Rifts between The North and The South are not new. London has swallowed most of the energy, resources and money to help it reach its global city status that dominates narratives about the UK. For some time now, research has been conducted on how wealth has been distributed between London and the rest of England. One study even showed that there was a £700 difference per head that was being spent in London compared to Birmingham on transport alone (£300 per head being spent on transport in Birmingham compared with £1000).
In fact, a third of ALL arts funding (research by Rebalancing our Cultural Capital) gets spent in London! In 2018 London received about £24 per person, compared to £8 elsewhere, (or just £3 per head for Cheshire and Warrington).
As companies move further and further up North, dramatic transformations are being made to the infrastructure that mans that the North is becoming more and more attractive to businesses, influencers and moguls across the board. Businesses moving up North for greener pastures are causing a snowball effect – it attracts more investment.
In fact, some research suggests the investment in the northern tech industry is growing faster than anywhere else in Europe, at a rate of 619 percent (between 2012 and 2017).
There are many young people (under 30) that have been part of this shift, that have created new infrastructure and made significant developments across industries within the North of England.
Now is the time for change
From footballers to social entrepreneur, to financial moguls and creatives, The North of England is home to some of the most successful ‘up and coming’ millennials making an impact and trailblazing in a number of industries; yet attention is often focused on London.
With, #NORTH30, we are changing that. The Common Sense Network’s list of 30 trailblazers under 30 challenges the perception that success for young people only comes from moving to the capital.
#NORTH30 celebrates the achievements of outliers under the age of 30 who are changing the game in the North of England.
The belief that there is a lack of opportunity for economic development outside of London is false.
The Common Sense Network invites you to nominate your favourite trailblazers for the #NORTH30. To qualify, the person must be from or based (living and/or working) in the North of England (i.e. Humberside, North East, North West and Yorkshire) and must be under 30 years of age (as of 30th September 2019).
As the Premier League draws to a close, it seems Tottenham will again walk away with no silverware unless they can advance to the Champions League Final and do the unthinkable. Off the pitch however, Tottenham talisman, Harry Kane, picked up silverware of his own, much to the collective eyebrow raise of the nation.
The Member of the British Empire (MBE) is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. In March this year Harry Kane was awarded an MBE for services to football after winning the golden boot at the World Cup.
Harry Kane receives his MBE from Prince William. Source: Daily Mirror
Kane scored six goals (including two penalties) in Russia, notching a hat-trick against Panama, two against Tunisia, and one in the last-16 victory over Colombia as Gareth Southgate’s men reached the semi-finals. However, one can’t help feeling as though Kane has been indulged for doing exactly what is expected of him.
Kane received his award alongside Hearst Magazines (Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire) Chief Content Officer, Joanna Coles and MasterChef winner and restaurateur, Thomasina Miers, with both making significant contributions to journalism & the food industry respectively. These awards should be reserved for substantial contributions, whilst the contributions of these recipients aren’t exactly comparable, the informed reader could reasonably conclude that Kane’s contributions are dwarfed here.
Joanna Coles with her OBE for services to journalism and to the media industry. Source: AOL
A few days after Kane’s award, Gareth Southgate received his OBE award for services to football after he led the national team to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 28 years. Southgate’s conduct throughout the tournament was inspiring, not only for his players but for the nation as a whole. At a time when consensus was hard to come by – you know Brexit – you’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t support Gareth Southgate as England manager.
Lady Luck smiled on England last summer handing the Three Lions a favourable path to the semi-finals, with Colombia, Croatia & Belgium being the most challenging opponents in their tournament run. In four matches against these opponents, England managed 3 losses and a draw, beating Colombia on penalties, with Kane only scoring once.
At age 25, the fact remains Harry Kane for club & country has won nothing is disappointing; a league cup runner-up medal is all that hangs from what would be a bleak looking mantelpiece.
Harry Kane is yet to lift silverware with Tottenaham. Source: Daily Star
In contrast, fellow countryman and newly crowned PFA Young Player of the Year, Raheem Sterling, is on the verge of retaining the Premier League & potentially winning the FA Cup, completing a full sweep of English trophies this season.
No doubt Tottenham
Kane fans will be quick to boast about the list of personal honours Harry Kane
has: PFA Young player of the year, 2x Premier League Golden Boot and 2x England
Player of the Year amongst others and they’d be right to do so. But the reality
is this MBE is for services to football. Last summer England won nothing &
Kane scored a load of goals against part-timers who were merely happy to be
there. Whilst he may eventually deserve an MBE, at the very least this award is
premature, Harry Kane does not deserve to be a Member of the British Empire.
The fallout has continued following the National Security Council leak of the decision to allow Huawei to participate in the UKs 5G infrastructure.
The Cabinet Secretary, Mark Sedwill, has reportedly launched
a formal inquiry into which one of the cabinet ministers leaked the
controversial decision. The inquiry reportedly began on Friday, as ministers
and their aides were requested to fill in questionnaires regarding the leak. The
questionnaire is said to request information about where the ministers were and
what they were doing the hours following the meeting.
They were also asked about what methods of communication
they used and whether they had been in contact with the telegraph newspaper,
who broke the news.
All of the ministers have purportedly given consent for the Cabinet
Secretary and his team to examine the record of their calls and messages.
There is some concern that the leak will damage the
confidence that the UKs intelligence partners have in the UK. The UK has
historically had a very robust intelligence regime, being part of the ‘Five
Eyes’ intelligence alliance with the United States, Canada, New Zealand and
Australia.
According to Gus O’Donnell, the previous Cabinet Secretary, ministers
face having their phone records reviewed as part of the investigation.
Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, who is also under
investigation due to the leak, has been vocal in his opposition to Huawei
having a role in the 5G infrastructure in the UK.
What is the National Security Council?
The National Security Council sets forth the national security strategy for the United Kingdom. It is chaired by the Prime Minister and is comprised of senior ministers. These are usually the Cabinet Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Home Secretary, the Foreign Secretary, the Defence Secretary, the Business and Energy Secretary, the International Development Secretary and the Attorney General.
Why is there so much adversity against Huawei?
There is concern that as Huawei is headquartered in China, they can be compelled to cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies.
In 2017, China enacted a law that can compel any Chinese company to assist with intelligence operations. The western world is worried that China intend to use Huawei to spy and interfere with western countries.
The United States has already banned Huawei from participating in their 5G infrastructure and are actively putting pressure on their allies to follow suit.
Galbraith’s seminal work “The Great Crash 1929” is prescient for investors braving the market turmoil in 2019 not only because of its articulate presentation of complex economic interactions – a rarity by any stretch – but also the parallels between then and now.
He believed people needed constant nudges to temper poor choices in what he termed a “mass escape from reality”. Or else, we’d all fall into the same honeypot without learning any lessons.
Instead of passing the
buck to government regulators, Galbraith saw memory a better check and balance
to insanity than any law.
Individuals buy into the illusion that good times will keep on rolling
A perverse cognitive bias lulls them into a false sense of security. After all, normalcy dictated that no disaster happened, despite the doomsayers – they’re just bitter they didn’t return 50 per cent on tech stocks this last year. Clearly, they want to spoil our fun with a sell off so they can enter at more reasonable valuations. If no disaster happened then, it never will. This line of inductive reasoning can make coping with catastrophe hard. Normalcy bias breaking down before one’s eyes can lead to inability to process and react accordingly. Notably, people tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing any ambiguity to infer a less serious situation.
