Skills, skills, skills (for life)

“Emm… Mum, how do you turn on the washing machine?” Phone calls like these take place up and down the country every September. New university students realise after two weeks of partying and takeaways that clothes don’t wash themselves, as they stand in their last pair of clean pants, figuring out where you put washing powder and what all the flashing lights are before them. We can laugh at situations like these, having probably been in similar ones ourselves. A survey in 2012 revealed that one in every three students starting out in higher education is perplexed by the procedure…

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Get passionate about politics

Nicola Sturgeon has the top job in Scottish politics, the ladies wiped the floor with the men in the first televised pre-election debate and now Hillary Clinton’s running for president in the States – women are definitely making their mark in politics. So why’s it important that more girls get involved in the political? Eilidh Stewart offers her take. Sometimes just saying the word “politics” is enough to put you to sleep. The jargon that many people use is confusing and watching politicians – mostly middle-aged, middle class men – shout and claw at each other is enough to put…

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YOUR VIEW: Down with the bullies

violence Bullying is something we ALL know about, with constant campaigns being made to raise awareness of bullying in schools, the workplace and slightly more recently, the danger of cyber bullying. Something that tends to be ignore more, yet is becoming a growing problem, is bullying within the entertainment industry. It’s everywhere, yet it’s continually swept under the carpet in order to not upset the celebrity with a big attitude problem. The scale of the problem in the industry has been made particularly clear this past week as we have been bombarded with celebrities behaving badly and showing little to…

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YOUR VIEW: To tattoo or not to tattoo?

Lindsay Duncan looks at one of the last taboos in the world of work – body modification. For students today, a big worry is finding a job after graduation. With thousands of qualified students eagerly looking for employment and not as many jobs available as we’d like, it can be extremely difficult and stressful for many to put their degree to good use. It is hard enough for students to even find part-time work while studying, so leaving the comfort of student life and stepping out into the ‘big bad world’ is never easy. This thought is hard to swallow for students…

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YOUR VIEW: Ignorance isn’t bliss

Seventy years after the liberation of Auschwitz and following the Parisian terror attacks, Eilidh Stewart questions just how far we’ve come in terms of tolerance, understanding and knowledge of different regions, cultures, races and beyond… I read an article in Grazia magazine last week which was titled “As a Jewish Woman, I’m Afraid to Stay in the UK”. I couldn’t believe what I had read. It seemed unthinkable to me that the UK could be hostile towards the Jewish community. The more I read, the more disturbed I became. The writer spoke of supermarkets not stocking kosher products and being harassed…

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YOUR VIEW: Learning to love yourself

As a society, we are obsessed with how we look – but is it time to stop focusing on the external and start concentrating on what’s going on inside? Editor Lindsay Cochrane shares her view…   I’m so fat. I hate my hair. My nose is too big. I wish I had a better chin. My left arm is wobblier than my right. My skin is awful. I wish my bum was a bit higher. My calves are enormous! Have you SEEN the way my stomach wobbles? These aren’t things that I’ve said for a long time. Not because I’m perfect…

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YOUR VIEW: #Quittheinternet

The fall out following the revelation that Zoella’s debut novel had the help of a ghost writer has caused an online uproar, forcing her to leave Twitter. So are we demanding too much from the vlogging superstar? Ah the inevitable backlash, it was so predictable wasn’t it? YouTube sensation Zoella has suffered the quick fire annihilation reserved for almost all stars that go from niche to over-exposed in three months flat. Twenty- four year old Zoe Sugg went from teenybop blogger to international celeb with a book deal and beauty line to boot. She was in Vogue! In the Band Aid video!…

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A letter to my fresher self…

The countdown is on – in just a matter of weeks, thousands of Scots will be leaving their memories of sixth year behind them as they stride onwards and upwards university and life as a fresher. So what do you need to know before you head onto the next stage in your life? Recent graduate Kirsty McKenzie shares some wisdom with a letter to her fresher self… Dear Kirsty, Just pause Gossip Girl for one second would you; I have something to say. I know you’re awful with confrontation (you’ll get over that mostly) but this is important. You’re about to…

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Robin Williams, we’ll miss you

If you were a 90s kid like me, chances are there was only one man you’d have announced to be your favourite actor round about the age of eight. He had buckets of energy, childlike mischief sparkling in his eyes and the ability to make you laugh, no matter how rubbish things were. Robin Williams brought joy to the lives of millions of children and adults. Even now, my whole family – we’re grownups now and some of us have kids of our own – will sit and watch Mrs Doubtfire and laugh our heads off. My dad will have…

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