their key responsibilities as a devolved administration. Most notable is in the NHS where Sturgeon has presided over its worst crisis in decades. Scotland’s NHS has experienced the worst A&E waiting times on record with just 62% of attendees being seen within four hours, well below the 95% target. Sturgeon’s Government has also seen the longest ambulance response times, excessive waiting lists and staffing shortages, among others. With regard to crime in Scotland, Sturgeon’s Government has also seen very little success. The overall number of crimes has seen no significant or sustained decrease since 2014, fluctuating from 250,000 to 300,000 per year. This trend is also seen in figures for violent (both sexual and non-sexual) crime, vandalism and robbery. That’s not to mention the appalling drug record where deaths have more than doubled since Sturgeon became First Minister and figures for possession and supply show no progress. Sturgeon's handling of education has not been any better, either. In 2015, she proclaimed that she “want(s) to be judged” on her record on reducing the attainment gap, though figures suggest that little to no progress has been made. Sturgeon has even implied that The UK Government is partly to blame for this failure. Scotland has also seen the lowest PISA scores in Maths and Science, a reduction in the number of teachers, an increase in the pupil-teacher ratio and the lowest spending per high school pupil in the UK, thus making Scotland’s education system a far cry from its once world-renowned quality. Even outside of the most important devolved departments of The Scottish Government, Sturgeon has enacted an array of unethical and poorly managed policies. These include the introduction of a school sex survey, the ‘ferry fiasco’, costing the taxpayer millions of pounds, the undemocratic ‘buffer zones’ outside abortion clinics and the recent absurd introduction of the gender selfidentification legislation which would have allowed 16-year-olds to proclaim to be a different gender and to be recognized as such after just 6 months and without any medical diagnosis. So, returning back to the question “what has the SNP ever done for us?”, the answer is: crippled the NHS, failed to improve educational standards, failed to tackle crime and all whilst bribing the public by giving them free money masquerading as policy successes and blaming Westminster for every failure despite the fact that without the rest of the UK and the Barnett Formula, Scotland wouldn’t be able to afford its irresponsible and unsustainable budget deficit and fund all of the SNP’s bribes. One can only hope that Sturgeon’s exit will serve as an eye-opener to the Scottish people as to the damage her Government has done. Good riddance, Nicola Sturgeon. by Cameron Taylor The crypto market has seen an incredible surge in popularity in recent years, with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies hitting all-time highs and NFTs capturing the attention of art collectors and investors alike. However, this hype bubble comes with a fair share of problems… One of the most common misconceptions surrounding blockchain technology and Bitcoin is that they are interchangeable terms. While Bitcoin is indeed a cryptocurrency that operates on blockchain technology, blockchain itself is a much broader concept that has many potential applications beyond just currency. Blockchain technology is essentially a decentralised digital ledger that records transactions and can be used for a variety of purposes, such as supply chain management and voting systems. Despite the potential uses of blockchain technology, the hype bubble of crypto and NFTs have led to an overvaluation of every crypto-coin and NFT. Many cryptocurrencies and NFTs are being created with little to no real-world application or value; yet, they are still being sold for exorbitant amounts of money. This is largely due to the speculative nature of the market, with investors and collectors hoping to capitalize on the hype and potential future value of these assets. The difficulty of evaluating cryptocurrencies and NFTs only adds to this problem. Traditional valuation methods, such as discounted cash flows and price-to-earnings ratios, are not applicable to the crypto market due to the lack of financial statements and earnings data. Instead, investors must rely on metrics such as network activity, trading volume and social media sentiment to try to gauge the value of these assets. However, these metrics can be easily manipulated or misinterpreted, leading to even more uncertainty and speculation. Furthermore, institutions are contributing to the hype bubble by injecting massive amounts of capital into the market. Tesla's recent $1.5 billion investment in Bitcoin and other large institutional players such as MicroStrategy and Square have helped to legitimize the crypto market in the eyes of investors. However, these institutions are also contributing to the overvaluation of cryptocurrencies and NFTs by pouring large amounts of capital into assets that may have little to no intrinsic value. Overall, while the hype bubble of crypto and NFTs has certainly brought attention and excitement to the market, it has also brought a variety of problems surrounding misconceptions, overvaluation and difficulty in evaluation. It is important for investors and collectors to approach these assets with a critical eye and to understand the potential risks and uncertainties involved. As the market continues to evolve and mature, it will be interesting to see how these challenges are addressed and whether the hype bubble will eventually burst. Crypto and NFTs by Umberto G. Carriero When Hype Meets Reality Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Many cryptocurrencies and NFTs are being created with little to no real-world application or value; yet, they are still being sold for exorbitant amounts of money It is important for investors and collectors to approach these assets with a critical eye and to understand the potential risks and uncertainties involved. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons DISCLAIMER All opinions expressed in opine are the views of the author. However, this does not necessarily represent the views of The Gaudie, AUSA, or any company that advertises in The Gaudie.