Each time the market has matched or exceeded current valuation multiples it was followed by a crash of between 40% and 80% over a few years. It’s clearly inadvisable to buy today. Credit: Oftwealth
There is no justification for induction without using induction in the first place. In other words, any argument for induction would be based on the fallacy of begging the question. So then, we could say that induction is the fallacy that has taken place in his reasoning.
Of course then, rising
markets are the natural state of nature. And, falling markets are manipulation.
Galbraith doesn’t lay the blame for
the Roaring 20’s reckless disregard for temperance with politicians to check in
with stockbrokers. Instead, it was the inevitable product of individuals in
their thousands making poor choices. A result of aggregated free will of the
masses marred by illusions of get rich quick with minimal effort in a booming
economy of low unemployment, rising wages and corporate earnings leading to ignoring
the immense risks involved.
Florida’s mid-20’s real estate boom
was fuelled by low-margin, down-payments, some as low as 10 per cent. Wind
forward to the early 2000’s and the advent of No-Income-No-Job-No Assets
(NINJA) loans led to the modern day equivalent real estate bubble. It was only
a matter of time before the train derailed.
The hurricane season of 1926 showed these inductive fallacies proved false. Two struck Florida, destroying homes by the thousand and wiping out the speculator market overnight.
Amid such devastation, such was the optimism bias, the public were
convinced beyond rhyme or reason “God intended the American middle class to be
rich”.
1927, and the Federal Reserve fuels the flames
A stock market at unjustifiably high multiples of earnings, adjusted or otherwise. Expansionary monetary policy by the Fed cut interest rates and bought swathes of US Treasury bonds.
Excess liquidity found its way into the stock market, typically via credit
loans to purchase stocks on margin.
Galbraith described this mania as a “mass escape into make-believe
started in earnest”. The industrial corporations began drawing on their cash reserves
to play the markets, and when those surpluses ran short, they simply issued new
shares to continue their foray into stocks. All of this came at the opportunity
cost of not investing in new production. Walter Bagehot noted that “people are
most credulous when they are most happy”. The delirium of gains fed mass
hysteria, leading to a speculative bubble. As with all bubbles, they are
fragile by their nature. It was only a matter of time.
By September 1929, buyers were simply no longer convinced they could
sell on for a profit. The volume of buyers dried up and momentum with it.
Brokers called in margin payments and speculators were forced to sell to repay
their loans. Confidence dissipated, with panic finally setting in October as “blind,
reckless fear” drove the market to mad scrambles to sell.
It is a feature of the capitalist economic system that periods of
economic growth end in speculative booms that proceed to confidence evaporating,
fleeing the assets that cheap money and margin lending skyrocketed in its build
up.
Galbraith pleaded with his readers to take stock – literally and
metaphorically – where rising prices beget higher prices, without any bearing
to the underlying fundamentals to justify such prices. One only need cast their
memory back to some past instance where illusion replaced reality, and
everybody got screwed. The crypto bubble in early 2018 is one such instance of grand
mania blinding everybody to the reality of what they were involved with. More
recently, the fourth quarter equities sell-off led to irrationally timed
selling out at the base of the market and buying back in at the top when sentiment
rallied.
Timing the market is notoriously difficult. It is generally time in the
market as the variable that determines long-term returns. This metric and
pound-cost averaging your purchases to smooth out the troughs and peaks.
Few can do a superior job of predicting macro-future trends of
economies, markets, currencies and interest rates. Smaller arbitrage is possible
with deep-level research into micro industries, companies and securities the
market hasn’t appropriately valued because of sentiment and the allure of story
stocks and safe havens.
What Galbraith was urging on the side of caution towards was paying attention to the two variables that will determine future security prices given long enough: fundamentals and valuation. You can boil fundamentals down to what the company will earn in future. Earnings are what stock markets really consider, and most other aspects can be reviewed in relation to influencing earnings. Earnings per share (EPS = total earnings/number of shares) is the most reliable determinant of stock valuations.
The trouble with current valuations in America is they are out of kilter
with long-term trends. This would be fine if the companies were generating high
income streams to justify their expenditures, of note, technology stocks. And
some analysts have said you can’t gauge these new stocks and emerging technologies
against old school financial metrics like EPS. History has showed this to be a
flawed sentiment thus far.
“Valuation” is the consensus between investors of current and expected future fundamentals. Stocks tend to use price to company’s earnings per share (P/E Ratio). Multiplying future EPS estimate by projected P/E Ratio gives the projected future price.
For any given level of EPS, a variety of P/E Ratios may be assigned by
investors, and a variety of stock price outcomes can materialise. All else
being equal, higher investors’ opinion of a company, the higher the P/E Ratio
assigned by the market to its stock. This is likely to produce positive
surprises and its earnings growth can be depended on. Product sex appeal, the
stock’s founders and story and its management figureheads feature prominently
in these valuations. Think Apple’s Steve Jobs or Tesla’s Elon Musk.
Story Stock Tesla & CEO Elon Musk (Xinhua/ via Getty Images)
To ignore valuations is at your own peril as an investor
In other words, the price of a company’s stock will be a function of
what it does (earnings) and how investors react to what it does (valuation).
Valuation will be determined by numerical norms and psychological adjustments.
And all of the above will be influenced by the macro environment – what’s going
on in the world and how investors feel about that. It’s hard to know all the
above, and hard to know it better than others. That’s why I’m guarded about the
relevance of “how can you predict?”
If Galbraith were around today, he would probably be advocating caution
on the fundamentals/valuation side with the American stock market at
precipitous highs after a decade bull run, unemployment back down at 3.9 per
cent, and weakening corporate earnings outlooks. Especially considering the rest
of world is on par or undervalued against their long-term returns, and large
players like Chinese stocks are still reeling from the Trump trade war fallout
and European markets with the Brexit conundrum. Having said this, ignoring the
American market generally comes at the disappointment of missed returns. So
perhaps, a rebalancing of portfolios with some dollar and/or gold hedging to re-enter
stocks after the next correction and larger positions in low P/E Ratio, yet
growing marketplaces.
Duke freshman Zion Williamson, the consensus player of the year, officially declared his eligibility for the NBA draft. Williamson ranked by many as the No.1 prospect made his announcement on Instagram, saying playing for Duke had been the “best year” of his life.
6-foot-7, 285-pound Williamson became the face of college basketball with his freakish, once-in-a-generation athleticism; his energy at both ends of the floor, routinely coming up with at least one highlight-reel play or show-stopping dunk per game.
Zion William: This year’s top NBA prospect. Source: Express
On May 14th, the NBA will hold its lottery to determine which team will draft Zion. New York, Phoenix and Cleveland hold the best odds, followed by Chicago and Atlanta, however the rest of the draft remains uncertain with March Madness producing winners and losers likely to dictate NBA front office decisions on May 14th.
Ja Morant, Murray State Racers (Winner)
Not many players were better than Ja Morant this year. Zion Williamson was, and a case could be made for RJ Barrett. That’s it. Murray State’s lead man put up 24.5 points, 10.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals forcing his way into the top-three in most mock draft boards.
Morant’s performances blindsided most because unless you live in Kentucky or shell out $5 per month for an ESPN+ subscription, you barely got to see Morant. Prior to March, the Racers only played four nationally televised games. Fans had likely heard of Morant with a handful of his athletic highlight plays doing the rounds on social media, but the NCAA tournament was probably the first time a lot of people would have watched the majority of a Murray State game.
