Early Sunday morning, just after 2 am, after a carnival street party on Claremont Road in the Moss Side area of Manchester, a 12-year-old boy was shot in front of his horrified parents.
It has been reported that the shotgun was recklessly fired at least twice in a large crowd of people during the street party, injuring nine people including two children who were at the party with their parents. Injuries are said not to be life threatening with many suffering pellet injuries, predominantly to their legs.
The shooting took place in the midst of the Manchester Caribbean carnival, celebrated every year in Alexandra Park in south Manchester. The carnival is meant to be a celebration of the area’s multicultural heritage, and had gone off without a hitch until the sudden act of violence.
Though the area in recent years has not had serious issues with gun crime, shootings are not unheard of in Moss Side. For some residents, Sunday’s shooting may bring back memories of Moss Side’s dark past in regards to gun violence.
Historically the area has had the reputation of being a community plagued by gang culture. Once originally known as a home for many Commonwealth migrants in the early 1940s and 50s where diversity was encouraged rather than discouraged, a sudden change occurred in the 1970s and 80s where the area saw an increase of gang violence and crime. Gun violence was said to be so rife in the area that it earned itself the nickname of “gunchester”. Tensions between the police and the residents escalated and resulted what is now known as the 1981 “Moss side riots”, a riot that many described as a “death to the community”.
Thousands of pounds’ worth of items were destroyed in the Riot (Source: MEN)
However for the past two decades, serious efforts have been put in by both Manchester city council and its residents to create an area that has moved far away from the reputation that preceded it.
Thus the shooting will come as a great shock to a community where gun violence, once a daily occurrence in everyday life, was now thought to be a thing of the past.
Though a clear motive has not been established, the chief superintendent Wasim Chaudry has announced that the police have launched an attempted murder investigation.
Idris Elba, best known for his role as Luther, the impulsive detective, who remains tormented by the dark underbelly of humanity, spurred new rumors of his contention for the new Bond role with a cryptic tweet as Daniel Craig steps down after Bond 25 next year.
Elba knows how to play a character with skeletons in their cupboard. As a broken detective with a lot of complexity he is at his best in Luther.
Promoting diversity in movies is important, but that should not mean we change every white male character simply because he is white. This seems excessive. And yes, you can be racist toward white people.
We would be better served to give Idris his own spy movie, franchise it and make minority populations feel included with role models to look up to that a white Caucasian male fails to offer.
A Bond-esque character with a fresh 21st century revamp could be better – if done right.
More concerningly is Barbara Broccoli, the director of the Bond franchise, when asked whether the next Bond could be a woman, replied ‘Who knows what the future brings.’
What is she going to be called? Jessica Bondage? Sounds more like a tacky third-rate porno, but at least she’ll be popular with the opposite sex – a key factor for the ‘sexist’ franchise continuation.
The disjunct between the new proposals and the Daniel Craig films would be problematic at best. The background of the character would have to shift, essentially making a new splinter tale.
This is a form of cultural revisionism designed by pseudo-intellectuals to paint over a character whose essential political incorrectness was something the franchise was built upon.
Character or Codename?
A woman would defy credibility from a consistency perspective. The only way to explain away this disparity is to state ‘Bond’ was a codename and not a recurring character.
However, Bond is a recurring character, and 007 is the codename. They could well have Elba as another agent like Felix Leiter, the CIA operative as played by Jeffrey Wright in the recent films.
Relic of British Imperialism
The fact remains that Bond is a relic of British imperialism, something akin to manifest destiny in America. He needs to represent pax Britannica, portraying the outdated ‘00 license to kill’ that the washed-up superpower likes to call upon to take out their dirty laundry. A feature well captured in Skyfall by Judi Dench’s speech on accountability of MI6 as ‘M’ reciting Tennyson’s Ulysses, and to a lesser extent in Spectre.
Bond needs to be Oxford educated, Saville Row tailored suit, Jermyn Street shirts, white Scot grafted into a gentleman by his time at Eton and later Fettes College in Edinburgh. That’s how the Bond world works. It is meant to be a white bastion, showcasing the ‘white man’s privilege’.
Imagine Idris Elba in Casino Royale entering an African Embassy, ‘shooting up the place to kill one lone bombmaker’ as M lambasts him for. It wouldn’t be the same. The connotations and imagery of a worldly British gentleman educated at one of the most reputable institutions on earth, yet tough enough to survive on the streets of Africa. Bond needs to be a Scotsman because it helps the viewer comprehend his path, and the journey of many who went before him from Scotland. In particular, to colonise and take over the world in search of a better life than a rainy, short, miserable one in Glasgow or Aberdeen slums or the bleak Scottish Highlands despised for bitter winters.
There are four things that Bond can never be: homosexual, not from anywhere who doesn’t recognise Queen and country as his raison-d’etre, and he cannot be any other race than white, or a female.
Remnants of an Empire, Bond’s appeal through metaphor
There is nothing I have against any of these identifying factors. It is purely who and what the franchise is: an insolent British public schoolboy who struggles to find his place in a world of more affluent peers as an orphan, who needs to grow up; but 00 status enables this extended void of responsibility.
If he were any of those four, he would cease to be Bond, because Bond is a ‘sexist, misogynistic dinosaur relic of the Cold War’.
Qualities Specific to the Role
Few actors have the necessary qualities to pull off a successful Bond transition. The appeal isn’t just the blunt instrument he is taken for, but a charismatic capacity to melt butter with one-liners, keep villains into explaining away their schemes to innocuously bumbling through high society where he has no right to be.
Idris, for all his physical presence that is vital for a convincing fight scene: tall, imposing, physically intimidating, modern Bond demand more emotional involvement, a good English accent, icy stare, suave and youthful enough not to look like a past-their-sell-by-date Roger Moore acting the role into his late fifties.
Any future Bond should be able to dedicate a decade to the role, because recasting would lose continuation in the storyline. Idris wouldn’t start filming til he was 47, giving him three movies by 57.
Heritage
For those who suggest Idris, I would ask them would you want someone like Christopher Patten to play T’Challa in Black Panther? Or Danny Devito to play Gandhi?
