controversies
It seems every time one racially-charged incident ends, a gender or religious controversy takes its place; Ruminate on the issues dividing our nation and world.
Gentrification Blues. Top Story - January 2018.
My late father criticized me when I moved out of the neighborhood where he and my late stepmother lived. “That building probably has graffiti on the walls,” Dad grumbled. Yet the rent in the new place was way less expensive than the rent I had been paying. My dad and stepmother could afford to pay the high price of living in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. They relished rubbing elbows with the well-heeled. I had grown tired of dealing with the area’s elitist climate, and I wanted to live in an area with real people. I found a neighborhood where people leaned out of their windows to wave to their friends. Kids giggled as they ran down the street in packs to get to their next adventure. Mom-and-pop stores were the norm.
By Hillari Hunter8 years ago in The Swamp
Trump's Forbidden Words: 'Fetus,' 'Transgender' Among Them
From the files of the insanity that is the Trump administration comes news that there are now certain words that are no longer supposed to turn up in any official documentation. Thanks to the Centers for Disease Control in the United States, the public at large can see the words that are deemed so terrible that they can no longer appear in government documents.
By Christina St-Jean8 years ago in The Swamp
Canada Is 150?
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Canada as a country. I am sure that if you are a living in Canada currently, you were unable to escape the hype building up to July first. Taking into account that Canada Day also falls on a Saturday this year, and we had a country ready to celebrate and party. The issue is that not everyone in this country was willing to, or feels welcome to, celebrate. Predominately, I am referring to our country's indigenous populations. The feeling of a lack of a proper invite to the party can be simply seen in the age that is being celebrated: 150. Indigenous Canadian populations have had this land as their home for dozens more centuries than that. So, the confusion surrounding exactly what this celebration is celebrating is easily understood if you take a step back to see things from some uncommon perspectives. Today I want to explore this specific perspective of Canada’s 150th anniversary, and what it means to the Aboriginals that reside within this nation. On top of this, I wish to explore why these discrepancies between perspectives exist, and ultimately, what can be done to close the gaps and work toward a truly inclusive multicultural nation.
By Cally Macri8 years ago in The Swamp
Taking a Knee for the Country
The United States is known for its first amendment, freedom of speech. Although this is one of the most popular and frequently used amendement, it also can be misunderstood and misrepresented. Recently in the NFL there has been peaceful protests which include kneeling during the national anthem. This has caused a lot of controversy throughout America. Is kneeling during the national anthem being disrespectful to those who made this country and those who fight for this country? Is freedom of speech enough of an explanation to protect these players? These are some questions that are constantly being debated.
By Monica Mae Cruise8 years ago in The Swamp
Trump's Travel Ban Gets Preliminary Supreme Court Approval
President Trump's blatant dislike of anyone of Muslim descent seems to have gotten support from the Supreme Court. The president's travel ban, which in its various forms has attempted to block the arrival of Muslims from six Muslim countries into the United States, has been a hotly contested one since he first put it forward not long after taking office. With various judges across states blocking the travel ban with the argument that it was unconstitutional, if not prejudicial towards the Muslim community, it comes as some surprise that Supreme Court justices have by a majority allowed, at least on a preliminary basis, for the travel ban to pass as it stands currently.
By Christina St-Jean8 years ago in The Swamp
Political Awareness
Abstract Heroes are not born every day. Yet having said this, one can look towards the early mid 20th century and find a number of national heroes emerging in protest of Africa's wide colonial rule. What was it that made ordinary people such Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Robert Mugabe and this paper's ultimate focus, Patrice Lumumba rise to power? What enabled them to succeed and what precipitating factors within their respective countries push them to fight for self-governance? This paper will look into the life history of Patrice Lumumba to examine the factors that contributed to the awakening of his political awareness and will argue that it was ultimately the awakening of his political consciousness that enabled him to lead his country towards independence.
By Shelly Phillpotts8 years ago in The Swamp
CONgress
No, I really don’t need to say a word, you already know what evil passed in the middle of the night behind closed doors and quite literally, at gunpoint; Sen. McConnell explaining to democratic leaders 25 minutes prior to going to the floor, “Don’t Read It, Just Vote For It” or “There Will Be Plenty Time To Read It After It Passes”. . .
By P. Craig Browning8 years ago in The Swamp
Alone in it
I have observed over the last almost two years how the issues we are trying so hard to avoid in conversations, as well as down play through bogus infallible reasons, to explain why they are not as “deep” as being professed has caused a greater divide of truth in historical facts. It has sparked high priority in the twisted opinions of those who speak about these atrocities in a mellow dramatic moniker. To say the least, all those that have quietly and openly addressed these matters head-on are then showered with the approach of backlash in how the action was executed to bring attention and awareness. For example, the blatant disrespect from the American leader and supposed example of “leadership," Trump, calling the NFL players “sons of bitches” at his Alabama rally, and the barrage of tweets blasting NFL owners for allowing the players to “disrespect the flag, military, and anthem” by kneeling or sitting. He lays it on even thicker by steering focus to NFL ratings, low ticket sales, and home viewer participation. Obviously, disrespect must be a rule, because these and all actions leading up to this point defines every aspect of the word.
By Lashandra Willis8 years ago in The Swamp
UCLA Basketball Players Arrested in China
ESPN reported that three UCLA basketball players were arrested in China in November on shoplifting charges.The three basketball players include LiAngelo Ball (18) — who is the younger brother of Lonzo Ball, a Los Angeles Lakers point guard — along with Cody Riley (19), and Jalen Hill (17).These three freshman were accused of shopping lifting sunglasses on Tuesday at a Louis Vuitton store in the Chinese City of Hangzhou. Surveillance cameras caught the three players near the high-end stores counting Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Yues Saint Laurent, and Salvatore Ferragamo. The UCLA basketball team is in China to play its season opener against Georgia Tech in Shanghai, China. It is safe to say this would not be happening Saturday. After being questioned about stealing the sunglasses, the three players were released on bail early Wednesday morning, but were to go to their hotel rooms and wait for the legal process. The case had been reported to the U.S. authorities by Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry.
By Sydney Kennemore8 years ago in The Swamp
It's the Most RARFLARGLE Time of the Year
Sleighbells ring, are you listenin'? In the air ... snow isn't quite glistening yet. Already we're seeing the memes on Facebook, hearing the ranting on TV and radio programs, seeing the "protests," and even hearing directly from held-at-arm's-length "friends" and family about it.
By Grizzly Matthews8 years ago in The Swamp
