In recent nights, the coverage of the Arab Spring on the BBC has dropped off considerably. It seems reasonable, people don’t want to watch the same news every night, its in a far away part of the world, and we’re hosting the Olympics next year!
However,
They seem to forget it is one of the most profound political uprisings that has occurred in last few decades. They seem to forget, that these uprisings are affecting an area of the world that is probably the most unstable… continue reading →
America. Contemplate the name. Let the word echo through the recesses of your consciousness. What does it mean to you? To some, the word evokes visions of freedom and prosperity. To others it represents a vulgar display of wealth and excess; a people wallowing in ignorance. Perhaps you envision grand themes such as these, or perhaps not. Maybe something a little more mundane strikes you. Pepsi, blue-jeans, and McDonald’s are nearly synonymous with the United States, and unmistakable in origin. Indeed, the connotations associated with the word, and the country proper, are as diverse and contradictory as the history behind it… continue reading →
Walking down University Place in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, you barely even have to glance up from your Blackberry/ iPhone/iPod to spot an NYU student wearing a Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, or Jimi Hendrix T-shirt. Indeed, we are a generation fascinated by the wondrous, glittering past of 20th century music. Walk into first-year dorms, and there, carefully tacked upon the walls, you will find iconic Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground posters, relics of a bygone era. We are a youth culture obsessed with the past—and arguably more so than our predecessors. When I say “we”, I am not referring to the whole of our Facebook/Twitter/Twilight generation, but rather a select group that lives torn between that four or five decade-long Golden Age… continue reading →
It seems like I’m asking an absurd question, doesn’t it. Surely the title is nothing more than a way for me to attract attention, a sure hook for potential readers. You expect this article to start on an explanation about the dangers in the path ahead, and most likely focus on climate change or nuclear warfare. But you are fairly sure that by the end of the article, you will have realized that the title was merely an exaggeration.
It would be great if all of your expectations were correct, and that I really had thought up the title simply to attract readers. But unfortunately, the extinction of the human species is neither something ridiculous nor abstract. It is a very real possibility… continue reading →
As often is the ironic truth, failure stems from success. When communism fell, we thought it was capitalism that triumphed. But with the severity of financial crashes, lurid accounts of corporate wrongdoing, unsustainable inequalities and increasingly volatile commodity prices all point in one direction.
Declining private sector growth through the entire capitalist world has for years been patched up by governments that allow their financial institutes to lend and borrow well in excess of economic growth in order to win elections and to fuel a materialist ‘feel-good factor’ in big business and investment institutions to stimulate their high return, short term wants… continue reading →
It all started some years back, when I was lying in my bed after a long day at school and my thoughts began to wander. It had been a tiresome day and my bed felt extra comfortable. The softness of the mattress, the smell of the newly washed bed sheets and knowing that I did not have to worry about monsters underneath my bed. Life was good. I felt gratitude. Nevertheless, I also felt an odd feeling of guilt. I started to think about all those who were not as lucky as me. Those who see the grass as their mattress and the leaves as their duvets and pillows. Children who do not fear monsters, because they are more worried about if there will be a tomorrow… continue reading →
Today, the inhabitants of the Dale Farm traveler’s halting site in Essex, UK, will be evicted. This is an extremely controversial move by the government, and one that has even been discussed and commented on by the UN. I have strong opinions on travelers’ rights, but I will try to remain as impartial as possible while examining the situation.
There are two parts to the site, a smaller area that they own and had planning permission to live on. The other, larger part they own, but have never had planning permission on. While they have been there for a long time, Basildon Council has decided to evict them on the grounds that their land is actually part of Greenbelt land, and that they have far exceeded the initial planning permission that was originally granted. continue reading →
A list of 12 reasons why gay marriage should be illegal. see post →
Food for Thought is weekly column in which we post something that we find especially stimulating. This can vary from graffiti to quotes, from videos to blogs, anything that we find particularly special and intellectually challenging.
Since time immemorial, humanity has looked to the heavens with a mixture of rapture and curiousity. Certainly, it is an impressive display, far surpassing anything humanity can possibly hope to engineer in our present form. Man, being the inquisitive being that he is, not only conjectured on how everything presumed to work, but also how everything came to be. In the absence of a rational process built specifically to determine the factual basis of a phenomenon, it was only natural fo early man to create a being, much like himself, that had created the universe and all that inhabits it. That was then, this is now. continue reading →
Anna and John clasp hands.
“We’re here to get tested,” she breathes.
A black woman sits behind the counter, her eyebrows uprooted in her own sorrows.