The same arguments that propose Black Panther to have a white protagonist as T’Challa because of his long lineage falter when you consider Scottish skin colour of an old aristocratic family established in the Highlands that descended since 1183.
Make your own hero
Those who suggest a Bond who is discriminated against, looked down upon because of his skin colour, but rose up because of his aptitude and resolve to become a top-secret agent, do have a point to make in bringing the franchise into the 21st century. However, why touch this one? Why not make their own?
The Bond movies are now made up by scriptwriters, set in the modern world. Fleming’s era did not have mobile phones, satellite surveillance, or women in positions of power. Should we also remove them from the Bond universe because they didn’t exist him Fleming’s time?
What would be nice is that this new figure has difficulties with women, get rejected a few times because the black man who is good with women is a bit cliché. And it would be nice if women wouldn’t be objectified and we had a heroine featuring in a major role like Halle Berry in Die Another Day. Perhaps this alternative would be the hero young black boys look up to in a film industry devoid of ethnic representation.
Left in the lurch: AWoman Bond not inconceivable for Barbara Broccoli, James Bond producer.
Of course, the white man who dreams of getting sex with a lot of women, might feel discriminated – they can just rewatch the old ones.
Should we ponder how much further this could go? An autistic Bond? ADHD? Depression? Wouldn’t this add more depth and relatable quality to the character?
There are twice as many British Asians as British black, of which Indians constitute the largest group.
There are many tall, physically imposing, well-groomed, well-spoken Indians who could nail the James Bond role but for the skin colour and what he stands for.
Where are the calls for more Asians up on the big screen? Perhaps their cultures have assimilated better with British culture to the point where they could pass for a quintessentially British man, leaving less call to complain.
I would love to see wider involvement of these subcultures in the creative space. But not co-opting existing white Caucasian identity by acculturation.
Maybe features like the Walther PPK or the vesper martinis are subject to the artistic license of the directors. But why are we pandering to such a small minority who demand submittance our popular culture to the contusions of their perverse ideology?
James Bond represents a troubled, immature person as metaphor for the confused position England has in the world today. It provides a touchstone – a link to our past, our heritage which is all but lost to the diminished cultural memory extant today.
Why besmirch history by inverting the role to Elba for the sake of political correctness
There are plenty of new characters and opportunities for characters of different genders and cultural backgrounds. If they don’t have the creativity to create franchises as timeless as James Bond, that remain popular throughout generations, it is because they fail to capture the hearts and minds of the audience in the same way.
It is their lack of truly exciting and original ideas that betray them, leaving us with tentpole movies that are fly-by-nights.
Finding the right fit – not plain sailing
It is for this reason that not any old white actor could do either. It requires a specific man for a specific role.
The lack of viable alternatives to Daniel Craig led Eon to increase his remuneration for further films.
There is only one actor who truly fits the bill, is popular enough to draw the crowds, is suave, sophisticated, classic, dangerous, charming, ruthless, and cool. And that is Michael Fassbender. However, he wouldn’t sign to the exclusive contract by a country mile.
Craig took a while to mould into the role, with many older Bond fans disappointed by his offering.
The other suggestions like Tom Hiddlestone,Tom Hardy, or François Damiens lack the looks, imposing demeanour, and the aura.
While new possibilities exist in James Darcy, Matthew Goode, Richard Madden or Henry Cavill, it should remain within the white demographic for the metaphoric imagery Bond conjures up of washed-up Empire, Queen and country, and the confused orphan who never really had to grow up – courtesy of Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
And in the meantime, let’s see what creative projects the subcultures can devise to improve black, women and Asian under-representation.
Yes, you read this right, this is a defense of Alex Jones. Now before you leave, this is not a defense in the traditional sense, believe it or not, but the move by top technology companies to erase most of his content on their platforms should bother you. If it doesn’t you aren’t thinking about it thoroughly enough.
How did we get here?
On the 7th of August, 2018, after months of deliberation, top tech companies, Apple, Google, Facebook and Spotify severely restricted the reach of political pundit and conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, and Infowars, his right-wing site that has been a leading peddler of false information online.
Alex Jones Speaking at AF Free Speech Rally / Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Alex Jones and Infowars have heavily relied on these social media platforms for years to spread their particular brand of dark, bizarre and frankly outrageous conspiracy theories. Some of these theories include, that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax and that mothers and students affected were hired, actors. Another theory was that Democrats run a global child-sex rings and most infamously that the tragedy 9\11 was an inside job by the government. For those who want more proof of his lunacy, there is a whole catalog of Alex Jones theories but we won’t go there today. You can check on his youtube Cha…oh wait.
For more of Alex Jones, Here are some of his greatest hits
Alex Jones Clip Compilation
Combating, his willful lies has always been a difficult territory for tech firms. They have long desired to combat misinformation online especially following the spread of ‘fake news’ during the last presidential election, but have also been reluctant to be arbiters of truth. Whilst this is a difficult chord to strike for business, these top companies made a coordinated decision last week and evicted him from their platform.
What The Tech Companies Said
Facebook, Spotify and Google’s YouTube site removed Infowars content too. Facebook removed four pages belonging to Alex Jones, including one with nearly 1.7 million followers as of last month, for violating its policies by “glorifying violence” and “using dehumanizing language to describe people who are transgender, Muslims and immigrants.”
YouTube terminated Alex Jones’s channel, which had more than 2.4 million subscribers and billions of views on its videos, for repeatedly violating its policies, including its prohibition on “hate speech”. Spotify cited its own prohibition on hate speech as the reason for removing a podcast by Mr. Jones.
Apple removed five of the six Infowars podcasts on its popular Podcasts app. Commenting on the move, a spokeswoman said, “Apple does not tolerate hate speech.
Alex Jones Youtube Channel / Now Removed
Even the Adult site YouPorn followed Apple in this coordinated move.
Breaking: YouPorn is also banning Alex Jones. This is turning out to be a really tough day for Alex. pic.twitter.com/loieGZMcT5
If you’re wondering, yes, some of Jones’ videos were, in fact, available on YouPorn, including one clip titled, “Alex Jones lubing up and violently thrashing his opponents.”
