The end of the year usually means one thing. Ending it in style. Here are a few tips and tricks that will make sure you actually make it to 2018 too. Start the year with your head upright.
5. SWEAT IT OUT
This one isn’t the most convenient but for those who can manage it, get up and work out! Sweat those toxins out of your body. You may end up vomiting or feeling like crap along the way but you’ll be grateful that evening or the next day not only because you’re no longer feeling the effects of the alcohol but you also get to be proud of yourself for being productive and working out.
Man suffering from a hangover (cartoon)
4. EAT
I cannot stress this enough! Eat during the day before a night of drinking and try and have a good breakfast the morning after as well. The food will help soak up the alcohol and it’ll keep you feeling miles better. There’s a reason the phrase is “Eat, drink and be merry” in that order.
3. PACE YOURSELF
Having a heap of different drinks may have you feeling fantastic in the moment but about an hour later your stomach may start having a very public disagreement with you. Ease yourself into it! Actually enjoy the drink, take a minute and take it in. Take your time with one type of drink before moving on to another. If all else fails try to remember the age old saying “Beer before liquor, never sicker. Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear”.
2. WATER
Man drinking a large bottle of water
Throughout the night do not forget to keep yourself hydrated with some good old fashioned h2o. Excess alcohol can cause dehydration and then on top of that if you’re losing more fluid than you’re consuming, you’re also dehydrated. In other words, if your night includes sweating, crying or vomiting then you are losing fluid. Drink it in shots if that makes it more interesting. For every shot of tequila, pair it with a shot of water. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
1. GET AHEAD OF THE GAME
After a night of drinking by the time you get home you’re exhausted and ready for a good long sleep. The best thing to do before taking that slumber is to take some paracetamol, (please don’t do this if there hasn’t been a sufficient amount of time since your last drink) you’re less likely to feel as bad if your head hurts a little less.
These 5 may work for some and may not work for others but it never hurts to try. Remember drink responsibly and have a wonderful start to the New Year.
This post was written by TCS Contributor Jireh Antwi.
If you’re an NBA fan you know that Christmas day is normally a good indicator of how the season is going to pan out. It allows everyone in the league to see how far you’ve come, the chemistry and cohesion your players have and what you’ll be facing in the play-offs. As always, there were a few big games this year. The annual Cleveland Cavaliers vs the Golden State Warriors but without Kyrie Irving, OKC vs Houston with the new addition of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul with CP3 unfortunately out of this game, Boston Celtics vs Washington Wizards, the Philadelphia Sixers vs New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves vs the LA Lakers.
Let’s start with the biggest game of the year, the Cavs vs the GSW, a game that didn’t have the 2x MVP Steph Curry playing due to an ankle injury. This already gave a mixed expectation of what was to come in the game as, without Curry, the Warriors (albeit still winning) aren’t as effective as they normally are. The Curry effect is real. With him on the floor, shooting percentages go up as more players on his team can take shots benefiting from his unique style of play, effectively stretching defences the moment he crosses half court. But with such a big miss to the Warriors, it was left to the number 1 and number 2 players in the NBA, Kevin Durant for the Warriors and Lebron James for the Cavs (I’ll let you decide who goes where), to go head-to-head. But it wasn’t only the GSW without a key player as the Cavs missed their second main offensive option, Isiah Thomas, as he is also out with a hip injury until January.
The game started off very strong for the Cavs, outscoring the Warriors in the 1st quarter, and it looked to be a long night for the Warriors as King James begun by dominating 28-24. However, the Warriors, being the NBA Champions, weren’t about to roll over, and as is reminiscent of their style of play, ended up playing amazing defence. Then, for the next three quarters their offence was unstoppable, ending the game 99-92. Draymond Green with a triple double of the game (12pts, 12 reb, 11 ast) and then Kevin Love for the Cavs with (31pts, 18 reb, 0 ast).
Nevertheless, there were some controversial calls at the end of the game which fans felt allowed the Warriors to win. If that’s true, then I can’t end this without bringing you back to game 4 of the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant on LBJ’s last possession, seemed to have fouled him with the ball going out of bounds. If Lebron had scored the lay-up, it would have been a 1 point game, but the refs gave no call, KD emphasised that Lebron is too big to have easily knocked the ball out of his hands like that. In the end, this was just a possible taste of what could be another NBA Finals game for this year.
Oklahoma City Thunders vs Houston Rockets, the MVP of last season and most likely the MVP of this season went head-to-head and it was a great game. Both offensive juggernauts, James Harden and Russel Westbrook were on the court, but what came as a shock to some was that Harden didn’t make it look as easy as usual, with Westbrook scoring 31 pts with 11ast and 6 reb and Harden scoring 29 pts with 14 ast and 8 reb. Both are instrumental to their team, but on this occasion, the addition of Paul George who had 24 pts, and Carmelo Anthony who had 20pts, proved too much for Harden and the Rockets ending the game 112-107. This means OKC have now beaten the Warriors and the Rockets this season, but they’ll have to go through at least one of these teams in a play-off series if they wish to make the NBA final.