Ja Morant has unexpectedly caught NCAA headlines this year. Source: Sports Illustrated
To put it bluntly, the boy has game.
Earlier in the season against Auburn (final four participants), Morant put up 25 points, seven assists, eight rebounds and against Alabama 38 points, five assists and nine rebounds.
In the blowout loss to Florida State in the second round, Morant was impressive and finished with 28 points. He’s held his own against elite NCAA competition. As a runner up in the Zion raffle, Morant is more than a worthy consolation prize.
Projection: Top 3 pick
NBA comparison: DeAaron Fox (With a better jump shot).
Carsen Edwards, Purdue Boilmakers (Winner)
Ja Morant aside, Carsen Edwards is quite probably the biggest winner in the 2018 – 2019 season and probably the biggest winner as a result of the NCAA tournament.
Coming into his sophomore year, Edwards was the only notable name on the roster and the Boilmakers were very much an Edwards or bust team. Fast forward to the end of the season and that prediction holds true, Edwards took 37.5% of Purdue’s shots while he was on the floor.
Edwards was a key player for Purdue this season. Source: Journal and Courier
Edward’s ability to convert those shots during the tournament have seen his draft stock sky rocket. He was not considered a first round pick before the start of the season, however after shooting 45.9% from three-point range and averaging 34.8 points in the tournament, the general consensus has changed.
In four games, Edwards had 139 points almost finishing with more points than Kemba Walker (141 points) did in six games in 2011. He did finish well ahead of what Stephen Curry (128 points) produced while leading Davidson to the 2008 Elite Eight.
Projection: Late first round
NBA comparison: Patty Mills (with a little less playmaking)
Cam Reddish, Duke Blue Devils (Loser)
Cameron Reddish is one of the more overall talented players in this year’s draft, but he’s yet to fully capitalize on all of his gifts up to this point in his career. He has games where he looks like a star player followed by 1/11 field goal shooting performances. Reddish still has some development/maturing to do on a mental level as his confidence comes and goes. It appears to be the Achilles heel that’s holding him back from being all he can as a prospect.
Reddish in theory is someone who can shoot, defend, play-make in P/R, finish over the top, etc. All of which he does in flashes, but you’d like to see more consistency from him on a nightly basis.
With that said, he has shown that he can compliment other star level talents as he’s done a nice job being the talented 3rd option alongside Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett at Duke. Reddish may prove to be a late bloomer who rounds into his game after a few developmental seasons in the league. His team situation, much like many other one and done prospects, will be critical for his long-term outcome.
Reddish has seen his draft stock drop this season. Source: Bleacher Report
He’s in the fragile stages of his game where he’s still figuring out how much talent he has and how to maximize it. A stable organization who won’t demand too much from him too soon and could surround him with attention/veteran players would do him well. Overall, Reddish is a lottery pick based on his physical tools and the immense talent he teases us with. While he has star potential he’s more likely a starter/rotation player in the NBA.
Projection: Lottery
NBA comparison: Rodney Hood (Yes, just as streaky)
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga Bulldogs (Loser)
Hachimura made obvious improvement from his sophomore to junior year. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward is a consistent scorer with a strong mid-range game and good ability to get to the foul line. Hachimura hit 41.7% of his 36 three point attempts this season after making just 22.5% in his first two seasons.
He also proved able to get up and down the court better than opposing big men, allowing the Bulldogs to run a high-octane offense that sat in the top 20th percentile in pace while ranking No. 1 in points scored per 100 possessions, according to Basketball Reference. A potent mix.
However, despite his improvements, he was rather disappointing in the NCAA tournament. At times during Gonzaga’s tournament run, Hachimura looked raw, lacking a natural feel for the game when a play broke down or the shot clock was expiring which hindered Gonzaga when up against higher calibre opponents.
Projection: Lottery/ Late first round
NBA comparison: Antwon Jamison (Who? Yes, that’s the point)
Unless you have been living under a rock or worldwide news doesn’t interest you, you pretty much know about the cluster of nonsense in America that is the Special Counsel Investigation or what I like to call: “The Truth on Whether or Not Vladimir Putin is Really Our President” Investigation. For the past two years, Americans (and other nations) have been waiting patiently, crying impatiently, or laughing hysterically on whether the President of the United States colluded with Russia in the 2016 election.
If you are a ‘tree hugging liberal’, you’ll be highly disappointed with the fact that this man did not. If you’re a ‘snooty conservative’, you’ll be thrilled that he did not collude. If you are indifferent, this whole article might not apply to you and you could very well go back to living your best life! However, if you are a Trump supporter and a part of the “MAGA” (Make America Great Again) Hive, then you’ll be one of the annoying people that have not shut up about this damn investigation since it started. YES, WE GET IT! Your favorite president did not collude with Russia. You were right, the rest of us was wrong! Okay, let’s move on!
Nevertheless, there are a lot of people on both sides that are having a very difficult time letting go and moving forward. It’s almost like a bitter ex that will just not leave well enough alone and move on with their lives. I’m sorry Sharron, Tim has moved on and is happy. Can you like worry about healthcare, please? Oh no? We are not going to do that? Ugh, Fine! It might be beneficial to give a little background on this whole investigation and explain why people, especially the Democrats, are a little upset.
Lets go all the way back to 2016 – I know, sometimes it feels like we’re in the year 2030 with the way politics is handled in present day America. (Insert, rolling eye and shaking my head emoji here). There were rumors that Russia interfered with the election. Everybody’s reaction to this rumor at the time was RUUUSSSSIIIAAAAAAAAAA!!!! Impossible! They can’t tamper with the election! Blasphemy! Well turns out Russia did tamper with the U.S. election. In March of 2017, America (and pretty much most of the world) found out that the FBI started an investigation to look into Russian interference and a possible linkage to the Trump campaign. Nevertheless, this investigation began in the summer of 2016, while President Trump was a Presidential hopeful.
Trump and Putin at the Helsinki Summit
Here’s where things get a little “tricky”, and I will try to make this as simple as possible. A man who no one even heard of before this investigation, George Papadopoulos, began boasting in London about how some Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton. At the time, he was Trump’s foreign policy advisor to the campaign. While this is going on let’s look at another facet of the situation, it was proven the Democratic National Convention’s emails have been hacked into by Russia, and eventually released to the public.
Now Trump may have not known any of this was going on at the time, but he surely didn’t make the situation any easier by encouraging such behavior. Whether that was encouraging Russia to look into Hillary’s emails or constantly admiring and gushing over Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin (and his relationship with Trump is definitely something we’ve all had our eyes on), he definitely did not make it hard for him to look suspicious in the FBI’s eyes. Of course, Russia never did get the Hillary Clinton emails, but did get other privy information in regards to her campaign and released them.
Are we confused yet? Cool. We were too around that time. At this stage, things are still pretty hush hush in 2016. President Trump wins the election and all is well, that is until January when he’s officially in office. In January of 2017, after Trump was sworn in, Trump’s former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, was initially questioned about conversations and involvement with Russia. It was at this point where Flynn messed up; he essentially lied to the FBI about his interactions with Russia. The acting Attorney General at the time, Sally Yates, found out about the interview and informed the White House of the lie. Now, Yates have raised a few eyebrows of her suspicions of Flynn, but before she could really do anything about this, she was fired for not supporting the Travel Ban. Shortly after Yates was fired Flynn resigned from his position in the Trump administration. In the midst of Flynn’s firing, James Comey, the former head of the FBI, and Trump had a private meeting about Comey’s loyalty to President Trump.