So naturally the next question is…is there lots of Alex Jones content on porn sites? AS IT TURNS OUT THE ANSWER IS YES PLS HELP pic.twitter.com/WSgFUpyi2e
Now in many ways, this looks like a win for ‘truth’ left-wing actors and even independents have welcomed this action as long overdue and desperately needed. However, those cheering this move are short-sighted.
Alex Jones is a smokescreen, what celebrants are really cheering for is an unchecked power that these monopolistic firms have to decide what is good, bad, hate or not. The most sticking feature of this power is that it cuts both ways. Right now it may be cutting ‘our’ enemies, however, when it cuts us, we won’t be so happy.
American poet, writer, and hip-hop artist Jackie Hill Perry/ Source: jackiehillperry.com
American poet, writer, and hip-hop artist Jackie Hill Perry came under fire early this year when a speech about her ex-gay lifestyle on the Harvard College campus led protestors and LGBTG+ activist to deem her speech hate speech as The Harvard Crimson reported. They sought to have her no-platformed but were not successful. Now, Imagine if this decision was instead made on the whim of some billionaire out there who decides what is tolerant and what is not.
This Is Not A Defence
This is not as much a defence of Alex Jones as it is a defence of free speech. If we believe in a market place of ideas then it is important that we allow market forces determine what ideas are salient. Suppose Alex Joes does purport hate speech. The way you beat hate speech is not no-speech but good speech. Students should suggest better ideas, campaign for them,narrate a better ideology and beat his ideas, all of which can only be done in the market place of ideas. If you are afraid Jones is perpetuating a false narrative, set up a facebook page called ‘debunking Alex Jones’ and win in the market place of ideas.
If there was another facebook or twitter then power would not be so concentrated; however, these companies are monopolies desperate to abscond government regulation.
If we treat these public companies as public utilities, then we actually have a marketplace of ideas and thus we can beat Alex Jones speech with better speech. No platforming doesn’t make bad ideas disappear, it forces them underground. We cannot beat ideas we cannot name of identity. Covert actors with bad ideas are enduringly more dangerous and loud ones because, with loud and open actors, you at least know what you are dealing with.
The moves over the last few days helped fuel that debate. “Whether you like @RealAlexJones and Infowars or not, he is undeniably the victim today of collusion by the big tech giants,” Nigel Farage, a British conservative politician, said on Twitter.
Nigel Farage using @LBC studios to spread hatred and interview with Alex Jones, who thinks both 9/11 and Sandy Hook were 'false flags'.pic.twitter.com/PhYwsNsHDO
Facebook, Spotify, Google, YouTube and all other tech companies are private companies with ‘terms of use’ and ‘conditions’ and so this is in no way a critique of their decision. Instead, if we follow this route down the map, we arrive in a place where unelected and unaccountable billionaires on a personal whim get to decide not only the livelihood of individuals but also what speech is good and what speech is hate.
In our current context, Facebook, Spotify, Google and YouTube and not just firms but large monopolies who control and dominate the internet. Their decisions have deep ramifications. Either we treat them as public utilities like gas and electricity which no one can be denied use of on grounds of hate or we regulate them. That way, they become accountable to democratic will and rule. If not, those cheering this decision do not know that they will inadvertently usher in a digital age where vested interested are allowed to dominate unchecked.
In many ways, the demand for a second in/out referendum on the UK’s EU membership seems to be gaining momentum. For all that we have been told ever since that fateful June day when the result was announced that the issue was a done deal, there are some signs the tide may be turning. A petition to hold another Brexit vote has reached 600,000 signatures. There seems to be an endless supply of polls suggesting large numbers of voters have lost faith in the Brexit process, and would back another referendum. If that isn’t enough for you, even Nigel Farage has expressed support for the idea.
And yet, for all the hype, it is still hard to see that second vote taking place, especially while the Conservatives are in power. Only a liberal minority of the party’s MPs would back such a move, while a far greater number of Tory parliamentarians would be enraged by it. At a time when Theresa May’s majority is wafer-thin, she can ill afford such discontent in her party.
Similarly, most of the party’s voters backed the Leave campaign two years ago, with the majority of whom showing no sign of changing their minds on the issue. Any feeling that the party is giving in to the demands of Remain supporters could lead these voters to leave the Conservatives in favour of right-leaning alternatives such as UKIP.
Prime minister Theresa May, who is unlikely to give in to demands for another referendum (Source: The Commentator)
All this makes it difficult to see how another referendum would be in Theresa May’s best interests. Remainers may argue she would benefit from giving voters the chance to avert Brexit and the potential negative economic effects for the country it holds, but she cannot think so long-term; even announcing a referendum would almost certainly spell the end for her political career. Put another way, May and her party can cross the potential bridge of the fallout from Brexit when they come to it
A more plausible opportunity for another referendum may come from the Labour Party. It is important to remember that the party leadership is currently does not currently support such a move, instead arguing that the will of the people expressed in 2016 should be respected. However, there does appear to be a strong groundswell of opinion in the mostly-Remain supporting party that staying in the EU would be the best course of action for the country.
Crucially, many such Remainers can be found in the left wing of the party, which for the last few years has been dominant in Labour. For these party members, Brexit is perhaps the one issue on which they significantly disagree with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his allies. There is already talk of members trying to get a second referendum voted in as official policy at the party’s conference later this year.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure from members of his party to change his Brexit policy (Source: Sky News)
It is important to remember, though, that Labour are not imminently close to power. Considering the UK is slated to leave the EU by March 2019, they would probably have to have won power before this time, either through May calling a snap election (she would certainly be more wary in doing so than she was last time) or though a vote of no confidence against the prime minister. Either is possible, but the chances of one happening before Brexit takes place, along with Labour’s official stance on the issue changing so substantially, appear slim at best.
With this in mind does seem unlikely that we will get a ‘final say’ before the UK leaves the EU. Then again, it seemed unlikely that Brexit would happen in the first place, but look where we have ended up.
The former Mayor of London and former Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has potentially harmed a huge section of society with his comments regarding Denmark’s burka ban – Muslim women. In his article, he referred to Muslim women who wear the veil as ‘letterboxes’ and ‘bank robbers,’ a comment which is both ignorant and harmful.