Boston Celtics vs the Washington Wizards. The Celtics have looked to be in a bit of a slump of late, recently losing a handful of games and transforming them from a team to be reckoned with in the east, to now playing second fiddle again. The Wizards went on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter leaving it late and winning 111-103. It would be interesting to see with this possible matchup and hopefully the addition of Gordon Hayward coming back how a series would pan out. Kyrie Irving had 20 pts, 5 ast, 4 reb and John Wall 21 pts, 14 ast, 5 rebs.
The Philadelphia Sixers vs The New York Knicks ended 105-93 with Joel Embiid having a massive night scoring 22pts and having 6 rebounds for the game. J.J Reddick was also a massive stand out with 24pts for the Sixers. However, the most impressive player on the court had to be Enes Kanter for the Knicks. With 31pts and 22 rebounds, this play definitely makes it one of the best games of his career, though unfortunately this still wasn’t enough for them to take the win at home.
Lastly, the Minnesota Timberwolves vs the Los Angeles Lakers ended 121–104 with Kyle Kuzma having another 30+ game which, despite the loss, is very impressive for a rookie. It is to be noted that Kuzma and Lebron James are the only rookies in the last 30+ seasons to have a 30+ game which could be a good indicator for Kuzma’s future. Karl Anthony Towns scored 21pts and had 10 rebounds in the winning game whilst Jimmy Butler helped out with 23pts, 8 ast, 5 rebs.
Overall, the anticipated games didn’t disappoint, lots of them having several highlights that will give sports analysts plenty to talk about. The biggest disappointment of the day was the no-show of the usual annual NBA Christmas jerseys. It seems Nike weren’t feeling the Christmas spirit this year.
2017 has seen its fair share of celebrity heat. From engagements to revelations we really have seen it all this year. There have been more crazy celebrity moments this year than we can count, but these 10 pretty much explain 2017 in a nutshell.
10. Ellen DeGeneres – “Yep, I’m gay.”
While Ellen being gay isn’t newsworthy anymore, this year on April 14th she celebrated the 20-year anniversary of her coming out episode of her then sitcom “Ellen”. The episode was titled “the puppy episode” (named to avoid leaks and because when one of the executives heard that Ellen wanted her character to come out as gay he said “Well, get her a puppy. She’s not coming out.” It gathered around 44 million views, almost 3 times the shows usual views. People tuned in to the dramatic season 3 finale which led to not only the character “Ellen” coming out but also Ellen outing herself beyond than just the people who knew in her personal life. The monumental moment which made Ellen the first lead L.G.B.T.Q character on TV led to her eventually being snubbed in Hollywood and the show being cancelled a year later. But that didn’t stop her, and now 20 years on Ellen DeGeneres is truly living her best life.
9. Mayweather v McGregor
This year we say Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather beat Connor McGregor who, although known for UFC fighting had, decided to try his hand at boxing and had decided that Mayweather was the opponent to beat. In all fairness if McGregor had won, it would have been iconic for him. However, you should know better than to bet against the money team.
8. Usher – Burn
This year we saw singer Usher accused of giving a woman herpes. After a lot of back and forth the case was dismissed, with the intent to refile, which hasn’t happened yet. There’s no way of knowing whether or not this was true but in the words of Usher himself: Let it burn, let it burn, let it burn.
7. (Not so) Fyre Festival
Ja Rule and Billy McFarland planned a festival that was meant to transcend cultures. From headliners such as Blink 182 & the Migos, this was supposed to be a festival for everyone, on a private island in the Bahamas. Tickets were priced as high as $250,000 with the promise of villas, models, yachts and a real life treasure hunt with up to $1 million worth of prizes. What people saw instead were flimsy sandwiches and bad weather. It’s safe to say multiple lawsuits were filed after.
6. Rihanna launches the Fenty beauty brand
Singer Rihanna launched her beauty brand this year. While she only launched a few products, she delivered on her promise to make her products ones that were inclusive of different shades and tones. Her ’30 shades’ of foundation became so popular so quickly, that they sold out continuously worldwide and forced other brands to become more inclusive to stay relevant.
5. Covfefe
When we thought Donald Trump couldn’t get any more creative with his tweets, in May we saw him tweet “Despite the negative press covfefe.” With no explanation people were forced to make their own assumptions of the meaning, with most people agreeing that he probably meant to type coverage and misspelled it. It became even more hilarious when he made a tweet about “Crooked Hilary” blaming everyone but herself to which Hilary Clinton replied, “People in covfefe houses shouldn’t throw covfefe.” Oh, Donald.
4. Bodak Yellow
A song about “bloody shoes” and making “money moves” led to Cardi B becoming the first solo female rap artist to get the billboard 100’s no. 1 spot since when Lauryn Hill did it with “Doo Wop” in 1998. Seeing as Lauryn was the first, that means that Cardi B was the second to ever do it. Cardi is open about her past as a stripper and how she didn’t grow up with much money but like she says in Bodak Yellow “I don’t dance now; I make money moves. Said I don’t gotta dance, I make money move.”
3. Chance The Rapper
When it comes to giving back to communities Chance is one of the number one people to do it and this year he proved that more than once. In August we saw him donate $1 million to Chicago schools and in September he announced that his non-profit organisation SocialWorks raised $2.2 million that would go to 20 Chicago public schools over the next 3 years. The 24-year-old rapper (who is definitely wise beyond his years) has said that “Funding for public schools is the single most important investment a community can make”.