Robert Mueller
Now we are about to go into over-drive. In mid-February, Papadopoulos, is now being questioned heavily by the FBI because of his involvement with Russian operatives during the 2016 campaign. Fast forward to May 3, 2017, James Comey is out of a Job. Now, everyone is super confused as to why this is the situation. Trump made a comment about how he was going to fire Comey regardless. Then, Comey comes forward (with memos) to state he felt pressured to “go easy” on Flynn. All of these instances happened very fast, and soon after Comey’s firing, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate what the hack is going on; thus, the Mueller investigation.
In the midst of all this madness, numerous amounts of people have been founded guilty, indicted, or pleaded guilty due to the investigation. From Paul Manafort (Trump’s old campaign manager), Flynn, Papadopoulos to Michael Cohen (Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer), dozens of people have admitted to having some sort of conversations with Russia or involvement in other embezzling activity. If anybody is a history nerd or knows slight information about American history, they would know that when one thing is investigated, the investigation team looks at EVERYTHING. Just take Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton wasn’t initially under investigation for his lying infidelity. He was under investigation for investments he and Hillary made while he was governor in Arkansas. That investigation opened up the door to Monica Lewinsky.
Robert Mueller
Similarly, the Mueller investigation did the same thing to Trump. It opened up doors to his past investments when he was a business man, past affairs, pay offs, and other questionable situations. The investigation was a gateway for other lawsuits and investigations against the president and his team that are currently taking place. With all the scandal surrounding the investigation and the lengthy process, Mueller concluded there wasn’t any collusion with Russia, but did say their wasn’t “sufficient evidence to conclude Trump did not obstruct justice” This is very different from what Attorney General William Bar reported when he gave his summary of the investigation and press conference prior to the release of the redacted report to the public.
While Trump is free of collusion, there are things about the report that is unsettling to say the least. Let me first say, I am glad the President of the country I live in did not collude with a foreign entity, but he still isn’t going to be saint of the year in my book either, which is why some people, especially the Democrats are looking side-eyed at this whole investigation. How he handled this whole investigation appeared suspect, and the fact that he hired people in place, such as William Barr, to make him look good is even more suspect. It almost appears as if he indeed obstructed justice. Yes, every president picks people who will follow out their agenda. However, the Attorney General also works for the betterment of the country. Barr has stated several times his views on the investigation and how he thinks American government spied on Trump , and, at times, acted like Trump’s personal lawyer and cheerleader, than the Attorney General of the United States.
What Happens Now?
Good question! While Trump was never going to get prosecuted for anything in the investigation, it was never necessarily about that. The main purpose for Mueller investigating possible collusion was whether his report had enough grounds for impeachment (something only Congress can decide). Now impeachment doesn’t necessarily remove a president from their position. It’s a mere charge against a government official. In order to be impeached, a person must commit “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” (US Constitution- https://constitutionus.com/). There are people who want to see him impeached, and there are others that do not want to waste the time. Personally, I believe this is a losing battle because the Senate (majority Republican) would never vote to fully impeach him. Even if the House of Representatives (majority Democrat and the opposing party) were to vote for articles of impeachment (step 1 of 2 for the impeachment process). This whole investigation was a cluster of nonsense, but very entertaining when it was all said and done. We may have Trump for another term, but we have something to look back on in history. Until Congress figures out what they are going to do with this investigation, we can at least laugh at the memes and the outlandish tweets that are being created on a daily about the investigation.
CheVaughn Starling is the host of Civil Diligence podcast. Hailing from a state called Illinois in America,her love for politics and history led her to aspire a career as a political analyst. CheVaughn was inspired by the idea to start Civil Diligence for a simple platform for millennials to express themselves politically.Out of all the political shows out in the world, there was not a true platform where millennials could speak their mind and ask questions about the political minutia that effects our world…and our pockets. She feels that if you are effected by the government, you should at least have the bare minimum comprehension of how the people we elect effects US.
This April, the government released a white paper introducing regulation of online media in order to mitigate ‘online harms’. The legislative proposals are up for public consultation until July 1st, when the government will then move forward with making any adjustments concrete and start the process of making it law.
The paper outlines the scope of the ‘online harms’ it is intended to tackle, ranging from harmful and abusive comments, to terrorist activity and other illegal content such as child grooming and sharing of sensitive materials. The new regulatory framework will apply to companies that share or discover user-generated content and interact with each other online, “including social media platforms, file hosting sites, public discussion forums, messaging services and search engines.” The paper proposes enforcement of a duty of care by companies that provide such services that they are to make sure their platform or service adheres to. It mentions that such regulation will be carried out by an independent regulator, but such a body does not yet exist or been appointed. As well as proposing legislative framework, there is also mention of the intention to start media literacy programmes to ensure children and parents know how to navigate such ‘online harms’.
With the rising concern over social media’s links to mental health, including some high profile cases, such as Instagram banning ‘explicit self-harm images’ after the death of Molly Russell, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and more recently the live streaming of a terrorist attack, this response seems inevitable. The internet has evolved greatly in the past decade alone and with it an exponential growth of innovation but also dangers. The newest craze of social media has both enriched lives and has been caused for concern. A 2015 report by neuroscientists shows that social media allows individuals to satisfy many social needs easily, and therefore the benefits it can bring to us humans. On the other side, the increased anonymity the internet provides has also provided the right ingredients for a hostile and abusive environment, and in some cases, a perfect platform for criminal activity. Social media and the internet is fast becoming an integral part of our society, if not already so. This white paper shows the Government is willing to step up and take the responsibility of creating a safer internet space for future generations.
Empirical research into internet use, especially social media use, and mental health is still relatively new in the science world, but there is already a good amount of research out there. An extensive review of the literature by researchers in 2018 has found that isolated and socially anxious adolescents are more likely to use the internet and online social networks. When taking this into consideration, it is easy to see how the content that they are shown can have a profound effect on their wellbeing. This certainly seemed the case with 14-year-old Molly Russell, who had been viewing social media content related to anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide before dying by suicide. Her father’s fight to have more regulation over such sensitive content resulted in Instagram tightening up their content filtering and banning explicit images of self-harm.
The paper also emphasises the harms of illegal content, mentioning child sex offenders using “the internet to view and share child sexual abuse material”, as well as terrorist content. Again, from recent events it’s not hard to see how regulation could be a good thing. It almost seems unbelievable that the shocking and horrific New Zealand attacks were live streamed on Facebook with seemingly little interruption or flagging. Perhaps a legal framework would push big shot online platforms like Facebook to really invest their time and money into finding a solution to filtering harmful content.
All this being said, it’s important to not lose sight of the many positives the internet has given us. As well as the negative effects, the 2018 survey of research finds there are many aspects of internet-use, combined with certain environmental factors, that benefits a person’s well-being. It will be another two years before the proposals in the white paper becomes law, and more time after that before implementation. The success of such regulation also depends on the regulatory body chosen to enforce the future legislation. I’d like to see more expansion and focus on media literacy programmes, especially for younger people. If this framework is going to achieve its goal in creating a safer, yet free, internet space, we need to change our internet culture to be so. If we’re going to do that, teaching future leaders is imperative. It is early days yet to say that this is certainly the regulation we need, it’s still very vague and under consultation. There is no doubt, however, the proposals will, and have, incited thought and debate over our Internet use, something that I think has been long overdue.