Boris Johnson (Source: AOL.com)
Already the target of most Islamophobic crimes, Muslim women face increasing opposition in every day society. The reality however, is that these women are not at all how Boris Johnson has described them; in fact, they comprise countless hard-working and independent women, who are tirelessly and positively contributing to the UK across all sectors of society-as mothers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc.
Boris Johnson’s reckless comments will, undoubtedly, empower and bolster far-right elements of society. Mr Johnson has, therefore, attempted to use the far right for political gain, much like Islamophobes such as Geert Wilders and Tommy Robinson. Their rhetoric is destructive, seeking to divide society according to delineations of hate and xenophobia.
Rather than to ‘’liberate’’ Muslim women from so-called ‘’oppressive’’ religious practices, the words of Mr Johnson will place the women they claim to protect directly in the line of danger. For example, the Tell MAMA Annual Report 2017 highlights this issue, stating that 6 out of 10 anti-Muslim hate crime victims were women. This highlights an urgent and menacing threat to the very fabric of our society.
The foundations of this wonderful nation are rooted in the core values of respect, tolerance and a form of plurality that celebrates different faiths, cultures and beliefs. It is, therefore, essential that we abide by these values in the global village in which we all live and create an environment of peace, love, harmony, loyalty, and true integration.
The UK has avoided burka bans, such as those enforced by countries like Denmark, as they result in a hostile and toxic environment for women who have done nothing more than to dress in a particular way.
After making the case that Britain shouldn’t follow Denmark in banning the burqa, why Boris Johnson should resort to ‘letterbox’ and ‘bank robber’ jibes is plain wring. Such basic disrespect of people.
On the one hand, it is right for women who cover themselves to be asked to identify themselves for security reasons when and if it is necessary to do so, on the other, women who choose to dress modestly according to their own free will, should be afforded the fundamental freedom to do so.
Together with 38,000 other Muslims, I recently attended the Jalsa Salana, an international Muslim Convention held in Alton, Hampshire, in a site that is transformed from a farm into a tent-city by a team of 7,000 volunteers, 3,000 of whom were Muslim women from all walks of life.
I wonder how many Muslim women wearing a Niqaab will have to hear “letterbox” being yelled at them. Your words have real world consequences Boris.
— Nihal Arthanayake ?️???????????? (@TherealNihal) August 6, 2018
These women, including doctors, engineers, lawyers and others, are nation builders and an undeniable source of knowledge, power and experience to the UK. When I saw them, I did not see oppressed women, but empowered human beings and role models. Mr Johnson and those who harbour far-right ideology, would do well to recognise this, and harness their immense potential contribution as opposed to syphoning them off like some unwanted minority.
Society must create and cultivate an environment that encourages people of all backgrounds to flourish. Until and unless we do so, we run the risk of destroying the very foundations of plurality and liberal democracy upon which this great nation was built.
Umar Zeshan Bhatti is currently studying Law and is interested in Human Rights. He is part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association.
Early Tuesday morning this week, a blaze broke out in the flat of The Urhie’s on Aldolphus Street in Deptford. Mrs Urhie (49) and her daughter Sarah (19), escaped the fire by jumping from the first floor, however sadly her son Joel Urhie was not able to follow them. It is believed that the young boy was trapped in his bedroom and it proved too difficult to reach him.
Police and Forensic teams arrive at the charred flat in Deptford.
Witness report hearing the distraught Mrs Urhie crying on the floor screaming “my son is inside, my son is inside”. Family friend Grace Gbenedio stated that after hearing the screams she rushed out to see the mother on the floor screaming repeatedly for help. When shown the room that the boy was trapped in she likened the fire to a curtain and said no one could go in or out.
Both Mrs Urhie and her daughter were taken to a nearby hospital where they were joined by Joel’s older brother Sam(21), who arrived at the hospital with his friends in a car after hearing the news. The grief-stricken Sam was seen shouting “Why him? Oh, why not me? It should have been me. Why not me to die?”
Many suspect that the fire was a deliberate arson attack and was “gang-related” with the older brother Sam being the intended target. This has not been confirmed yet but Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan has released a statement that a murder investigation is being carried out as they believe that the fire was started deliberately.
With the Premier League starting in a couple of days on the 10th of August, fans and players alike are preparing themselves for another season of football. Last year was a historic season for Manchester City running away with the league by December and earning 100 points making the rest of a top 5 battle out with each other for a champions league spot. With the transfer market shorter than usual its meant that teams have had to act quicker or unfortunately not been able to negotiate terms and conditions for their intended transfer target.
The Premier League 2018/2019 season is underway in less than a week
This season, like every season, is generally different. But this season Arsenal have a new manager in Unai Emery, who was a 3x consecutive winner of the Europa League with Sevilla. Arsenal are in the Europa League since they finished sixth last season, Emery will be sure to make it a target for them to win the European Competition. Nearly 22 years of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal no longer being the helm will take to getting use to for the whole club and fans. Likewise sensational striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang having his first full season will be new and a thriller for fans and additions such as Leno, Lichtsteiner and Torreira coming into the mix will be exciting but will also take time for everything to click together. Moreover being linked with highly touted after Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona might be the biggest positive they have this season.
Chelsea have a new manager in Maurizio Sarri, the previous Napoli manager who played some of the most exciting football in Europe last season with their fast-paced game moving the ball very quickly. He brought defensive midfielder Jorginho along with him to solidify the Chelsea midfield. Along with Arsenal their also in the Europa League this season as the finished fifth, whether their Belgian star players in Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard are still at the club at the start of the season is to be determined as both are reported to be going to Real Madrid. Losing these 2 would be a massive blow to their title challenge and most likely playing philosophy.
Liverpool have strengthened their squad quite considerably with new additions in Naby Keita of Leipzig, Fabinho of Monaco, Stoke City’s Xherdan Shakiri and world record transfer fee for Roma goalkeeper Allison. Losing in the Champions League final last year due to their best player getting injured from a Sergio Ramos tackle and a comedic performance from goalkeeper Karius, forced the Liverpool board to move aggressively in the transfer market and even more adamant to fix their mistakes, however with all these additions is it finally time for Jurgen Klopp to not just perform but also win actual silverware?