2. Royal Engagement
Prince Harry has always come across to me as the ‘free spirited’ member of the royal family so it was no surprise to me when his engagement to Meghan Markle was announced. The former “Suits” actress is American and of a mixed race heritage. Both of these are far from what we’re used to seeing from the royal family but I for one think it’s about to be a breath of fresh air.
1. Silence Breakers.
The number one celebrity moment for 2017 has to go to all of the silence breakers who spoke out this year about the things that they have experienced in Hollywood. Sexual assault is something that no one should have to put up with and whilst not all of the people who spoke up were celebrities, since the celebrity influence was so heavy, I think it’s fitting that the number one slot is given to the silence breakers. They are silent no more.
The Generational gap prevails, and so the frustration of Millennials and Gen Z (Generation Z or Post-Millennials) increases. The generational conflict between the Baby Boomers and the Millennials is no secret. Unlike the Baby Boomers, who were born in post-World War 2 climate in an increasingly optimistic and financially stable world, Millennials and post-Millennials were born into a world distinguished by increasing inter-regional and inter-community conflicts, and faced challenges such as terrorism and environmental concerns. The current rift between the generations continue to grow.
Although it is fair to say that not all Boomers or Gen X (Generation X) are as neglectful or disregarding as many Millennials feel, you cannot ignore the fact that a clear majority of the Millennials feel disregarded and not taken seriously enough. According to The Guardian, “Young people were left on average 7% worse off after the 2008 financial crash; the over-60s 11% better off.” This explains why Millennials often feel neglected by older people. In terms of politics, many younger people feel that the older generation currently in charge, make decisions without thinking about how it will affect the subsequent generations (i.e. Brexit). Many young people feel that Boomers just see Millennials as lazy, reckless, whiny kids who fear ‘hard graft’ and ‘obsessed’ by status, more interested in taking selfies and scrolling through social media rather than do anything useful.
A striking number of Millennials feel that the previous generations have pretty much ruined everything for them. They have significantly increased tuition fees, leaving many students in crippling debt. Home ownership rates have decreased as house prices are ridiculously high, making it hard for young people to buy houses of their own. On the other hand, the previous generation (Gen X) evidently had it easier. They were paid by the state to go to university and they were also pretty much the last generation to be able to afford home ownership and get a mortgage while working minimum wage jobs.
How are Millennials supposed to make a mark of their own if the older generations don’t let them show their full potential? This brings us right back to their increasing frustration. Many are grateful towards a number of those from previous generations who recognise the younger people’s hard graft, and those who openly and genuinely want to help the young one’s succeed. However, the question of whether one generation had it tougher than the other remains. The older generations need to recognise that it is those from Millennials and Gen Z who will be leading the world in the future, and so it is essential that they are educated fit enough to know just how to. Increasing tuition fees, housing prices etc. are of no help as it just leaves the current generation in debt.
For now, the gap still exists and will probably continue to exist in the future, until major changes are made.
Jamie Aira Agbuya was born in the Philippines and is of Filipino, Spanish and French descent. She is currently studying American Studies at Swansea University. She writes poetry, short stories, plays and is currently a contributor for TCS. Follow her on twitter @jamieaira.
Can 2017’s talent even be summed up in better words than “mans not hot”. Michael Dapaah is an amazing example of what black comedic talent has become. If you didn’t hear the freestyle that changed the game for a lot of us then you’re missing out. Acting as his character “Big Shaq” (previously Roadman Shaq) Michael did what most UK rap artists get the opportunity to do, he went to BBC radio one Xtra to see Charlie Sloth and do a “fire in the booth”.
Now his fire in the booth (FITB) wasn’t the first to get international recognition, there are countless YouTube videos of different people all around the world reacting to FITB’s but the thing that made Big Shaq’s stand out was the dedication to the role. He didn’t break character at all, so much so that I saw people on social media platforms who believed that the person Big Shaq was hilarious, without even knowing that Michael Dapaah was the man behind the genius. The success of the fire in the booth was so much so that Michael went on to make an actual music video for the song in America because “mans international now init” . His success wasn’t only loved by black Brits but it’s been loved by people all over, we’ve seen quotes of his lyrics now used by people from Mr Jake Wood (Max Branning from eastenders) to Issa Rae (creator and actor in HBO’s Insecure) and if that wasn’t enough, the man himself, Mr Shaquille O’Neal did his own “Big Shaq” man’s not hot freestyle. I couldn’t make this up if I tried.
If we’re giving out crowns for dedication to comedic talent we can’t stop at Michael Dapaah. Michaela Cole (creator, writer and actor in E4’s ‘Chewing Gum’ is another black Brit who has received international success for her comedic role. As someone who’s followed Michaela on social media for a while I feel like I’ve watched the growth of her career first hand and it’s been outstanding.
Most people know Michaela from Chewing Gum (or Chewing Gum Dreams as the play version was known before TV adaption) but they don’t know that before all of that, Michaela Cole simply went by Michaela the poet. She used to write poetry and was even featured on a few songs. In her final year of drama school she knew she didn’t want to act in one of the period dramas that was usually used as a final year project in her school so she went on to write her own one woman show to perform which was Chewing Gum Dreams. Eventually, that one woman show went on to be a successful play picked up by Channel 4 to become a successful television show and since then Michaela’s life hasn’t been the same.