p.12 Photo courtesy of University of Aberdeen LeBron James is now the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. With a fadeaway jumper against the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday 7th James etched his 38,388th point into the scoreboard and his name into basketball history forever. The previous holder of the record, fellow Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was in attendance and joined thousands of fans in offering James a standing applause in recognition of his accomplishment. Chants of “MVP” echoed throughout Crypto.com Arena as James embraced his mother in celebration. Play of the game was paused to allow LeBron a chance to speak as career highlights of his played on the jumbotron. A clearly emotional LeBron said “I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful, you guys are one of a kind” “To be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem means so much to me, it’s very humbling”, he continued. LeBron dedicated the accomplishment to his family and friends and “everybody that’s ever been a part of this run with me the last 20+ years”. “To the NBA, to Adam Silver, to the late great David Stern, I thank you guys so much for letting me be a part of something I’ve always dreamed about. I never ever in a million years dreamt this being better than what it is tonight. F***, thank you guys” He concluded. Dubbed “The Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated, LeBron entered the NBA with overwhelming expectations, considered the most hyped prospect in NBA history, he was drawing comparisons to Michael Jordan before he ever put on an NBA uniform. While debate still rages between fans of the two over who truly is the best of all time, LeBron has certainly added a feather to his cap with this milestone. Anticipations were high that this would be the night LeBron would cross the threshold, he entered the game needing 36 points to break the record. There were reports of tickets for the game being sold for tens of thousands on the secondary market. LeBron would end up scoring 38 in what would turn out to be a 133-130 loss for the Lakers. The achievement marks a bright spot in an otherwise difficult Lakers season, currently 13th in the conference with a middling 27-32 record, a deep playoff run seems unlikely. However, this did not seem to dampen the moment for those in attendance. A slew of A-List celebrities took to social media to congratulate LeBron, including Rihanna, Drake and Kendrick Lamar. President Biden even recorded a personalised message for LeBron. The president said “LeBron, congratulations. With your whole heart and soul you broke a hallowed record. You elevated the game, and more than that, like Kareem and Bill Russell and others who came before you, you challenged and inspired a nation to do better and live up to our full promise.” I wish that I didn’t have to write this. I never thought that it would come to this point. I have started and restarted this a dozen times, but I can’t seem to get through it without tearing up. I pride myself on vulnerability, and that can’t stop when I feel I’ve made a mistake. My audience deserves more than this. So I’m just gonna come right out and say it. I’m sorry. I want to provide the facts of the situation, not to make up for my actions, but to shed some light on how I got to this point. There have been rumours swirling for the last few days, and I’d like to put those to rest. Some people are saying that I didn’t write an essay at all, some are saying that I took a phone call in the library’s silent area, and some people are saying that I did nothing wrong. And none of that is true. So here’s what happened: I arrived at the library at 10:30 am. Anyone could see that I fully intended to get my essay work done. I was armed with a double-espresso, a full water bottle, and a charged phone. And I’ll tell you right now that I was going to. I never wanted to disappoint you like this. However, I got lost along the way somehow. I don’t want to make excuses for my actions. But I somehow found myself at noon, yet to begin my essay, but with several draft Instagram posts done. I can’t speak to what came over me, I can only acknowledge that it was irresponsible. And that’s when I went to grab lunch, thinking that I could still get back on track after a break. And let me tell you, I planned to. I really did. I wish that I had taken action right then and there, because I knew what I did was wrong. But I made the choice (the incorrect one as I know now) to keep not doing my essay. Which meant at 4:00 I had been at the library for over five hours with nothing to show for it. I thought it was the best choice to remove myself from the situation before doing further damage. So I left. We go again next week. I wish that I had another essay due soon, so I could demonstrate the lesson that I have learned. However, I have to trust the process, and assume that I will have the chance to prove myself during my next assignment. I can’t change my actions, I can only do better in the future. And I feel terrible to have disappointed my fans, my family, my lecturers, but most importantly, myself. I sincerely, truly apologise. LeBron James breaks NBA all-time scoring record by Clive Davies by Maggie Johnson Lakers star eclipses 38,387 points scored by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar A Notes-App Apology for Procrastinating I’d like to apologise to my fans I never wanted to disappoint you like this. Photo courtesy of Pixabay Photo courtesy of Pixabay