Allison from Roma could be the solutions to all of Liverpools goalkeeping problems (Source: SkySports)
Manchester city still have Pep Guardiola at the helm and with their first team returning from the world cup with minimal changes except for adding a world class talent in former Leicester player Riyad Mahrez, their chances of retaining the Premier League title is looking very likely. With already securing the Community shield against Chelsea with a 2-0 win on Sunday they’re off to a good start. However the competition should be a lot more difficult than it was last season, so this year will really be a test of their resolve and grit. The last time a team retained the Premier league title was Manchester United in from 06/07 to 08/09. Kevin De Bruyne who’s been named in the 10-man short list for FIFA pro best player award will be sure to leave another mark this season and further assert his class and poise over the rest.
Mahrez has finally had his dream move to City to play under Pep Guardiola (Source: Mancity)
Tottenham Hotspurs are still relatively the same, transfers wise they haven’t acquired anyone. This must be a worry for the fans as most of their money is ted up in building their new stadium. They could also be losing their highly rated centre back Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United adding further troubles in team depth. With Pochettino’s progressive tactics, there’s a wonder where they will place in the league table, as well as being in the Champions league this season could spell the same outcome as last season with coming far but not quite making it.
Manchester United return with a World Cup winner in their ranks from Paul Pogba and third place striker Romelu Lukaku, both are very much needed to perform at their peak levels this season. United have new signings of midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk and full back Diogo Dalot from Porto to add to their ranks. Unfortunately pre-season has looked horrendous for United with Jose Mourinho still playing mind games and even complaining publicly about players like youngster Anthony martial who received a £180,000 fine for not returning to pre-season due to spending time with his new born child as his wife had complications during birth. Without a doubt Mourinho’s complaining and excuses will continue all throughout the season. Signing Fellaini to a new 2-year contract hasn’t gone down a treat with the base as well due to Fellaini’s lack of quality to be a Manchester United calibre player. Jose is creating rifts between fans and some are wondering whether they want Mourinho still at the club and if he can really lead United to a Premier League trophy. It has been rumoured that Zinedine Zidane could be lined up to replace him.
Mourinho looks to be in meltdown mode as he’s experienced at previous clubs (Source:Express)
For next seasons predictions the likely outcome for the Premier League will be Manchester City placing first, Liverpool second, Chelsea third, Manchester United fourth and the fifth and sixth place being a toss up between the 2 North London clubs of Arsenal and Tottenham. But football can be very unpredictable and new surprises can spring up to change all the outcomes and predictions, nevertheless its sure to be a thrill if its competitive all round.
Back in June 2018 the Somers Town Coffee House in Euston was damaged by a large fire that was caused by a cigarette that had not been put out correctly. Some of you will remember that the original open meeting for The Common Sense Network was in fact in this very building. It was with great sadness that members of The Common Sense Network took the news of the Coffee House’s closure.
The coffee house, which is located less than 1 mile from Euston station, is not only a coffee house and a pub but it also has rooms available for booking for various events.
The London Fire Brigade reported that at one point there were around 72 firefighters and 10 fire engines tackling the fire at one time with onlookers and people who lived nearby explaining how they could smell the smoke from inside their houses and describing the streets as filled with smoke.
The staff were able to get everyone out of the building within three minutes with the majority of the damage being done to a residential building that some of the staff lived in.
In July, less than three weeks after the damage had been done, Somers Town Coffee House was able to have a re-opening “hard hat party” whilst some work was being finalised and since then they have been consistently up and running. The owner of the venue Tim Foster said “We could close it for a year without losing any money but that’s not what we’re about. We’ve spent the past 5 years building it up. We want people enjoying the pub” and that’s exactly what they have been able to do.
Big thanks to everyone who joined us last night @TheSomersTown for the re-opening! Despite the scaffolding we r now open all day everyday pic.twitter.com/fXhJ1ODTAF
The staff credit the firefighters for the way that they were able to minimise damage to the building and help to prevent further structural damage, they went as far as to say that they will be raising money to donate to support the firefighters. They’ve also agreed that the firefighters will have their Christmas party at the venue and said that no firefighter will ever have to pay for anything there again.
We wish The Somers Town Coffee House the very best.
We’ve now got you covered come ? or ☀️ now!! Whoever said there were no benefits to one of the largest ?’s in London this year, we’ll, you were clearly wrong ?. Watch this space, more poles going up tomorrow…#firewhatfirepic.twitter.com/qwq6JeqcXb
— Somers Town Coffee House (@TheSomersTown) August 2, 2018
2017 seemed to be the year of hope for many Zimbabweans; the 37 year reign of President Mugabe had finally ended. The leader of the the Political party Zanu-PF was made step down after the Zimbabwean army took seizure of of the 94 year old, in what was truly shocking but peaceful manner.
On November 24th the Vice President of Zimbabwe Emmerson Mnangagwa, was sworn in with the promise that 2018 election would go ahead. Coincidently the “not coup” of President Mugabe happened shortly after Mnangagwa had been fired by Mugabe. Many speculating the dismissal as a political move by Mugabe’s wife “Gucci Grace” (41 years his junior) as a way of paving her succession of her husband to the presidency.
Robert and Grace Mugabe (Source: News24)
Violence Erupts in Zimbabwe
The hope and peace however has been stained by recent bloodshed following the controversial and debatable free elections. On August 1st supporters of the opposing party Movement of the Democratic Change (MDC) took the streets of the capital, Harare. Tyres were burned, street signs torn down which led to Zimbabwean military opening fire; killing at least six people.
Aftermath of the elections
Former youth activist Nelson Chamisa (pictured above) was picked as successor to MDC (after death of its leader Morgan Tsvangirai) called out the election as being nothing but fair describing the president’s victory as a “coup against the people’s will”. Mnangagwa won with a slim 50.8% with Chamisa falling behind with 44.3% of almost 5 million votes and the remaining 21 candidates taking the rest. 144 seats were taken by Zan-PF; 64 by MCD alliance formed by seven parties and finally 1 seat by the National Patriotic Front.