Michael Dapaah and Michaela Cole are fantastic examples of how systems that may not be built to showcase your talent or dreams can eventually work in your favour – if you just persevere and keep on dedicating yourself to your craft that is. In both of their cases they had been featured in popular friends’ songs or videos and still were not where they wanted to be. Instead of allowing themselves to be discouraged, they continued to work at their goals and became the versions of themselves that they are now.
The past few years we’ve started to see that to be black and talented you don’t need to be the stereotypical aggressor, or necessarily musical. You can just be yourself and make memories saying the ting goes skrr. What a time to be alive.
Over the years we’ve seen many technological advancements, some of which we’ve been grateful for and others that we’ve been more than a little anxious about.
“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race” -Professor Stephen Hawking in a 2014 interview with the BBC.
We started by adapting to using things like computers in our everyday lives and GPS became second nature, meaning we didn’t have to keep pulling over and looking at maps or asking for directions. We’ve even managed to get so comfortable trusting technology to do the small things that we’ve allowed for more than a few subtle changes to occur in our lives. Over the past decade, we have seen actual leaps and bounds in technological developments. 10 years ago, the idea that facial recognition software could be used for social means (such as SnapChat) would have seemed like it was part of a Star Trek Fanfiction series.
In the early 2000’s we saw the introduction of robotics in toys, household appliances and such, then in 2009 Google took a giant step by creating a self-driving car. After that it was almost like seeing a domino effect of growth. We saw the introduction of infra-red detection software in games and we even saw companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft introduce software with the ability to answer questions and perform functions.Google’s self-driving car.
With all these beneficial advancements you then have to ask yourself why in 2015 an open letter to ban the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in weapons was signed by over 3000 researchers, including well known figures like Professor Stephen Hawking himself.
One major reason why scientists may be against the use of AI could be the fact that technology isn’t fool proof. One of the biggest issues with technology (aside from the post-apocalyptic fantasies seen in blockbuster movies where technology begins to fight man,) is the fact that it can be hacked. This may not seem like a huge issue when we’re looking at computers or banks (though it should) it becomes a massive issue when we start putting that same technology into military weaponry. Hackers are already offering their services via the darknet, to hack into military bot and police drones for a fee.
I wish I could say that it was complicated to hack a drone, but some sites have even laid steps out for people like me who are useless with technology. The reality of the situation is that the ability to hack military weapons is dangerous for everyone involved. It’s not only a problem if opposing sides get hold of the technology, it’s also a problem if the everyday hacker does. Someone who has no idea how to work a weapon can cause serious damage to people just by trying to prove to someone that they have the skills to take control of it.
Necessity is the mother of invention, but it seems like we’ve put so much faith in technology to do the things that we used to need humans for that we’re almost making humans obsolete. Walking, talking ‘feeling’ sex robots even exist now. Is enough finally enough? Or is this just the inevitable next step in evolution? I’m not sure I want to stick around to find out.
In 1991 an 8-year-old Somalian refugee came to Britain speaking little English. Fast forward 26 years later, Sir Mohammed Farah is Britain’s most successful track athlete, winning four Olympic golds and 6 world championship titles. For these feats, he was knighted by Queen in November 2017. What he has managed to achieve is truly nothing short of spectacular. Breaking countless British records and leading the long distance track circuit, he has dominated the world stage for several years.
Despite all these accomplishments, he wasn’t favored to win the trophy. In the lead up to this event, Anthony Joshua was viewed as the favorite, especially after his win against Wladimir Klitschko. Joshua achieved a scintillating victory in front of a sell out crowd at Wembley stadium, to retain his WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles. Nonetheless, Farah defied the odds to shock viewers at home and even a few people in the crowd like the husband of world record marathon runner Paula Radcliffe. Radcliffe’s husband was spotted by various BBC viewers who argued via Twitter that he shook his head and mouthed the explicit outburst of ‘What a F**king joke’ in response to Mo Farah’s victory.
Many on Twitter claimed Lough’s mouthed a negative comment in reaction to Farah’s victory. (Source: BBC)
It’s worth noting that Paula Radcliffe was the last runner to win the award in 2002. The night didn’t go as smooth as previous years either. Millions of viewers were able to see Farah’s delighted and shocked reaction via a video link. Unfortunately, the connection was lost and the BBC proceeded to end the show. It was quite an anticlimactic moment.
Farah was utterly shocked by the result. (Source: BBC)
After the show, Mo Farah thanked the public and the people who voted for him. Via the BBC video link Farah stated: ”To be honest, I’m kind of shocked. I didn’t prepare any speech”.
Sir Mo Farah was one of the 12 contenders for the award. He has been previously shortlisted for the award times before, and his highest placement until this year, was third place in 2011. Farah added another highlight to his 2017. He is the first runner in 15 years to win the title. This award will sit alongside his other huge feats of 2017, namely winning the World 10,000m gold medal in London.
Over the weekend, Manchester City continued to show very good form against Tottenham Hotspurs, in their premier league fixture. City’s attacking prowess which was displayed at Old Trafford and was on show again at the Etihad Stadium.