Aliya is a recent Psychology graduate from The University of Manchester, where she was Science and Technology Editor for the student newspaper, The Mancunion, in her final year. She is now Digital and Social Media Intern at The University of Manchester.
Feminism is in no way a new movement. It’s waves span from longer than a century ago, however its is only recently that the word feminism is being used in every day language.Over the last decade talks of the word ‘feminism’ have risen tenfold in conjunction with the supposed pay gap, the opening up of feminism to be representative of all types of women considering class, sexual orientation and race with the central goal of feminism being the equality of the sexes.
Similarly, veganism has also risen tremendously over the last ten years, with a more than 350% rise in vegans in Britain since 2006. It is difficult to ignore the growing number of demonstrations and documentaries concerning animal rights, the effect of consumption on the environment and general health.
These two
ideologies, though seemingly very distinct and disparate, may have more
similarities than one might first notice. Furthermore, coming into question is
whether one can be a feminism without being a vegan, if we are to consider the
intersectionality of the two movements.
Types of Discrimination (SOURCE zerotoleranceblog)
Women and Animals; both vulnerable, both pieces of meat
The objectification of women is used notoriously by patriarchal powers. However the general public tend to stay oblivious to the fact that animals and women are reduced to being treated like pieces of meat (literally in animal cases) in the ways that they are objectified, manipulated and abused. We often refer to ill-treatment as being “treated like an animal” without considering that animals are literally treated like animals in inhumane ways that humans would never stand for. An example of this is that 50% of pigs in the UK are gassed in gas chambers. And this is known as the humane way to kill them. Though for many, this type of murder might be reminiscent of something similar that has happened to humans in our atrocious history.
“Dominance functions best in a culture of disconnections and fragmentations,” Sexual Politics of Meat: A Vegetarian Feminist Critical Theory by Carol Adams (SOURCE Amazon)
The logic of dominant cultures in discrimination are the same
The goal in political movements such as feminism is to protect those who are perceived as weaker and to rebel against dominant cultures. This also follows the same logic as xenophobia, racism and misogyny, repeating the idea that one type of being is superior making the other inferior by nature. Both movements deal with objectification and power dynamics.
What we do is instead of acknowledging what makes us similar, we focus on the differences: colour, religion, sex, species. When the similarities that we share are greater than what makes us divergent. Our laughter, our cries, the pain feel and the suffering. But we don’t think about this and allow our differences to aid in our reasons for discrimination.
We also pay
for living beings and non-human animals to be raped, exploited and in the end
killed all whilst fighting against rape culture, trafficking and violence
against women, which to a level could be seen as hypocritical.
The Manipulation of Feminine Bodies
Diary calves in kept in cages (SOURCE veganuary)
Cows are dosed with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to increase milk production and are raped by either (what is known in the industry as) rape racks or put in enclosures with several bulls who will brutally attack her.
Most milk, despite what most of us are aware of, is acquired like this (at least in the western world). The babies (calves but babies still) are taken away so that the milk can be given to humans and cows take on a lifetime of continuous sexual intrusion – rape and exploitation. Sound familiar? However, the fact that it’s a different kind of being in pain leads us to believe that this is acceptable.
There has even been much argument of whether word rape can be used as it is insensitive to compare an animal’s experience to a human, even though they are both forms of violence.
Being considered as property for monetary gain, to be constantly used and abused would never be accepted if it were women but any other type of female being abused is supposed to be fair game?
Audre Lorde Famous quote, famous vegan, civil rights activist and feminist (SOURCE AZQuotes)
Always looking at the differences between people instead of the similarities is what causes all types of discrimination. For that reason we must always consider intersectionality of different issues in order for one’s actions to be in accordance with one’s beliefs. Speciesism we consider to be a small issue in comparison to all other world issues, however it is very much like every other discrimination we face.
Both the movements of feminism and veganism militate for equality and both groups look at various different forms and spaces of oppression. All types of oppression are linked because as humans we create the hierarchies which place those who are more vulnerable to exploitation, whether that be according to race, gender or species.
Or are these two issues all too different to compare?
In a generation inundated with quick changing trends, toxic levels of social media and an endless host of woke capitalism campaigns, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to answer the simple question of what actually matters. What matters to us personally? What matters to us as a community? What matters to us vocationally? These are all seemingly easy questions, that in reality, leave many people devoid of any answer to the type of inquiry that well-being, good mental health and joy hinges on quite strongly: What matters?
On Wednesday 24th April The Common Sense Network attend a launch event for the ‘What Matters with Alex Reads’ podcast held at The Curtain London in the thick of Shoreditch. The weekly podcast hosted by Alex ‘Reads’ Holmes and produced by Clarissa Pabi, brings together creatives, health experts, thought leaders and writers to discuss their personal journeys, motivations, and how they embrace what matters to them.
The Common Sense Network attended What Matters with Alex Reads live. Source: Instagram
To mark the re-launch of the podcast’s new season, this episode’s conversation around the male black British experience was held live with the former co-host of the highly popular podcast Mostly Lit, Derek Owusu. Owusu is also the editor of a new anthology, SAFE: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space. Alongside Owusu on the night to were other contributors of the SAFE anthology, Nels Abbey, Aniefiok ‘Neef’ Ekpoudom.
What is the Black British Male experience?
Alex Reads, who also contributed to SAFE, kicked off the conversation asking the panel about their experience of being black British men and at what point they realised they were different from their white counterparts.
Nels Abbey touched interestingly on the spectrum of the black British male experience – an idea that the mainstream media seldom considers in it’s portrayal of black men. He said, “On one side you have the princes. The Raheem Sterlings and Chuku Umanna who are highly visible and successful”
“But on the other side you have those who experience the harsher side of being a black British man. The most classic example being Mark Duggan. One thing in common between the princes and the opposite of princes is that we’re all rejected by this society and no matter what side of the spectrum, you’re five minutes away from a wrong interaction and you’re Mark Duggan”
Speakers on the night (left to right): Nels Abbey, Aniefiok ‘Neef’ Ekpoudom, Derek Owusu, Alex ‘Reads’ Holmes
In the midst of Brexit further fuelling conversations around the experience of racism and diversity in the UK, What Matters live provided a much needed opportunity for black British men to take ownership in discussing their individual lives as black British men.
What is SAFE and where did it come from?
SAFE: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space, which was on sale on the night by Beacon Books London, is an anthology that was inspired by Yomi Adegoke, co-author of the highly acclaimed ‘black girl bible’, Slay in Your Lane.
“The book came from a black woman. Yomi asked why there isn’t anything like Slay in Your Lane for black men and suggested I do it”, editor of SAFE, Derek Owusu shared. “I want to get young black boys reading so it made sense for me to do it”.
SAFE explores questions such as where do black men belong in the media and what does it mean to be a black man in Britain today, from the perspective of over 20 of UK’s top journalists, writers, poets and musicians.
Some of the contributors to SAFE. Source: BuzzFeed UK
One of the essays in the book, by Nels Abbey, looked at who owns, shapes and forms the image of black British men, to which he proposed is defined primarily by those who own and control mainstream media: predominantly the white middle class.
The unidimensional portrayal of black British men in the media further emphasises the significance of SAFE. The panel went on to discuss their hopes for the book and what they what they thought black British men in today’s society actually need.
Aniefiok ‘Neef’ Ekpoudom, one of the contributors to SAFE said, “The real legacy of the book will be seen in the careers that come after it”. He went on to say “There’s great value in having safe spaces for black men to speak openly and honestly about our lives. I could see that my own experience wasn’t being lived in isolation”.