Despite Mnangagwa’s attempts to call on peace. The opposition continue to oppose his Victory. Mna called on Chamisa to Zimbabwe as well as Chamisa o join in peace and unity, condemning the action of the military and promising protection not prosecutions for Zimbabwe.
Chamisa retorted with further accusation claiming that the results were “corrupted”, an opinion also shared by EU observers of the elections. In addition to the violence police have been patrolling the streets dispersing journalist and raiding MDC Headquarters, preventing Chamisa from speaking after the results.
MDC continue to retract support to the new president with its leader piling on the pressure, stating they have evidence of ballots being transported in open trucks, potentially allowing tampering. Chamisa continues to challenge and states MDC will continue to use all legal basis to uncover the truth of the results.
What Next
Though Mnangagwa has condemned the actions of the army and police.The hope the once rang through the air has been replaced by an atmosphere tension and fear. Now Mnangagwa must prove that when he says he want to move with peace he will continue to do so. With Zimbabwe’s economy in ruins, the next steps in rebuilding the country seem to point towards improving its financial stability.
Tanya Mwamuka is currently studying Biomedical Sciences at the University of Manchester and hopes to pursue a career science communication, media and African development. She is a lover of fashion, travelling and has a keen interest in racial- social issues. She enjoys learning languages, being fluent in two and is currently adding Spanish to her resume.
People often talk of slavery as if it were a tragedy of the past, part of history’s atrocities, devastating, but over now. However, constantly we are proven wrong. Whether we see snippets of clips of west Africans being kidnapped and sold in Libyan slave trades to people being trafficked and forced to work off fishing boats in Thailand, modern day slavery very much remains intact and without a doubt a major human rights issue that it is imperative that we continue to combat. I will not attempt to suggest that the current situation in Nepal consists of isolated incidents in the country and surrounding regions but draw attention to the rise in the trafficking of women in recent years.
The earthquakes of 2015 (one hitting Nepal April 25th 2015 between the Capital Kathmandu and Pokhara at a magnitude of 7.8 and another after several aftershocks hitting east Nepal going up to 7.3 on the richer scale in on the 12th of May in the same year) caused major damage to the already impoverished country that was responsible for over 9000 fatalities and many more seriously injured, with over eight million people affected, reports BBC news, the destruction of houses, farms, religious establishments and other monumental buildings. In addition to this, there has reported to have been a rise in girls and women being trafficked in and across borders over the past few years. Destinations range from close by countries such as India, Sri Lanka, further afield such as South Korea, Malaysia and recently a rise in girls being transported to Gulf countries.
Photo Credit: Carl Whetham/IFRC/PA Wire
According to Indian authorities, Nepali women rescued from the border between Nepal and India has gone from 33 cases in 2014 before the temblor, to 336 in 2015, 501 in 2016 and 607 in 2017 and these numbers continue to rise this year.
Many estimations have been made on just how many Nepali girls and women are trafficked, Amnesty International argues that there has been 600,000 to 800,000, the FBI have suggested 700,000 however UNICEF have estimated around 1.75 million females have been trafficked. Currently there is no solid statistics on the number of people trafficked due to the number of undocumented cases.
Trafficking, of course, is a global problem which has existed for thousands of years, and particularly vulnerable to these types of crimes are children and women although in recent years Nepali youths have become more susceptible to this act of illegal human trading. Already Nepal is known as low income country with issues with gender discrimination (there exists a large dependence on men, reinforced by politics meaning women in the country remain “citoyennes de seconde zone” which is expressed through the gender education gap, rates of forced marriage and are very often a target of domestic violence) however following the recent natural disasters people have been becoming desperate.
(Source: Elizabethavedon.blogspot)
With sources of income from farms and other establishments being destroyed more and more people have turned to selling humans in commercial sex trades in order to round up extra earnings during a difficult time. Plus, with expansion in local sex industries, there is money to be found in this deplorable commerce. Another possible reason for the acceleration is the separation between families that seismic activity causes. Sometimes separations come directly from the earthquakes where people are displaced and missing and additionally, due to economic reasons families feel they are incapable of looking after their children financially and so a complete lack of monetary support leads youths to search for sources of income elsewhere.
These youths who are most vulnerable often seek for employment abroad in order to finance themselves or/and families and are often exploited by people within the family such as uncles, cousins and in some cases cousins as well as strangers who give them false promises of fortune beyond borders.
(taken at the Saatchi Gallery, London, original photo by Lizzie Sadin in 2017)
Not only are these young women trafficked on a conventional level, to work at brothels clubs and forced into marriages but also are forced into child labour such as mining, domestic servants and even in circuses. In even more serious cases there have been reports of organ removal amongst the young and exploited.
There are many measures that have been put in and have yet to be put in place in order to combat these barbarities. From more check points being put up around Nepal and at borders, education on how to detect high risk situations to women and children service centres and organisations dedicated to help those who are defenceless.
(source: The Himalayan Times)
Despite these measures, trafficking is suspected to rise particularly due to the delayed reconstruction of the country so whether these efforts will minimise rates of exploitation, only time will tell. Nonetheless, it is with the economic, political and cultural development (not viewing women as second class citizens) of the country that we should see a decline to these violations against human rights.
Benedicta Denteh is currently studying Arabic and French at the University of Manchester and hopes to become a linguist and broadcast journalist in the future. In her free time, she enjoys learning about African development and issues to do with race, society and culture. Benedicta also takes pleasure in acting and travelling.
“I’m sorry, our ice cream machine is down” is the usual disappointing response when you try ordering a Mcflurry. Its become a running joke that the ice cream machines at McDonald’s restaurants never work and are always broken.
In fact, in recent years many disappointed customers have taken to social media to express their anger and frustration. One customer went on to create an app that lets customers know whether their nearby McDonald’s have a working ice cream machine or not.
McDonald’s has tried to reassure its loyal customers that it’ll improve its service with one of their employees explaining to the Wall Street Journal why the Mcflurry machines are always broken. The spokeswoman told the WSJ, “We regularly serviceour soft-serve equipment during off-peak hours. Customers who come in during that time may encounter a longer wait time or soft-serve dessert unavailability.”