Gündoğan opened Manchester City’s goal scoring account with putting them ahead at the 14th minute. ( Source: Action Images via Reuters)
Pep Guardiola’s side pressed the Tottenham players at every section of the pitch, taking advantage of Spurs’ counter-attacking approach and Hugo Lloris’ poor distribution from the back. Spurs could barely break the first line of City’s formation. So much so, that they only managed two shots on target the whole game, compared to 11 from City. Even Spurs’ in-form Harry Kane, one of the best strikers in the league, failed to make an impact. Thus far, Tottenham has had a very good campaign in Europe; qualifying top of their Champions’ League group including defeating Real Madrid along on the way. Unfortunately, such form has not translated into their recent league games.
Europe’s rising star Kevin de Bruyne showed why he is so highly regarded. Throughout, the game he displayed hunger and desire, propelling the team forward through his intricate passing. Off the ball he also showed his work-ethic, taking on defensive duties as well. De Bruyne put on a masterclass and it heavily frustrated the opposition. Dele Alli in the 68th minute made an incredibly rash and dangerous challenge. In the slow-motion replay of the tackle, Alli’s recklessness’ was further highlighted. Guardiola’s reaction further exacerbated City’s response to the tackle. Likewise, Harry Kane made an equally careless challenge on Raheem Sterling.
After receiving treatment De Bruyne came back onto the pitch and made his presence instantly known. Gündoğan passed it out wide to De Bruyne leading him to run towards goal and smash it past Lloris making it 2-0 at the 70th minute.
Kevin De Bruyne being congrulated on his goal, which took City two up at the 70th minute. (source: AFP)
Raheem Sterling went on to score another two goals in the last ten minutes of the game. At full time the tie ended at 4-1. This fixture could have easily witnessed six or seven goals; Gabriel Jesus missed a penalty striking the post and Fernandinho lacked composure a few yards from goal.
This win puts Manchester City 14 points clear at the top of the league table, stretching their winning streak to 16 games. Pep holds the record for the most consecutive wins in the Bundesliga (Bayern Munich) and La Liga (Barcelona) and now in the premier league with Manchester City. With no signs showing that they are going to slow down, Manchester City are in spectacular form. Pep and his side are making the premier league look like a one team competition.
The question now is, will anyone defeat this mighty side in the league and Europe?
After a surprising presidential campaign victory from Donald Trump, doors have been opened to everyday people who now believe that they could become the most powerful man alive AND live in the most protected building in the world. Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton. Clinton, who has years of political experience working with different presidents, notably Barack Obama and also her husband Bill Clinton didn’t do as well as the rest of the world would have liked. Hillary was sure to win this election but the Americans threw in a worldwide curveball by making Donald Trump president in an attempt to make ‘America great again’.
But I don’t want to talk about the past. Let’s talk about the future. 2020. Turn your minds to former pro-wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson, who we’ve seen in various movies over the years from joining the Fast and Furious Franchise to a remake of Baywatch. During his promotion of the new movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle there has been word that he will run a campaign to become the President of the United States in 2020. An A-list celeb running for office? We’re all stunned.
But the difference between Donald Trump and Dwayne Johnson is the difference between snowflakes and watermelons. Love and kindness seeps out of Dwayne and his desire to help people in any way that he can (shown mainly through his Instagram posts) reinforces his constant messages of motivation and joy. But will all these traits help him solve tough decisions that will affect millions of lives. Think of the crisis in Syria, the constant battle of words between Donald Trump and Kim Jung Un over nuclear weapons or discussions over global warming or even healthcare for lower class citizens. Would he be able to deal with the police brutality in America and create an ‘Ideal’ America for every United States citizen or engage in the constant debate on guns and the right for Americans to bare arms? Will the Rock be America’s Rock?
Johnson has already got the backing from friend and fellow co-star Kevin Hart who on the Ellen Show said:
“I’ll give you a serious answer – you know, I give you crap all the time but this is daytime TV… so I’ll keep my real opinion between us, I think the world that we’re living in today, you’re seeing the real effect that genuine people like Dwayne have, and the one thing about him is that he’s very serious when it comes to spreading that love, the laughter and just the upselling of life on a positive level.If he were to put himself inthat position he would get my support, wholeheartedly.Unless it comes to my financial dollar, then we’d have to talk.”
Johnson himself even stated that he is “seriously considering it, yes”
The more important question is, if The Rock joins the White House, can we start calling it the White RockThis idea could just blow up in smoke and we could just see Donald Trump add another term to his presidency. Let’s not jinx it.
There’s always been a Russell Brand-like flame of dissent within me that’s wished to torch our political class and start again from scratch. If our Politicians don’t represent our values and continually vote based on party or corporate interests, we’ll never have a candidate we can have any hope in. This week has made me swallow some of my anarchist pride and see slivers of hope shine in the political system.
It was Bernie Sanders who once said:
“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military–industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes”.
Donald Trump, the Current President of the United States of America
As much as a lunatic lefty like myself would agree with the sentiments above, I must admit that I have just dabbled in the promoting of fake news as such a statement never came from our beloved Bernie. Nor did it come from our loveable local socialist, Jeremy Corbyn. This fair indictment of an instance of Capitalism running amok against public good came from none other than decorated war general, free market capitalist and Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Scratches Record* Yeah. I said Republican. In a world where Roy Moore and Donald Trump are currently the popular faces of the party, Eisenhower’s farewell address could be the last Republican politician you could call a ‘good person’.
