Andy Aydın-Aitchison
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andy8chi.bsky.social
Andy Aydın-Aitchison
@andy8chi.bsky.social
1.7K followers 2.8K following 540 posts
Criminologist. Former Lada driver. Atrocity crimes | democracy | police | Bosnia & Herzegovina | ex-Yu | family history | other people's cats... (he/him)

Idle hands draw social theorists poorly on a digital egg.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7463-1302
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andy8chi.bsky.social
‘War is a banal platform for sociopaths and
people blinded by power… As a feminist, I despise these structures’ Jasmila Žbanić

A day to reflect on the lives ended and scarred through war and the violent pursuit of power.

My grandfather seated to right, in a sombre, posed picture during WWI.
A black and white image of six uniformed WWI soldiers, posed inside. Four men stand at the rear, only one (left) smiles. Two are seated at the front. The man at the centre holds the hand of an especially young soldier seated at the front, and rests his other hand on the shoulder of the other seated man. The picture has a sombre air to it, seen in the expressions of most men - men look uncertain or hesitant in some cases and generally serious.
November 11, 2025 at 10:33 AM
andy8chi.bsky.social
All kinds of uses, in fact
Mamdani campaign branding, yellow writing, red shadow, blue/purple background. Reads,anyone for another pint?
November 10, 2025 at 6:39 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
This could work for lower league Scottish football.
Mamdani branding text stating East Fife 4 For far 5
November 8, 2025 at 10:20 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Hijinks and frighteners
Two illuminated carved lanterns, one from a Swede looking a bit angry, the other from a pumpkin in a kind of loopy jolly look. Two little pumpkins stand by with faces drawn on in marker pen.
October 31, 2025 at 7:35 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Happy halloween from the Scottish Lowlands!

Oidhche Shamhna shona dhut!
Black and white photo of Scotrail sign at Gorebridge, edited in photoshop to make the Gore text red and running, as if written in blood
October 31, 2025 at 2:55 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Started my day in India (virtaully), with a talk to Law and Criminology students at Saveetha School of Law on the topic of policing after Communism in Europe.

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

#Criminology #Politics #Policing
Slide - heading Freedom ratings, score from 100 Three colums of states and two info boxes Column 1: Not free (4); *Kazakhstan – 23; *Russia – 12; *Azerbaijan – 7; *Belarus – 7. Column 2: Partly Free (11); *Montenegro – 69; Albania – 68; *N Macedonia – 67; Hungary – 65; *Kosovo – 60; *Moldova – 60; *Serbia – 56; *Georgia – 55; *Armenia – 54; *Bosnia & Herzegovina – 52; *Ukraine – 51 Column 3: Free (10); *Estonia – 96; *Slovenia – 96; *Czechia – 95; *Latvia – 89; *Lithuania – 89; *Slovakia – 89; *Croatia – 82; Poland – 82; Romania – 82; Bulgaria – 77. Box 1: * ‘New’ states formed from Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, or USSR Box 2: German Democratic Republic (DDR) reintegrated into Federal Republic of Germany (BRD). Not included in study. Free, 95/100. Slide - table listing themes and number of abstracts featuring those themes Topic (N); Democracy and democratisation (56); Legitimacy and Trust (51); Reform (33); Identity (33); Corruption & Misconduct (32); International Assistance (31); Protest (26); Oversight and Accountability (23); Policing styles (21); Force and violence (20); EU (18); Human Rights (18); Patrimonialism and authoritarianism (17); Private Policing (15); Intelligence (9); Technology (9); Culture (7); Reporting and cooperation [public] (8); Transnational Cooperation (6); Domestic Violence; Military; Sex Work (4 each); Denunciation; Discourse; Extremism; Hate Crime; International Conflict (2 each); Financing; Misinformation; Nat. Security; Police Stops; Terrorism; Voluntarism (1 each). Slide, headed At the Edge of all possibilities: partly free Text: 11 states heading in different directions - dynamic, uncertain False dawns Transformation or deformation High v petty corruption State capture Impact of EU To right of slide national falgs are grouped Albania and Hungary (states that were independent under Communism). Hungary as a star under it as a reference to EU membership. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegre, North Macedonia and Serbia are grouped as Ex Yugoslav states Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are grouped as ex-Soviet states Title slide, with text Policing after Communism Central and Eastern Europe since 1991 Andy AYDIN-AITCHISON University of Edinburgh @andy8chi.bsky.social Background image, colour, outdoor photo in front of Presidency Building in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Building flies Bosnian flag (Blue and Yellow with white stars), a street sign is seen pointing to cities of Zenica, Mostar and Tuzla. A large number of police (marked Policija) stand around in protective gear including shields and helmets. A very small number of protestors are visible.
October 30, 2025 at 10:01 AM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Reading week walk 6, Queensferry to Cramond, rail bridge, Firth of Forth. Not pictured, sense of calm before returning to the semester's tasks.
Forth Bridge with large colums in foreground and red-painted iron structure in distance Sheep in a field with autumn trees at rear and water of Firth of Forth to rear. Water flowing over weir among trees and rocks.
October 25, 2025 at 7:45 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Reading week walk 5, Deer Abbey ruins and Pitfour Lake.
Ruined walls in shadow and light View within remaining wall outline of crucifotm abbey towards trees. Small fishing boat and angler on calm lake reflecting blue sky and white clouds. View of contemporary house with sign reading Lakehouse. A large skeleton is emerging from the ground.
October 25, 2025 at 7:39 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Reading week walk 4, Balmoral Castle estate. Royal leaf, royal residence, royal coo. Not pictured, royals.
Bright red leaf with raindrops catching sunlight. Castle with turrets viewed over landscaped grounds. Seated highland cow in grassy field, autumnul trees to rear.
October 25, 2025 at 7:33 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Reading week walk 3, Braemar Lion's Face and Cromlins. Mushrooms, creepy trees, castle and squirrel. Not pictured, anything looking remotely like a Lion's face.
Moist brown mushrooms growing among moss View up through branches of fir tree. At the rear, straight vertical trunks of pine. Braemar castlr, towers and turrets within a curtain wall, seen against hill and low cloud. Red squirrel sitting at junction of branch and trunk.
October 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Reading week walk 2, Linn of Dee. Thundering waters. Not pictured, the fush struggling and jumping upstream.
Single arch bridge among rocks and trees. Down the middle white water cuts through the rock. Under a grey sky, heather, firs and birches. A waterfall is seen in the distance.
October 25, 2025 at 7:17 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Mid-semester reading week walk 1, Loch Kinord and a Pictish Cross. Not pictured, a super-strong smell of (wild?) cat wee.
Colour. View over still, reflective loch to autumn trees and hills. Sky is blue with some grey clouds. Irregular elongated upright octagonal slab engraved with cross, filled with pictish/celtic knot pattern.
October 25, 2025 at 7:12 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Cows!