She added, that the 11-part cleaning process “involves combining a sanitizing mix with warm water, removing and rinsing seven parts, brushing clean two fixed parts for 60 seconds and wiping down the machine with a sanitized towel.”
Icecream from Madconalds (Source: McDonalds)
Sounds like a tedious process to clean the Mcflurry machine, doesn’tit? McDonald’s requires the machines to undergo a nightly cleaning cycle that can last up to 4hours. During this time, they can’t serve ice cream. In early 2017, McDonald’s vowed to replace its ice cream machines with ones that have fewer parts and are easy to maintain in order to serve more ice cream and minimize customers frustration and disappointment but complaints about `broken Mcflurry machines are still pouring in.
A McDonald’s Vanilla Milkshake (Source: McDonalds)
When contacted about the multitude of complaints, it turned out the machines hadn’t been changed yet, but replacement machines had been identified. “In order to better serve our customers the delicious treats they enjoy, we have identified new soft serve equipment options and are working hard to make these available for restaurants as quickly as possible,” a McDonald’s representative commented.
A McDonald’s McFlurry
For now, you may have to keep your Mcflurry cravings to a minimum until McDonald’s deals with the issue or use the app that lets you check the nearest restaurant to you that has a functioning ice cream machine.
Shafiq Kyazze is a Chemical engineering student at The University of Manchester and has a strong interest in philosophy and history having been exposed to such issues at a very tender age. He is also very keen on topics concerning the global economy, politics, and social issues, but when he’s not engrossed in such conversations, you can find him supporting the Barcelona football team or writing articles for The Common Sense Network.
The Russia scandal that has raged on since before Trump was even elected is in some ways the very antithesis of Trump’s presidency. It has loomed forebodingly ever since Trump took office, never quite bringing him down no matter how many of his former associates are indicted, never quite going away no matter how many times Trump tweets “NO COLLUSION” in relation to the investigation. Leading the investigation is attorney Robert Mueller, who in many ways appears an anti-Trump: an unassuming bureaucratic figure in contrast to Trump’s pomp and showmanship. Put another way, the Trump administration and the Russia investigation to be in a kind of perfect equilibrium.
Such was the case, anyway, until the apparent defection of Trump’s lawyer and erstwhile ally, Michael Cohen. Cohen had long seemed the most loyal of comrades, gaining a reputation as Trump’s ‘attack dog’ during his ten-year affiliation with the president. He has a long history of threatening who have challenged or criticised Trump, as well as attempting to deal with his employer’s controversies himself, such as when he admitted to paying off adult film actress Stormy Daniels out of his own pocket for her silence over an alleged affair with Trump.
In May, though, Rudy Giuliani, another member of Trump’s legal team, confirmed that Cohen was no longer in the employ of the president. Since this revelation, it appears to many that Cohen is going out of his way to undermine his former boss, releasing information which is at best embarrassing, and at worst incriminating, to Trump.
Since his departure from Trump’s legal team, Cohen has leaked a recording of he and Trump discussing payment of more silence money, this time to former Playboy model Karen MacDougal, who it is also alleged had an affair with Trump. In the tapes, Trump allegedly proposes paying MacDougal off with cash, a suggestion which Cohen overrules. Such a recording, if proven, could potentially lead to legal issues for the president, exposing him to particular charges of fraud. Unsurprisingly, Trump has decried the tape and the story around it as ‘fake news’.
Michael Cohen, right, watches a speech alongside his former employer Donald Trump (Source: Newsweek)
Just as seriously, Cohen has also claimed that Trump knew about a meeting with a Russian official who claimed to have offered ‘dirt’ on rival Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election campaign. Trump’s son Donald Jr and son-in-law Jared Kushner, among others, met with a Russian lawyer to help bring down the Clinton campaign. Trump had always claimed that he had been unaware of his family members attending the meeting, something which Cohen’s statement challenges. Whether Cohen’s testimony is useful to Mueller as proof of collusion remains to be seen, but it is certainly a distinct possibility.
Unsurprisingly, the response to Cohen’s recent actions has been met with fury from those in Trump’s inner circle. Trump has suggested he is falsifying his accusations in order to cover for his own misconduct, while in a slightly bizarre interview Giuliani compared Cohen to Shakespearean traitors Iago and Brutus.
Certainly, the suddenness with which Cohen has jumped ship has been dramatic, theatrical even. It certainly begs the question of what has caused this extreme transformation from fierce ally to informant in a matter of weeks. There is discussion of federal charges being levelled against Cohen as a result of the Stormy Daniels affair, which may lead him to agree a deal with prosecutors who could take a more lenient approach in return for information about Trump or his family. Some have speculated that Trump’s inability to stand by Cohen in the face of such charges helped to intensify the rift between the two men, speculation which has been fuelled by Cohen’s recent statement in an interview that he “will not be a punching bag as part of anyone’s defence strategy”.
Whatever the reason, Trump may have much to fear from Cohen being ‘flipped’ by prosecutors. As Cohen’s revelations suggest, his years working for Trump may have resulting in his being privy to much private information, and he could be in a key position to offer the inside track on some of Trump’s more dubious dealings. If this is the case, prosecutors may gain crucial evidence of Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia in the election campaign, or – perhaps more plausibly – obstruction of justice in the attempts to cover up the scandal. Cohen’s decision to defect and stick the knife into his former boss may amount to absolutely nothing in the context of Mueller’s investigation. Or, it may tip the equilibrium between the president and the scandal, and not in Trump’s favour.
Demi Lovato is reportedly still in hospital after suffering from complications from an alleged opioid overdose. The 25 year old has battled with an open struggle with addiction, self harming and an eating disorder, the culmination of which led to her going to a rehabilitation centre for 3 months in 2011.
Just officially turned 6 years sober. So grateful for another year of joy, health and happiness. It IS possible. ??
In 2017 she announced that she was 6 years sober and said that it was possible.