A night of engaging conversation and a lot of laughs was capped off with a Q&A from the audience centred on the future of the black British male experience and the steps that can be made to provide practical help to young black men in the UK.
What Matters with Alex Reads live was a sure success that definitely has me excited for this season of the What Matters podcast available on iTunes and all available platforms!
The football content site and YouTube channel’s sacking of presenter Poet due to his past sexist tweets has caused a huge stir online, but it didn’t have to be like this.
A 2018 study found that 70% of employers are now scrutinising candidates’ social media history during the hiring process. Social media has become so ingrained in everyday society that it often provides others with the first idea of what makes up our personal ‘brand’. You can no longer afford to be anything less than squeaky clean online. It is a warning we are constantly being reminded of, but the benefit of hindsight is not a luxury afforded by the internet.
Poet’s 2013 tweet that led to his sacking. Source: Twitter
This is a reality realised by presenter and content creator Poet, who left Copa90 last week after a Football365 published a now deleted article exposing a series of Poet’s sexist tweets from the last eight years. The article was published in response to Copa90 releasing their attempt at an inspiring video in support of women’s football and this summer’s World Cup. This video has also since been removed from YouTube by Copa90, but can still be found here via MSN video. Poet appears multiple times in the video, with commenters feeling it was inappropriate and hypocritical for someone with his history to suddenly be given a platform to champion equality.
Once the story broke and began circulating online, this unsurprisingly resulted in Poet’s association with Copa90 being ‘reviewed’, not terminated, but with the added caveat that he would not be appearing in any content until further notice. The full statement is below, but it was much of what you would expect. Generalised waffle about how it was at odds with their values, how they had only just come to know of the tweets and that they would be ‘tightening’ their procedures in the future.
COPA90 has recently become aware of abhorrent, sexist & unacceptable content posted on social media by one of our contributors, Poet on his personal Twitter account. The management, editors and producers of COPA90 apologise unreservedly for any offence caused by this content…
Besides the societal failings that led Poet to think these things in the first place, this was the first failure. Make no mistake, Poet deserved to face considerable punishment for his part in all this. His supporters were quick to reel off the excuses that the tweets were “from years ago” and that he was a reformed character, but this is simply untrue. Poets tweets show a long, drawn out level of misogyny that Twitter user @_BabsJ points out in her excellent blog ‘That Baba Girl’ lasted publicly until as near as 2018. The tweets were unacceptable and you cannot expect to behave as he did, while remaining the public face of an organisation. Yet despite all this, there is still something about Copa90’s response that just doesn’t seem fair.
For starters, there is the claim that Copa90 had only “recently become aware” of the content being posted by Poet on his personal Twitter. If it was the case that this all happened well in the past then this would seem like a fair admission. It is though, difficult to believe that no one at the channel was aware of anything one of their main creators was sharing from last year right back to 2011. What they have done in their statement is try to lay all blame at Poet’s door. This entirely misses the point.
You should be reviewing your own organizational culture & organizational values. Under which people saw fit to post sexist videos.
Do not use poet as a scapegoat.
He doesn't deserve to get axed over past events, for which he has appologised.
When Poet’s tweets were first shared, it was not simply him who was being called out, but the hypocrisy of the entire organisation. In an era of woke capitalism, Copa90 insisted on publicly making a huge song and dance about their support for women’s football, while failing to acknowledge their own mistakes. These include a 2013 series called ‘The Strip Show’, which involved getting semi-naked women to try on a variety of football shirts. Curiously, none of this was mentioned in their blanket statement, but when pressed on this their response was just to copy and paste the same response over and over.
Clips from @COPA90's seminal 2013 feminist polemic, "The Strip Show", in which they sought to help women smash the glass ceiling, principally by asking them to rub whichever parts of their body couldn't be concealed under a football shirt against it. "STRIP BABY!" #WokeCopa90pic.twitter.com/EvTAlv3lxb
— Joe Lewis’ Yacht Collection (@bankruptspurs) April 12, 2019
This raises questions over how serious Copa90 truly are in their pledge to provide a platform for everyone. Yes, actions speak louder than words and they didn’t need to make that video, but the fact they did represents a huge missed opportunity. It could have been a chance for them to admit past failings like ‘The Strip Show’, announce their change of direction and most importantly, reveal a new creative team. In the end, they did only one of these things. With a core fan base of adolescent boys and young men, clearly Copa90 were not prepared to take the inevitable hit that this would bring to their viewing figures; something that is indicative of the final failure.
But how did social media react?
There will be those who disagree with much of this article, there may even be some who feel the need to voice their displeasure, but it is guaranteed not to receive the same level of abuse directed at others online. Why? For the simple fact that it was written by a man. This whole debate had potential to be a nuanced discussion around progress, education and social media, but as soon as the trolls caught wind of a handful of women calling Copa90 out it descended into farce.
@JkbDonSteve this bird ruined copa90, state of this world….
Fuck off u bitch what did u gain from bringing up tweets from 6 years ago hes obvs a changed man u really gonna ruin a mans career over some old tweets smh
What is it about society that allows this underlying hatred of women to thrive online and still exist below the surface? In place of any reasoned thought that women might actually have every right to be offended by Poet and Copa90’s poor behaviour, as always the default response online was to place all blame with the female species for simply existing and having a voice. This is nothing new, but highlights how damaging publishing content like ‘The Strip Show’ to a wide audience can be in the long-run. Ironically, all this circus has done is underline the need for media outlets like Copa90 to run effective campaigns that promote equality and educate their audience.
Once the dust settles, things will undoubtedly progress, but at the time of writing Copa90 are yet to build on their weak initial statement. But by publicly resharing this to every response on Twitter they have made yet another error, as it has been pointed out this leaves women more vulnerable to further abuse. Each one of these mistakes brings us further away from the core message in their original video. This is 2019: support women, strive for equality, celebrate all forms of sport. The Women’s World Cup is the biggest sporting event of the summer and a trophy that England could genuinely win. I for one, can’t wait.
When it comes to investing in commodities like the energy
sector in today’s environment, one thing that a lot of people don’t appreciate
enough is the importance of understanding what you’re betting on.
When someone thinks the price of oil will rise, to take advantage of this, they start buying British Petroleum shares. Satisfied with their timely acquisition, and chuffed to pieces with how clever they have been to outsmart the market should oil commodity prices rise in future, they’ve actually gambled their capital without understanding the potential implications of such a position.
What if I told you that the West Texas Intermediate and/or Brent Crude aren’t interchangeable bets with petroleum companies?
Rusted oil pumps in Texas. Source: CNBC
The trouble with broadly asking questions like “Is now a good time to buy oil stocks?”, is investors aren’t really asking about the stocks in question, but really whether the price of oil is going up.
In this sense, you’re not actually investing in the companies – you’re simply betting on the commodity. Don’t get me wrong, this is a perfectly fine thing to do if you believe you have a differentiated perspective on the macroeconomic factors driving supply and demand in the oil market. But if you really have such conviction in this perspective, there would seem to be a much simpler and cleaner way of expressing this view – namely, buying oil futures.
If you’d like to invest in an energy company, your thesis cannot be centred around the assumption that the price of oil is going up. You need to be able to argue why there is value to be had in your stock even in a “lower for longer” commodity environment, or why it is a relative bargain compared to its peers at today’s prices.