“Excuse me?” she asks. She didn’t hear; she takes out her white earbuds.
“We’re here to get tested.” John says… continue reading →
I have always believed that history is a critical tool in understanding present-day issues, and that everyone should have a good, basic, knowledge of history. But sometimes, while it is valuable in understanding the present, it is a great obstacle to moving forward. Such is the case in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Because in most of the arguments presented about the issues that the region faces today, one invariably calls upon history: whether as evidence that the only agreement Palestine will accept is war or to demonstrate Israel’s past illegitimacy as a nation. And so as much as I love history and believe it is incalculably important, in this case, it is completely useless… continue reading →
The day is September 11th, 2001. I am certain that you are familiar with the details, but I will rehash them for those of you that are not. It is a bright morning, indistinguishable from any other. The seemingly innumerable citizens of New York City maneuver through the tangled lattice of avenues and catacombs of subways and tunnels that form the city’s public transit apparatus. The streets are permeated with the sounds of everyday life: dogs barking, casual conversation, children’s laughter... continue reading →
It is almost 50 years since Mao Zedong proclaimed, “The guerrillas must move amongst the people as a fish swims in the sea”, and no movement better represents this infamous quote than Mao’s ideological children, India’s Naxalites.
Born from a peasant uprising in 1967 in the small village of Naxalbari (from which they get their name), the Maoists quickly became one of the world’s leading guerrilla forces, attracting the support of millions across the globe. However, the movement lost momentum during the 70’s as the Naxalites failed to capitalize on previous successes. Now, however, the movement appears to be regaining strength, and the Maoists appear to be regrouping, deep within India’s jungles; forging new alliances, honouring old ideologies. continue reading →
An interview with Robert Fisk in which he discusses Afghanistan, Obama , the War on Terror and power... see post →
Food for Thought is weekly column in which we post something that we find especially stimulating. This can vary from graffiti to quotes, from videos to blogs, anything that we find particularly special and intellectually challenging.
I have always had the feeling that extreme, right wing, ideology made no logical sense at all, but I never actually had the evidence to prove it. So I set about to find a well-respected source of information, perhaps a think tank, that promoted those beliefs. The Heritage Foundation, which describes itself as “a conservative think tank (…) at the forefront of the pro-globalization perspective”, seemed like a good place to start. It is a perfect sample of conservative beliefs, the cream of the crop, if you will, of right wing ideology in the United States. By analyzing its stance on key issues, one can come to a good understanding of the beliefs held by the conservative right… continue reading →
In the wake of the 2011 Tottenham riots, social media exploded as subliminal fears of anarchy erupted in the populace, myself included. I remember staying up late into the night watching twitter and the BBC news website for updates. After about 1:00 am, little happened, but many social commentators then gushed forth on the subject. The debate on the cause and cure, and indeed what actually happened, is still going on, but it is becoming increasingly irrelevant… continue reading →
Storm, of course, is the “genderless” child that a Canadian couple are hoping to bring up so that it is free from any sort of influence on its personality regarding gender. Apart from different views on society that people might have, the sheer impracticality of this task strikes me; the mother already had to rush one of her sons out of a shop because the shop assistant wouldn’t sell him something that was for a girl. While it is categorically unfair and possibly illegal, this sort of thing is going to happen. It is a fact that a boy who dresses like a girl in school will be isolated and discriminated against, unless all of the children are brought up in the same ultra-liberal way… continue reading →
Let’s be honest: you’ll never win the lottery.
On the other hand, the chances are pretty good that you’ll slave away at some miserable job the rest of your life. That’s because you were in all likelihood born into the wrong social class… see post →
Food for Thought is weekly column in which we post something that we find especially stimulating. This can vary from graffiti to quotes, from videos to blogs, anything that we find particularly special and intellectually challenging.
Meet Google. The noun that became a verb. The world’s favourite search engine, and the company whose motto is “Don’t be evil…” see post →
Food for Thought is weekly column in which we post something that we find especially stimulating. This can vary from graffiti to quotes, from videos to blogs, anything that we find particularly special and intellectually challenging.
Of all the excuses capitalists conjure to excuse exploitation, trickle down has been one of the most commonly referred to. As capitalism inevitably concentrates the majority of wealth in the hands of a minority, it is difficult to pass neo-liberal policies as developmental. There is little question that capitalist methods are the most effective in increasing economic growth, and are better than perhaps any other model in that regard. However, capitalism as a model for development is simply ridiculous. Neo-liberals calling on trickle down as when imperialists called on social Darwinism to excuse foreign expansion. To enforce a system that is immoral and only serves… continue reading →
The Open Wall 