Lovato has expressed her struggle in her music. In 2011 she released the song ‘Skyscraper’ where she said referred to herself as a skyscraper saying that even if everyone took everything from her, she would still be standing strong. She also subtly addressed her issues with self harm, asking if people would have felt better watching her whilst she bled. Skyscraper was the song that Lovato released as an explanation before being admitted into rehab. Using the same form of self expression, Lovato released a song titled “Sober” this year. The song details a more recent struggle with addiction and shows her apologising to her parents and her friends, her future lover and the fans that she has lost. She sings that she isn’t sober anymore and that she will get the help that she needs and even that she wants to be a role model again but that she’s only human. She goes as far as to say “wake me when the shakes are gone and the cold sweats disappear, call me when it’s over and myself has reappeared.”
The singer-songwriter is still in hospital following complications and is reportedly still so sick that rehab hasn’t even been part of the discussion yet. She reportedly fired her long time sober coach just three weeks before this incident occurred following a failed intervention.
As many know, Demi’s big break came from Disney as she was first cast in their 2008 movie “Camp Rock” (and the sequel), she also went on to be cast alongside then best friend Selena Gomez in the Disney movie” Princess Protection Programme” and also was cast as the main role in the Disney sitcom “Sonny with a Chance” and when talking about her struggles with addiction she says that they started during that period. She isn’t the first Disney start to seem to have trouble coping, in fact she joins a line of many. There were the stars who came before Lovato. The generation of Britney Spears was first and Britney of course, had an overly document breakdown. Then followed the generation of Raven Symoné, Lindsey Lohan, Shia LaBeouf and Orlando Brown who all had some sort of public meltdown or battled with some sort of addiction in the public eye. In Demi’s generation of Disney Stars we have seen the recent breakdown of Miley Cyrus who also found herself using drugs. We’ve also seen stars like Bella Thorne, who stared alongside Zendaya in Disney’s “Shake It Up”, who have tried extremely hard to shed their Disney past by any means possible. Thorne’s extremely well documented wild ride has included cheating on multiple partners, explicit pictures and even snap-chatting herself getting a wax. She has publicly stated that she never wanted to be a “Disney Girl”. We even saw stars like Zac Efron who quietly checked himself into rehab to deal with a cocaine addiction and admitted that he was addicted to alcohol and that he regularly went to therapy and to alcoholic’s anonymous.
Clearly there is a fundamental flaw in the system that is failing these young people but we here at TCS want to wish Demi Lovato a healthy and speedy recovery and we hope that she gets all of the help and support that she needs.
Right-wing activist and former leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson has been released from prison on bail. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon, had an appeal to quash his May conviction for contempt of court upheld, and he will now face a retrial before a new judge.
Robinson and his case have long split opinion in the UK and beyond. Many argue that Robinson has been jailed simply for speaking a truth which the political and legal establishment did not like, while critics claim Robinson’s rhetoric amounts to no more than hate speech. This divide was reflected by remarkable scenes in London, where the appeal was being heard, as protesters for both sides exchanged abuse. There was also jubilation among his supporters, many of whom began singing and dancing in the streets at the news that his appeal had been upheld.
Robinson had been arrested, tried and sentenced to 13 months in prison in just five hours’ time in May of this year, after he had filmed an hour-long Facebook Live video outside Leeds crown court. In the video he posted, Robinson reported on an ongoing trial and filmed the defendants, despite blanket reporting restrictions being in place for the trial. Judge Geoffrey Marson QC had deemed that Robinson’s breaking of such restrictions ran the risk of influencing the jury’s decision. He was given 10 months for the offence, along with an additional three for transgressing a suspended contempt of court sentence.
Successful appellant Tommy Robinson (Source: PA)
While in prison, Robinson appealed both the recent Leeds conviction, and the earlier one resulting in a suspended sentence, which was issued in May 2017 at Canterbury crown court. Robinson’s lawyers argued in both cases that he had not been fully made aware by the presiding judges of which of Robinson’s specific actions constituted contempt of court. Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett dismissed his appeal of the Canterbury verdict, stating that Robinson’s counsel “had taken a tactical decision not to ask the judge spell out in full the specific actions constituting contempt”, as well as noting that no prior complaint had been made about this lack of clarification.
However, Lord Burnett upheld Robinson’s appeal of his Leeds conviction. The essence of this decision was that Judge Marson had rushed Robinson’s trial when there was no need to do so. The only urgency in his case was that Robinson’s video may have influenced the jury in the ongoing trial, yet Robinson offered to remove the video from Facebook before the jury – who had retired – would have had a chance to see it. According to Lord Burnett, having the video removed from Facebook meant there was no reason to try and sentence Robinson with such speed. Doing prevented Robinson from being informed as to which of his actions actually constituted contempt of court, as well as stopping him from mitigating his actions and thus having an effect on his sentence.
That racist and bigot Tommy Robinson has been released from prison. MSM should not give him any airtime so he can promote his hatred. He should be banned from public events for inciting racial hatred.
The important thing for Robinson’s sympathisers and detractors to take away from today’s ruling is that it says absolutely nothing about his guilt or innocence. No matter how much it may be celebrated in some quarters and bemoaned in others, Robinson has not ‘won’, nor is this a victory for ‘free speech’ or a defeat for ‘tolerance’. All Lord Burnett has decided is that the process by which he was tried and sentenced was unfair to the defendant, and that his trial must take place again under more equitable conditions. While some may argue that it is evidence of the prejudice the justice system has against Robinson for his controversial views, it is equally evidence that it is capable of recognising that such prejudice took place, and was wrong. Whether the decision was right or wrong, it was made with a view to ensuring that everyone, from heroic crusader to hate preacher (even if they are the same person), is treated equally in the eyes of the law. Only Robinson’s new trial can decide whether he is guilty.
Prime minister Theresa May, who is unlikely to give in to demands for another referendum (Source: The Commentator)
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is under pressure from members of his party to change his Brexit policy (Source: Sky News)
The London Fire Brigade reported that at one point there were around 72 firefighters and 10 fire engines tackling the fire at one time with onlookers and people who lived nearby explaining how they could smell the smoke from inside their houses and describing the streets as filled with smoke.
Michael Cohen, right, watches a speech alongside his former employer Donald Trump (Source: Newsweek)
Successful appellant Tommy Robinson (Source: PA)