Its main operations may not even be in crude oil. It might well have diversified into renewable technologies or liquid petroleum gases. This would already dampen the correlation between the commodity price and your stock price based off the original assertion.
Oil and gas drilling rig work. Source: Lapeze & Johns
Furthermore, in terms of its competitors, what quality reserves does it mine, pump or dig? Does it have new drilling rights, access to advancements in refining capabilities or is it operating with direct authorisation on good terms with the national and local governments that give it exclusive rights to that oil field or gas farm?
Will that be enough to ensure a wide economic moat against
its competitors?
Namely, the proposition: “commodity price rising” as the
justification for investing in a given stock dealing with that commodity is too
makeshift an indicator by itself. Don’t then ask, “Is it a good time to
buy oil stocks?” when you really want to know “Is it a good time to
buy oil?”. Those questions are quite different but the distinction is easily
overlooked.
The Iron Ore
Conundrum
One such example of this disjuncture in logic would be the significantly higher quality of Brazilian Vale S.A’s highly-sought after, high-grade iron ore that Chinese steel mills prefer to maximise steel production from their blast furnaces, as less coke must be used. Before the court order against Vale to stop production at eight tailings dams and the 9 per cent predicted drop in annual output, it produced considerably more high-grade iron ore than Rio Tinto and BHP Group (58 and 62 per cent). If I had thought the price of iron ore would increase because of demand for high-quality steel, and bought into Vale S.A. with the expectation that the value of my investment would rise alongside steel prices, I would be rather disappointed. Iron ore did rise from $65 to $95 (46 per cent) meanwhile Vale SA lost 27 per cent as the share price fell from 15$ to 11$.
Similarly, if you thought after the Vale SA’s dam collapse that iron ore prices would rise globally, then it would have been more prudent to invest in iron futures rather than Vale SA’s competitors Rio Tinto and BHP Group.
There isn’t some universal law that Vale’s misfortunes are a competitors’ gains. Rio Tinto ended up declaring force majeure after the recent cyclone in Australia and BHP reducing guidance, pointing to little spare capacity for high-quality benchmark ore in the market to meet Chinese demand. Environmental curbs in China have hit domestic production of low-quality iron ore, e.g. Heibei province is closing 40 mines in 2019 alone.
In this instance, Chinese steel mills were left with limited, albeit undesirable, options. They could have substituted in lower grade iron ore from Australia’s Rio Tinto or BHP, but this would require more coke input for the conversion to pig iron, generating less efficient and unacceptably higher polluting processing and lower output.
Alternatively, they could have hoped for rising steel prices to offset continuation of more expensive high-quality iron ore, and simultaneously lower production in the meantime to steady costs.
As with all investing, it’s a multifaceted arena of trade offs and unknown variables that aren’t easily controlled for or anticipated.
As always, if you’re trying to actively beat market returns, do your own research. If you think a commodity price is set to rise, ask why a given stock is a better choice than simply the commodity futures market. After all, stocks and commodities are not necessarily the same thing.
Anderton Primary School in Birmingham has sparked a religious debate as lessons teaching about LGBT rights have been stopped. Protesters outside the school shouted to have control over their children’s education: “stop brainwashing our children”, “homosexuality and Islam do not work hand in hand”.
The Education Secretary Damian Hinds, warns “myths” are being spread about the the content of LGBT lessons under the ‘The No Outsiders Programme’.
‘The No Outsiders programme’ which has brought about the issues runs alongside the relationship and sex education classes. Anderton Primary School which is 80% Muslim has now seen over 600 kids removed from classes by their parents.
Protests outside Anderton Primary School
In a changing world where sexuality and gender identity are hot topics, it continues as the protests against LGBT lessons at Anderton primary school, in Birmingham have continued and they seem they will not stop.
What is the No Outsiders Programme?
Many religions have come under siege from the politics of sexuality and gender, as many non-traditional lifestyles are not promoted in many religions. Many parents believe that the LGBT lessons “promote homosexual and transgender lifestyles to their children”.
The ‘No outsiders Programme’ is based on a book written by headteacher Andrew Moffat.
Headteacher at Anderton Primary School (Andrew Moffat)
In an attempt to teach equality amongst children in school irrespective of gender, sex, race or religion. It teaches children that there are a variation of families in the UK. This is merely a reality of the diversity of humankind and a tolerance Britain epitomizes.
No outsiders in Our School Teaching the Equality Act In Primary Schools, by Andrew Moffat
Islamophobia is on the rise and this debate feeds the idea that Islam does not work in accordance with Western ideals. It plays into the hands of right wing nationalists who can use this to promote the idea that Islam continues to be an enemy of The West.
Western Values
The core Western values are ones of democracy, freedom and justice can be seen as the bedrock of its civilisation. For practising, liberally informed Muslims, freedom and democratic values common practice to them.
MP Jo Cox said: “While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again.. is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us”.
In an incredibly diverse society, ideas, ideologies and religions are bound to clash. In a see-saw and monopoly on society, we continue to be divided into political tribes. Islam like that of Christianity is deeply socio-political and makes up as a deeply entrenched identity in many people lives.
Islam is derived from the Arabic root “Salema”: peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.
When does ‘peace, purity and submission and obedience’ comes at odds with sexual and gender politics?
Simply because homosexuality is seen as a sin, as reinforced by some Islamic scholars. But this is not the view of all Muslims.
A liberal interpretation of Islam allows for an extension beyond the literal interpretation of Islam to which many other muslims would not adhere to.
Sadiq Khan: The Liberal Muslim
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at Pride
Current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is a perfect representation of a liberally progressive muslim who has supported the rights of the LGBTQ community.
Khan, was the first elected Muslim mayor of London which was a moment captured in progressive history. His support of gay marriage epitomized the evolving progressive nature of British society.
July 2017, Khan hosted LGBT+ community at city hall for the first time in seven years. November 2018 Khan fronted the ‘new ‘It Gets Better’ video for LGBT youth which aimed to promote a positive message about being LGBT+ to young people across the world. He also backed Queer Britain, a project announced back in February 2018, to create “a world-leading LGBTQ+ museum” in London.
Has Khan latched onto a movement grounded in sexuality, gender and identity politics to boost his campaign? Or, is it that Khan is not a true Muslim either supporting gay marriage which is against Islam? Khan is a man who has grown up in a time where the world as we know it is shifting from the tunnel vision we once saw, practiced and lived in.
Khan clearly supports the freedoms and expressions of people and his experience as an ethnic minority and a Muslim I am sure influences his views. He has shown solidarity to the movement for people who are oppressed due to sexuality, and gender identities which is continuing to be brought into the realm of conversation.
Follow in Khan’s footsteps
The row surrounding the LGBTQ lessons in school can serve to fuel Islamophobia which has become a pervasive, stagnant feature in British society. Sadiq Khan proves to be an admirable role models championing a more inclusive and open minded society.
Islam supports a democratic form of governance, whilst simultaneously requires Muslims to “obey those in authority among them” (4:60), any Muslim that openly speaks against the West while living within the freedom is acting deliberately against the recommendations of their religion, as they must “obey the law of the Land”.
Those protesting should obey the law of the land and not pick and choose the Quran to support specific biases. Those parents who are protesting seem to want Islam to have no grey area, only black and white which is a dangerous reduction of the complexity of humans.
After the public breakdown of his marriage, years plagued by injury and a 2017 arrest on suspicion of drink driving, Woods’ triumph by one stroke is being labelled ‘the greatest comeback in sport’. Coming 14 years after his previous Masters victory, it is a strong claim.