If you only mildly follow politics (let alone US politics), this might seem a horrible thing to say. And I concede that there is something deeply unfair (even as a joke) when some of us on the left conflate belief in free markets, smaller government and social conservatism with disregard for the lives of those outside their sphere of influence. Conservatives have the same capacity for compassion. Our principles may be different but values such as justice, equality and freedom should be universals that we all honour regardless of where we fall on the spectrum.
That being said, I’m old enough to only remember two Republican Presidents and two Conservative Prime ministers. I’ve seen Donald Trump close the biggest arms deal in history with the nation he accused of orchestrating 9/11. Theresa May also castigated Saudi Arabia for using the weapons Britain had sold them and David Cameron boasted about his role in Saudi arms exports, scarcely allowing his beloved EU Parliament to breathe as they casted votes to ban arms to the Gulf Nation the very same day.
Does this represent a lack of values? Democratic values are the qualities and standards that are essential for the continuation of democratic policy. I would define Political interests as the individual motivations that influence individual policies.
Some political commentators write as if it is difficult to point out which of the Islamic Kingdom’s exports poses the greatest threat to western, idealistically plural, liberal democracy. But let me tell you, it’s not camels! Saudi’s cold and unwelcoming brand of Islam backed by its oil wealth has trickled innocent bodies on to the streets of the Middle East and more increasingly on to the secular free markets (that the various centre-right parties claim they are conserving). And we are left to remember that supposed liberal parties of the west, Obama’s and Blair’s parties, fare no better in defending their values against profit-hunting policies.
Anyone who holds values such a democracy, freedom and liberty wouldn’t give a belt buckle to that nation let alone a Typhoon fighter jet. So long that is, that our elected officials really and truly represent the values that underpin democracy above any interests, be it corporate, activist, pragmatic or whatever. We’ll be ok.
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
This does mean that we have to vote for people better than the average guy. We need our Tim Farron’s, who while deeply religious and unwavering in his belief that homosexuality is a sin (probably – he’s yet to answer the media’s badgering question on the topic), advocates for LGBT rights because self-determination is the same value that allows him to identify as a Christian and practice his faith. We need more Stephen Hammond’s one of the Conservative MPs voting against his government today (losing his job as Tory Vice-Chair in the process), saying “Tonight I put country and constituency before party and voted with my principles to give Parliament a meaningful vote”. We need less of the attitude that allowed 80% of white evangelicals in Alabama to vote for Roy Moore, someone who shares their conservative interests but quite clearly, as an accused sexual predator cannot share their values.
This is not about a Govt defeat but about a Parliamentary victory Proud to have supported a #MeaningfulVote
Doug Jones’ win and the Conservative rebellion in the UK Parliament gives me hope. Party politics doesn’t look to be going anywhere. The party will always have its interests, and we shall have interests as voters. We can’t let any of the various interests in the political games cloud our values; I have no reason to believe that my political opponents have different values.
Young Evangelicals were more likely to vote for the democrat in this week’s elections, again a deep source of hope and a lesson for the millennial generation, the future deciding vote. We can’t vote for individuals who won’t fight for the values that make democracy great. We can only vote for individuals who represent the best of what we are. Eventually we’ll all figure out that these kinds of people don’t always have to agree with us on the policy issues.
Tyson Fury announced his return to the sport of boxing wearing a £9,000 chinchilla fur jacket, sitting in a Range Rover singing ‘Return of the Mack’ by Mark Morrison.
It is safe to say that he has truly been missed. Tyson Fury, the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ and the former undisputed heavyweight champion, yesterday was cleared to fight again by the British Board of Boxing Control (BBBoC). But how did we end up here? And more importantly, what does this mean?
Tyson Fury outboxing the great Wladimir Klitschko back in October 2015 (Source: Getty Images)
In October 2015, Tyson Fury defeated Wladimir Klitschko to become the unified heavyweight champion of the world. Having fought his way into a mandatory title shot, he defeated the long-reigning Klitschko in a style to earn a unanimous points decision. It was here when Fury’s life started to take a downward spiral. Within 48hrs of winning 3 of the 4 world titles available in boxing, he was stripped of the belts for not choosing to participate in his mandatory title defence. Instead, he had signed a contract to fight Klitschko again. Ironically, this is the first belt Anthony Joshua won. Next, the BBBoC charged him, alongside his fellow boxing cousin Hughie, on the grounds that they tested positive in a drug test.
The Fury’s claim that the nandrolone found in their urine samples was due to eating an uncastrated boar. In fairness, Nandrolone is a chemical which can naturally be found in boars. After this, depression and cocaine usage followed. His rematch with Klitschko was cancelled and his remaining belts were relinquished. He blew up to over 18 stone. His relevancy in the division dwindled. In the meantime, a certain Anthony Joshua rose up the ranks.
Anthony Joshua battled against Klitschko to secure a world title in front of 80,000 at Wembley Stadium. (Source: Action Images/Andrew Couldridge)
Joshua is well-spoken, media-conscious and an advertiser’s dream, all opposites of Fury. He has been well known for calling fellow boxers like Tony Bellew and David Price ‘gay lovers’. His views on women are vulgar. In an interview with iFL TV Tyson was caught saying ‘a woman’s best place is in the kitchen or on her back’. Joshua is pitted to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, while Tyson has become a Twitter and Instagram cult hero for his funny videos and unrestrained tweets.