#Cows
Half a dozen highland cattle lolling around in a field. Closest to the viewer is a red brown cow with long horns resting its heads towards the camera. A youngish Highland cow, seated and facing the camera. It's fringe covers its eyes. It has short straight horns. In a field of tufty grass a young Highland calf sits. To its right an adult stands looking towards the camera. At the rear are autumn trees and a grey cloudy sky. In a field in front of golden birch trees under a Highland sky a Highland calf stands facing a sitting adult.
October 21, 2025 at 7:20 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Visiting MacCormick fellow Faith Gordon, talking at @uoelawschool.bsky.social this week on looking at children's safety online from a rights_based perspective.
Seated speakers in front of screen Seated speakers in front of screen
October 17, 2025 at 4:52 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
A visit from @benbradford.bsky.social to @uoelawschool.bsky.social, talking on policing, procedural (in)justice, and impacts on mental health.

#criminology #police
Man at presenter's desk gesturing at slide in front of audience in banked lecture theatre.
October 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Okay, I don't know what was going on here, but after watching The Tourist Trap,I was not sticking around to find out.

13/13 for creepiness.

Bravo, Gorebridge!

#Halloween #Gorebridge
View of transit van. Over the headrest of the passenger seat is a smiling face mask.
October 12, 2025 at 12:29 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Ghost horse! 👻

10/10 for early adoption of Halloween costume

#Halloween
Horse in protective cover that makes it look like it has dressed up as a ghost
October 12, 2025 at 12:26 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Sinister goat!

Okay, friendly goat, but sinister after application of photoshop.

7/10

#Haloween
Horned goat looking at camera. Eyes are artificially red.
October 12, 2025 at 12:20 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Mild spookiness at the Borthwick kirkyard, where I am reminded of my own mortality.

5/10, would benefit from zombies

#Halloween
Tombstone, with crossed bones, skull and hourglass, angel and book
October 12, 2025 at 12:18 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
As we head towards Halloween, I got to thinking that Gorebridge is well named to be Scotland's horror capital. I went to check it out...

#Halloween #VisitScotland
Black and white Scotrail sign for Gorebridge, edited so that Gore shows in red, dripping with blood
October 12, 2025 at 12:15 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Looks like it's that time of year again 🎃☺️
A pumpkin pie, round, filled, orangey brown with one slice cut out. A hand holding a slice of pumpkin pie on a plate Cooked sweet pieces of pumpkin served with tahini and chopped walnuts Cooked sweet pumpkin with tahini and walnuts
October 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Image of professional actor, Pilou Asbaek, in character in Game of Thrones
September 25, 2025 at 3:46 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Guardian headline: Denmark: Professional Actor behind attacks that closed Danish airports defence minister says
September 25, 2025 at 3:45 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
For 4 weeks, Criminology @uoelawschool.bsky.social have been hosting Dr. Haezreena (Reena) Begum Abdul Hamid from Universiti Malaya. As her visit comes towards its close, she shared some of her fascinating research on female imprisonment in Malaysia with staff and postgraduate researchers.
B&W image of Reena, seated, talking to audience. One member looks on from the side. Reena gestures to a screen, unseen off to one side of the image. Wide, colour shot. Audience around tables looking on as Reena starts her talk. At the back of the rom a screen shows a slide of a prisoner, behind bars, and a prison officer. Shelfie/selfie. Reena in the foreground and me in the background. All smiles. Shelves of books and a picture of the Bosnia and Herzegovina State Detention unit to rear.
September 24, 2025 at 3:27 PM
andy8chi.bsky.social
Monday of week 2, even!
Drunk and haggard, Captain Haddock says, "What a semester, huh?" Looking more together, and a bit surprised, Tintin leans in to say "Captain, it's week 2!" Snowy/Milu looks excited at the chance to have some of the captain's drink
September 22, 2025 at 2:38 PM