type here...
Home Blog Page 80

Playlist: World Cup Edition!

Emmabelle Nwadikwa
-
0
Playlist: World Cup Edition!

In honour of the 2018 FIFA world cup tournament, we here at TCS have put together a playlist of some of the best songs to come from the world cup over the years. Sit back, relax and listen to some good music.

It’s only right to start with this years song, “Live It Up” by Nicky Jam feat. Will Smith and Era Istrefi. This upbeat song is perfect for hyping anyone up before watching a match. The energy levels in the video are unparalleled and with it’s mix of English and Spanish it becomes the perfect party starter.

Next up we have “We Are One (Ole Ola) – Pitbull feat. Jennifer Lopez and Cláudia Leitte. Again we have a bilingual song that you can not only pump your first to, but you can actually cheer parts of at matches! Score!

Of course we couldn’t forget the infamous “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” by Shakira. This is one of the few solo artist world cup songs but it’s just as big of a hit as the others with Shakira encouraging us all to get up and dance!

Next we have Ricky Martin’s 1998 “La Copa de la Vida”.  The song and the video will have you wishing that you were a part of that crowd. It’s impossible not to mention this song, the majority of it may be in Spanish but Ricky made certain to include other languages too and on top of that the instruments and the styles in which they were played transport us to other parts of the world too.

You’ve clicked the link above and you’ve smiled because you’ve finally found the song you’ve been looking for for years. Sergio Mendes feat. Black Eyed Peas “Mas Que Nada” is a song that everyone either knows or has a faint memory of but most people have forgotten the name of over time. Well look no more, we’ve got you covered.

Whilst this song may not have been the best musically, it’s an undeniable part of British football culture and if, like most of us, you came to this song for John Barnes, he starts at 2:30.

The Lightning Seeds – Three Lions 98′ is a song that needs no introduction (even though I just gave it one). The words “It’s coming home, it’s coming home. Football’s coming home” appeal to a side of my soul that I didn’t know existed. This song is nothing less than iconic.

Last but not least, my personal favourite song that the world cup has ever given us K’NAAN –  “Wavin’ Flag (Coca-Cola Celebration Mix)”. This song is amazing for so many reasons but my favourite reason has to be the positive message that comes from this song. K’NAAN encourages us to be free. He encourages us to unite, be strong and to rejoice in the beautiful game that is football.

It wouldn’t be right to end our playlist without at least one special mention and since there has been nothing but support for Nigeria’s world cup team this year with the record breaking pre-sales of the kit and the sponsorship deals (not to mention Friday’s 2-0 win against Iceland). With all of that being said, the non-official world cup song special mention goes to Naira Marley feat. Olamide, Falz, Simi, Slimcase and Lil Kesh with “Naija  Issagoal (Remix)”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im22OgaMImk

 

NBA: Draft, Trade and Free Agency Special

Common Sense Contributors
-
0

It’s been an exciting and eventful week for the NBA. Here’s a lowdown on the latest developments within the league.

Let’s start off with Dwight Howard,  a former superstar has now been reduced to an “undesirable” trade piece. In spite of the fact that he performs at an All-star level. It’s sad to see this man’s legacy wither away.  But the truth was that the Charlotte Hornets believed in Kemba Walker; The franchise’s only drafted All-star player. They are one of the many teams in limbo. The other being the Brooklyn Nets, whom Howard was traded to.

Brooklyn however are the clear beneficiaries. Not only have they acquired an able player who is great pick and rolls, they also got rid of a lot of financial burdens. Namely, in the form of Timofey Mozgov who was granted highly inflated contract. The Nets have even secured some picks in the 2019 draft and have the space to sign to max players. Last time out it did not pan out the way they hoped it would. Unfortunately,  aging Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce failed to recreate their past glories in Brooklyn.

Trading Season Continues…#NBADraft2018

The first major draft prospect is, Euro league MVP Luka Doncic.  Doncic has every chance to go to the Suns, who are coached by Igor Kokoskov.  He is touted by the Atlanta Hawks who may consider trading Dennis Schroder. The Sacramento Kings visited Doncic at Madrid, however the position of point guard is filled by DeAaron Fox. One would be foolish to not put past the fact that the Kings can move Fox to a scoring guard role, and make Doncic their combo guard. The Hawks hold they keys as Doncic is definitely what Memphis wants, and Dallas as well rather surprisingly. Atlanta could use Schroder, and Kent Bazemore in their trade deals. As roles go, Doncic is a better fit on Phoenix, Memphis, and Atlanta, than the other candidates. Such teams may be willing to trade up sacrificing picks or vets along the way. The teams at the top are understood to be open to trade talks and that’s what makes this draft a blockbuster.