p.13 DISCLAIMER All opinions expressed in the satire section are written primarily for the sake of comic value and therefore do not necessarily represent the honest views held by the author, The Gaudie, AUSA, or any company which advertises in The Gaudie. Transcript of a meeting of The Like-Minded Thinkers follows: S peaker 1: Welcome, welcome, welcome! It is I, the Supreme Overlord of Having an Equal Say, and I am delighted that you have decided to join this meeting about my insular group of like-minded thinkers. We are always looking for new members to join us, just as long as they align exactly with the group’s values! We are sitting in the Totally Normal Meeting Hall today, which is where our group meetings are being held while the Community Center for Indoctrination is being repaired from that freak accident last week. It’s almost like it wasn’t a freak accident! *scattered laughter* Speaker 1: Just my little joke. You’ll get used to my sense of humour soon, as I am the only one allowed to speak at these meetings. We promote equal contributions by encouraging members to communicate through the nonverbal wavelengths that surround us all. Our first order of business is to address the harmful media attention that we have been subject to lately, most notably an article that used the dreadful “c-word”. *murmurs of distress* Speaker 1: Now, I don’t have to tell you all that we are not a cult, but apparently the media have a different idea. If any of our members were allowed regular access to the outside world, I’m sure that you would be equally as upset as I am at this bad press. Nevertheless, I think it would be prudent to quell these rumours for the benefit of prospective members. We are definitely not a cult, but apparently any time a group of people get together to listen to one guy (just little old me), and aren’t allowed their own opinions, or access to their phones, or any semblance of their old life, it gets called a cult! The nerve! *cheers of assent* Speaker 1: Our next order of business is the annual election of a leader. So let’s tally the votes! Votes have been cast through the usual system, which is non-verbal wavelength, and are then interpreted by me into regular writing, so I can assure this has been a very fair process. I don’t want to seem presumptuous, but I am certainly looking forward to another year of being the Supreme Overlord of Having an Equal Say. Ahem…provided the votes go that way, I mean. Ah, let’s see here. It looks like 391 votes for me! And before anyone points out that there are only 52 members of the Like-Minded Thinkers, I will remind you that my power as the Supreme Overlord of Having an Equal Say means that you do not contradict anything that I say at any point. *notable silence* Speaker 2, suddenly: DOWN WITH THE SUPREME OVERLORD! Speaker 1: Get him! *tape ends abruptly here* How many can you get right? - answers will be given in the following edition What is the chemical symbol for Mercury? 1. Hg 2. Mc 3. My 4. Cu The evolutionary event where a predator and prey will continue to evolve to survive and proliferate is known as what? 1. The Goldilocks Hypothesis 2. The Red Queen Hypothesis 3. The Tortoise & Hare Theory 4. The Rapunzel Paradigm Which Building at Foresterhill does not contain a lecture theatre? 1. Polwarth Building 2. IMS 3. Rowett Institute 4. Suttie Centre The shuttle Bus going from Old Aberdeen to Foresterhill is called what? 1. 8U 2. 9U 3. 6U 4. 2U Which of these is NOT a first-year course? 1. Introduction to Medical Sciences 2. Frontiers of Biological Sciences 3. Understanding Data 4. Physiology of Human Organ Systems Which came first? 1. Chicken 2. Egg 3. Omelette 4. Quiche How many teeth does the average adult human have? 1. 22 2. 32 3. 28 4. 24 What is the only letter to not appear on the Periodic Table? 1. W 2. X 3. Q 4. J How many brains & hearts does an octopus have? 1. 9 brains, 3 hearts 2. 6 brains, 6 hearts 3. 1 brain, 1 heart 4. 1 brain, 4 hearts What is the rearrest blood group? 1. AB negative 2. O positive 3. O negative 4. AB Positive Who is the head editor for Science and & Environment 22/23? 1. Holly Ferguson 2. Sam Anderson 3. Struan Donachie 4. Mathew Sheppard Who was the previous editor for Science & Environment? 1. Holly Ferguson 2. Sam Anderson 3. Struan Donachie 4. Mathew Sheppard At what temperatures are Celsius and Fahrenheit equal at? 1. -50 2. -40 3. -25 4. -55 Which part of the brain deals with hearing and language? 1. Hypothalamus 2. Frontal Lobe 3. Temporal Lobe 4. Cerebrum Which group of animals would an ambush refer to? 1. Hyenas 2. Orcas 3. Tigers 4. Crocodiles Revere Transcription Converts what? 1. DNA-RNA 2. RNA-DNA 3. Proteins-DNA 4. RNA-Protein Which of these words refers to work carried out inside an organism? 1. In Vitro 2. In Ovo 3. De Novo 4. In Vivo What is next is the following numbers series: 256, 289, 324, 361… 1. 422 2. 400 3. 396 4. 416 What is PI to 4 individual decimal places? 1. 3.1446 2. 3.1434 3. 3.1419 4. 3.1416 Be honest, how much fun has this quiz been? So much fun, loved it, probably the best quiz I’ve ever done and ever will do, hats off to science and environment, best department in the Gaudie! It was fantastic! Brilliant, just brilliant Meh (only joking, it was great) It’s Not A Cult, But You Should Definitely Join This Group of LikeMinded Thinkers Feel free to speak your mind, just not out loud by Maggie Johnson Photo courtesy of Pixabay The Gaudie 2023 Big Science Quiz p.13

p.14 Copyright © 2023 Printable Creative - https://printablecreative.com | For personal use only. Fill in the puzzle so that every row across, every column down and every 9 by 9 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzle #1 6 7 6 1 9 3 4 8 6 2 2 8 8 5 1 2 4 4 9 1 3 Simple Sudoku Advanced Sudoku Crossword Copyright © 2023 Printable Creative - https://printablecreative.com | For personal use only. Fill in the puzzle so that every row across, every column down and every 9 by 9 box contains the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzle #1 2 9 7 6 8 9 5 4 7 2 3 7 1 5 3 8 9 6 9 7 1 7 2 4 3 8 1 2 5 6 8 9 4 8 2