Spare a thought for Xander Schauffele. The 25-year-old American, who is looking for his first major title, found himself momentarily top of the leaderboard at a point during the final round on Sunday. If he had known he would be in that position before the tournament began, I’m sure he would have taken it. Who would have predicted however, that he would lose out by one stroke to a golfing superstar, without a major in 11 years and no Masters title in 14? Schauffele understood the theatre of it all and was especially gracious in defeat, saying how losing to a player he watched as a child was ‘like a dream’.
For Woods, Sunday brought a 15th major and fifth Masters title, meaning he is closing in on Jack Nicklaus’ all-time records of 18 and six respectively. Though to boil this down to mere stats and figures would be a great disservice to Woods’ achievement. After an incredibly difficult few years, the first person Woods embraced upon winning was his 10-year-old son Charlie. This is the first time his children have been able to see him for the champion he truly is and some were quick to point out the emotional symmetry of Woods’ first Masters win in 1997, where he ran to his own father.
The two victories, 22 years apart. Source: The Times Sport
But was this really the greatest comeback, or even the greatest sporting story of all time? Leicester City’s 2015-16 Premier League winning season is often hailed as sport’s greatest underdog story and this view was echoed by Gary Lineker after Sunday’s result. Considering the season the club spent fighting relegation the previous year, it could also be argued that Leicester’s triumph is one of the great comebacks as well.
Second most thrilling sporting achievement I’ve seen. The best: Leicester winning the league.
What Woods’ victory has over Leicester’s, which gives it that comeback ‘winning formula’, is a sense of redemption and a beating of external obstacles. Not just the stories of recurring back injuries and multiple attempts at surgery, but his personal struggles and very public misdemeanours. It is stories like these that assure a comeback’s place in sporting history. Lance Armstrong’s comeback cemented his place as an icon and beacon of sport, and subsequently made his expose as a drugs cheat and confession to doping in 2013 all the more devastating. But it also gives Woods some stiff competition for the title of ‘greatest comeback ever’. Even the former Newcastle United footballer, Jonas Gutierrez, who most outside of English football will not have even heard of, has a good claim that his own brief return is more impressive.
Jonás Gutiérrez beat cancer, returned to football and then scored the goal to keep his team in the Premier League after being told he’d never play for them again.
Then there are the greats; Niki Lauda, back on the track just six weeks after a crash and coma, went on to secure runner-up in the Formula 1 World Championship that year. Perhaps most famously is Muhammad Ali, becoming World Heavyweight Champion seven years after his boxing license was suspended due to his refusal to fight in the Vietnam war. In truth though, none of this history should matter in regards to this week’s events.
Woods with the trophy and the iconic Augusta ‘green jacket’ Source: AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Any attempt to pigeonhole Woods’ achievement in relation to other sporting greats is futile. It is a remarkable story and one which will undoubtedly stand alone in the sporting pantheon for years to come. With the pressure that comes with a story like this, Woods will now face new scrutiny on whether he can build on this achievement and chase down Nicklaus’ records. With the PGA Championship just around the corner in May, and the US Open to come in June, we might not have to wait long to find out.
The 2019 NBA playoffs have kicked off and already there looks to be some upsets looming from Game 1. With unlikely results both in the Eastern and Western Conferences surprising fans and pundits alike, its going to be an entertaining first round.
NBA 2019 Play-offs bracket. Source: Sporting News
Philadelphia 76ers vs Brooklyn Nets
The underdog in this game, Brooklyn Nets, won the first game of the series 111-102 to take home court advantage from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers were shocked to lose to a Brooklyn Nets who haven’t been in the playoffs for the last 4 years. With the likes of Embiid, Butler, Reddick, Harris and Simmons, this should have been a straight forward series for Philadelphia.
As in the regular season, Ben Simmon’s lack of shooting ability continues to hinder his team on offence. In addition to this, not honing any formidable post moves is unimpressive for someone at his size and overall capability. D’Angelo Russell was the leading scorer for the Nets with 26 points on his play-off debut and his co-star Dinwiddie helped with 18 points of his own.
Jimmy ‘Buckets’ Butler kept the Sixers in the game with a play-off career high 36 points, but it wasn’t enough alongside Embiid’s 22 points. Off the court, however, Joel Embiid and Amir Johnson were seen on a mobile phone on the Sixers bench. This stirred quite a bit of controversy but it’s been reported that Amir Johnson was checking on his ill daughter.
In game 2, the Sixers will certainly have to step up their offensive performances and be tougher on defence. Ben Simmons will have to step up massively and Tobias Harris will have to pull his weight also. This is a team that’s meant to reach the Eastern Conference Final so they need to start playing like it quickly.
The Toronto Raptors, like the 76ers, also suffered a shock defeat to an Orlando Magic team that also hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2012. With no stand out performances, a collective team effort on defence and offence saw this Magic team dispose of a strong Raptors team. It’s a good sign that a team ranked 8th in defensive ability in the regular season is translating in the playoffs which proved vital down the closing minutes of the game.
DJ Augustine’s 25 points for the Magic and decisive game wining shot aided the 104-101 win against a Raptors team consisting of Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Kyle Lowry. Lowry failed to notch a single point in the the game having seven shot attempts. He was the only member of his team to not score. Whilst Leonard scored 25 points and Siakem 24 in their loss.
The Raptors will have to regroup for game 2 and be more cohesive in their approach going forward, likewise Kyle Lowry will have to attempt to put the numbers up that he’s capable of. Orlando Magic hope to have another team effort with more offensive output to take a 2-0 lead back home.
Golden State Warriors vs Los Angeles Clippers
The Golden State Warriors took a commanding first win in their series against The Los Angeles Clippers. Even though their performance wasn’t stellar, the star power they possess was enough, winning 121-104. Steph Curry became the all time number one 3 point scorer in the playoffs passing Ray Allen and doing it in a considerably shorter time span.
Scoring 38 points on the night with 15 rebounds and 7 assists, he helped the Warriors cruise to victory but it wasn’t all still waters as Kevin Durant landed himself in a face off with Patrick Beverly that got them both ejected from the game. Durant took the bait that Beverly laid out but Beverly certainly didn’t expect to be ejected as well.
This season has seen an upturn in Durant’s bravado behaviour as the 2x Finals MVP being ejected a total of 19 times this season, second most in the league.
The Warriors will hope to finish this series in a sweep to have ample resting time for a sizzling semi-final conference round against the Houston Rockets. But the Clippers will certainly have something to say about this.
The number 3 seed Portland Trailblazers, took on the number 6 seed, the Oklahoma City Thunders ending in a 104 – 99 for the Blazers. Damian Lillard scored 30 points to Russell’s 24, but Westbrook managed to produce another triple double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Dame and CJ went off to snap the Trail Blazers' 10-game playoff losing streak ? pic.twitter.com/HOWVz1z2kd
Dame’s co star in CJ McCollum managed to put 24 points on the board whilst Westbrook’s co-star Paul George put up 26 points and 10 rebounds. The difference maker was former OKC player Enes Kanter, who had a monster stat line of 20 points, 18 rebounds and 2 assists. OKC had ample attempts to tie the game or even win it but wasted it with 3 shot attempts that didn’t fall for them on the night. The Blazers hope to close their game two to bring them closer to the next round of the playoffs.
Overall there is plenty of opportunity for teams to turn it around a slow playoff start so don’t count anyone out just yet! There could be many surprises in store to come!
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