The contrasts between them are strong. If Tyson fury can return to the form he produced against Klitschko, a fight between him and Joshua would be the most competitive heavyweight fight we have seen in a generation. A true 50/50. It has shades of the classic Ali-Foreman bout. With Joshua being the powerful strong George Foreman with a knockout streak of legend. While Fury takes the role of Ali, returning for a long-term ban, donning flashy skills and light on his feet. They really form the antithesis to each other. Boxing is one sport where you need to pit a hero against a villain to truly become great. Floyd needed Pacquiao. Tyson needed Holyfield (Ear biting fight). And Joshua needs Tyson Fury. When you add Deontay Wilder, Joseph Parker, Dillian Whyte and Daniel Dubious to the equation, you realise that we have once again entered a golden generation of heavyweights who will entertain us for the next 10 years. Along the way, controversy will come. Doping tests will be failed and memories will be branded onto the minds of the masses. These are the nights I cannot wait to witness.
You might be forgiven for smiling. This does sound like long awaited good news for those, all over the world, hoping Donald Trump may come down a peg. However, this democrat victory at best is a mixed bag of giveaways.
On Tuesday 12th of December 2017, Doug Jones, a Democrat, won the Alabama senate race, filling a seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general. This seat hadn’t been won by a democrat in over 20 years, namely because of Alabama’s deep conservative leanings. The race reached a nail biting conclusion where the difference between the totals was just 1.5%, far above the 0.5% margin, which gives either candidate a right to request a recount if they are prepared to pay the costs.
New York Times reporting on voter share
Despite Jones being declared the winner by most of the mainstream media and a concession by Donald Trump himself, Roy Moore has refused to concede the election stating simply that “its not over”.
Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!
This victory has pretty significant ramifications for the US Senate, for republicans on Capitol Hill and also Donald Trump’s post election mandate.
The divide
The victory is particularly stunning because of history. At another point in history a Republican candidate would have won in Alabama by close to 32 per cent. No Democrat has won in a statewide election in Alabama since 1992. However on Tuesday, with over 1.2 million vote cast, the election was decided by less than 10,000 votes. According to TWP (The Washington Post) an exit poll showed 97 per cent of black women supported Democrat Doug Jones, who made his name prosecuting the murderers of four schoolgirls, killed in the infamous bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.
At the same time 74 per cent of white men supported Republican Roy Moore, who stands accused of seducing and sexually assaulting schoolgirls in the 1970s and ’80s and believes homosexuality should be illegal.
White women were still overwhelmingly in favour of Judge Moore by 65 per cent to 33 per cent, but among women who have a daughter under 18, 65 per cent said they supported Doug Jones.
These voting lines reveal something about the conservative skew among older, white Americans, but also something about their preparedness to believe their candidate is a paedophile.
The Senate
Republicans in the senate must brace for impact. Although the victory may not have a major legislative impact, it makes life and indeed some decision making more difficult for Republicans.
The election will reduce the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49, meaning Republicans can only afford to lose one vote – in the event of a 50-50 split, Vice-President Mike Pence will have the casting vote.
US State Senate in session
The party will still have time and majority needed to pass through controversial pieces of legislation like the tax-cut bill, however decision making after that will become considerably brittle and rigid.
Luther Strange – the Republican appointed to replace Mr Sessions as an interim senator in February – is likely to remain in the seat until early January.
What about Donald Trump?
Perhaps the biggest impact this election has will be on Donald Trump. Now, it is probably too early to declare the coalescing or even beginning of an anti-Trump wave because Moore was in many ways a very flawed candidate.
Roy Moore was an awful candidate & should never have gotten to the Senate. But make no mistake, just like in VA, Dems are energized, focused more on the middle class & those struggling to get there, & things are looking better & better for 2018.
CNN, for god sakes, stop giving Roy Moore so much coverage for being a racist, homophobic,misogynistic, pedaphile, and start giving Doug Jones more coverage for being a better choice for Alabama!
Some have framed the election as a battle between decency and bullying, where decency won. However for Donald Trump, who threw the full weight of his support behind Moore, held campaign rallies for him, even when other leaders in his party were hesitant, this defeat has to be disheartening. The two candidates he supported in Alabama this year — first Luther Strange, and now Roy Moore — have lost, both rejected by the public.
The defeat could be seen as representing a rejection of Trumps politics and his approach in dealing with allegations made about him. It suggests that allegations of past sexually predatory behaviour cannot just be dismissed in a kind of numb, nonchallannt manner we have come to know Trump for. If Roy Moore had won the seat, it would have been a vindication of some sort that American voters don’t care about such things. This line has become harder to argue.
Whilst this is far from anti-Tump momentum, it is indicative of a shift in attitudes, at least in Alabama. If this can happen in Alabama, then it can happen anywhere. People are waking from their numbness to these issues.
Jones’ victory has evoked fresh optimism and anticipation of the congressional elections in November 2018 and even the presidential race of 2020.
It seems as if we just might make America great again after all.
Widely labelled as the ‘most expensive football-game ever’, Manchester City faced Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 10th 2017. Broadcasted in over 190 countries, the Manchester Derby was poised to be the most watched game in premier league history. The total worth of both teams was an estimated £650 million! Accounting for players like Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly, Benjamin Mendy and John Stones.
The game had its fair share of controversy, from penalty claims to huge defensive errors made by both sides. Manchester City took an aggressive attacking approach; Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus having a plentiful amount of shots at David De Gea’s goal. Most of City’s attacks were being orchestrated by both David Silva and in-form Kevin De Bruyne. City went in front via a set-piece, as they took advantage of a defensive error made by Romelu Lukaku, who failed to clear his lines enabling Silva to score from 6 yards out.
Above: Silva scores the game’s opening goal in the 43rd minute. (Source: Getty Images)
However, City’s lead didn’t last long. The young United star Marcus Rashford managed to grab the equaliser in the 47th minute. This was Rashford’s first goal in a derby since scoring the winning goal at the Etihad 2 years ago. Rashford’s goal came from another defensive error, this time made by Fabian Delph who was playing as a left back, a position he is not familiar with.
Rashford celebrates with team-mate Lingard after scoring the equaliser. ( Source: Man Utd via Getty Images)
At halftime, the game was at a stalemate. The second half saw Manchester City attack with the same intensity displayed in the first half, with United attempting to counter-attack City. Rashford saw his second chance at goal but it was saved by the strong grasp of Ederson. Both teams attempted to break down each other’s defence until Manchester City got a free-kick which led to their second goal. This was the result of another defensive error by Lukaku after his clearance hit off the back of his teammate and into the path of Nicolas Otamendi. He fired it home to grab the game-winning goal.
Nicolas Otamendi celebrates as he takes City into the lead. (source: Getty Images)
This game ended Manchester United’s 40-game unbeaten run at home. It also created a new Premier League record for Manchester City , who have won their last 14 games. This victory puts Manchester City 11 points clear of United in the league table, giving them an extremely strong chance of becoming the new champions. In the post-match interview, Mourinho criticized the referee’s decisions. Conversely, Pep Guardiola felt proud due to the fact that he proved himself to be tactically superior. The attacking strategies he implemented at Barcelona have been transferred to this Man City team. Thus far, it has proven to be a success.
Interestingly there have been reports of a spat between the two teams in the tunnel after the game. This led to Manchester City staff Mikel Arteta, suffering a cut on his head. The City players were viewed to be excessive in their celebration of the victory, supposedly triggering the United players into a brawl.
Both teams are back in action midweek. Man City are set to take-on Swansea and hope to continue their winning form, while United try to return to winning ways, as they look to host Bournemouth.
We should’ve seen this coming a long time ago. Ever since banking became an online affair, the dawn of the virtual currency has been inevitable. Is this the beginning of the end for money as we know it?
Well, not anytime soon.
For starters, Bitcoin relies entirely on the traditional currencies as of 2017 – you need to purchase Bitcoin, like any other good. So you trade your hard earned cash for some matrix money. Although, this doesn’t sound too different to how we already use our money when you really think about it…
What is interesting about Bitcoin is that it has seen a sharp increase in public awareness and cost 9 years after it was launched. The interesting part is that it wasn’t the first, or the last virtual currency that popped up online, but it is by far the most popular. Why?
Well that previous statement is somewhat misleading. It isn’t the first currency online, but it is the first “decentralised” currency – The first whose price is not dictated by a bank/government. The legality of all of this is still up in arms, but like anything else that makes its way online, even money can be Rule 34’d (don’t look that up.).
The price of 1 Bitcoin rose dramatically between March 2016 and March 2017. This is a move from around $400 to near $1000. What does this mean to you? Well, if you had bought 1 Bitcoin back then, you could have sold it and made over $500 in profit 12 months later.
I know, this just sounds like some “in-hindsight” stock advice, but this in entirely not the case – Bitcoin is on the rise and unlike purchasing arbitrary stocks in oil that you have no use for, even if you didn’t sell the Bitcoin you bought at $400, you can actually use it to buy things online.
Even if you didn’t spend it, the price is on a constant upward average price increase.
Think of it this way: Bitcoin is still considered to be in its early days.
To get a bit more technical on this subject, a lot of studying should be done but I will keep it short – the production of Bitcoin is halving – therefore its value is increasing. (Now you know everything you need to know about macroeconomics.)
The reality as of 2017, is that Bitcoin still resides in the dark corners of the internet. As enticing as it might be to buy into a virtual currency which, we should add, can be used to buy products from forward thinking companies like Tesla (a company at the forefront of technology), it is also the currency of choice for sites that would otherwise show up as “not secure” in your URL bar. Websites like the (now defunct) Silk Road for example…(see: Modafinil.).
Buuut whatever way you look at it, the list of websites is growing. And it will keep growing as long as there is internet, because as long as there is internet there will be virtual currency.
Whether that will be Bitcoin or not in future remains to be seen. As a matter of fact, there are multiple cryptocurrencies which we will be discussing in posts to come.
You should not be surprised when cash disappears entirely. With the recent calls for dispensing of the beloved 1 and 2p coins in the UK, calls from some corners of Europe to abolish cash altogether, it’s clear dramatic changes are on the way. And if you don’t want to regret missing the “Crypto-bubble” (just like you missed out the tech bubble, and the dot-com bubble before it, only to be rewarded with the Credit Crunch of 07-08) read a little and take a gamble.
This may be one of those opportunities that you thought you would never see again.