 

The projected/consensus number 1 overall pick slated to go to the Phoenix Suns. Ayton is touted to be a generational talent. We last witnessed such play by Shaquille O’Neal, more recently Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dwight Howard before him, * inserts crying emoji *.

 

 

To put it simply, offensively he is Shaquille O’Neal with a jump shot. He can grab rebounds, do screen and rolls, the lot. He is built and is expected to go toe to toe against NBA players with ease. Defensively he needs work but that comes with the bills of playing in the NBA. He played for Arizona and hasn’t worked out for anyone bar the Suns. He even spent time at the Sun’s gym with Devin Booker, Josh Jackson and more.  One would be foolish to let go of a prospect this bright.

Duke Blue Devil, Marvin Bagley III comes up next. He appears to be Sacramento’s choice at number 2 after much deliberation. He is a perfect fit alongside the fast guard Fox. Bagley moves as fast as any guard, is agile and puts up double-doubles with outstanding efficiency. He is armed with a competitors’ spirit as quoted,

“Absolutely, I want to be the No. 1 pick. By me saying that, it’s not a knock on anybody else in the draft; that’s just the type of player and competitor I am. I want to be the best at anything I do. I don’t want anybody to take that the wrong way when I say I think I should be the No. 1 pick. Anywhere I go I’m going to be willing to put the work in and get better.”

Bagley made quite an impression on legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. Back in January, Coach K called Bagley “the most unique player we’ve had here at Duke during my 38 years. He has everything.” That stands for something. Considering Coach K has worked with legends like Grant Hill who was a generational talent till injuries robbed him, that statement validates his draft stock and the star potential teams see in him.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

What Is The Power Of Social Media In 2018?

Emmabelle Nwadikwa
-
0

In a day and age where YouTubers give away houses and Kanye can be “cancelled” one day and have a number one album the next, it’s hard to understand the true power of social media.

How was it possible that Kanye’s comments were able to enrage people to the extent that there was an outcry to boycott his album and yet, when the album came out, it was able to reach the number 1 spot on the charts?

How is it possible that speaking out on social media led to the birth of powerful movements such as  #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter?

During Kanye’s supposed cancellation, he released the Pusha T album that he was the producer on. On this album was a song directed at Drake due to an ongoing feud between the two artists. In true Drake fashion, he replied to the song twice in less than 48 hours. This naturally had social media in a frenzy. Most of the messages seemed to be people not only shocked by Drake’s songs (which were directed at both Pusha T and Kanye) but also at the fact that he was able to have them ready and released so soon after the album had dropped. Pusha T responded a few days later and his song had people immediately losing interest in Drake’s. Drake didn’t respond after this (supposedly because he was advised by J Prince not to do so) but he did find himself filming a music video to one of the songs with some of his former “Degrassi” cast-mates. In fact, the video had people so nostalgic for the show that they seemed to forget the fact that Drake still hadn’t replied to Pusha T.

All of this begs the same question. What is the true power of social media? Especially for an online community that moves distractedly from one fad to the next.

From a strictly musical standpoint, social media has changed the way that artists create. People who had their starts on Vine, YouTube and even Instagram are now becoming chart-topping radio stars as we’ve seen recently with Ella Mai, Queen Naija, DDG & Ar’mon & Trey (to name a few). These are just some examples of people that have gone from being everyday “social media influencers” to Top 20 artists on Apple Music and Tidal and signing to historic labels.

Being a social media influencer has become a full-time job with people now able to earn a stable income making videos on YouTube and posting pictures on Instagram. Of course, some people will argue that creating YouTube videos is an easy job, but the reality of the situation is that these people have learned to film and edit and have gone on to build followings of millions of people.

They acquired a skill set that allowed them to not only create a platform for themselves, but then use it to create another source of revenue.  People truly have found a way to make a living from other people watching them make a living.

People have realised that the real money is in creating the illusion that people know you, even if they don’t. They feel a connection to you and are more willing to watch your art and share it too.

This, of course, works out differently for different people. Not all YouTubers can boast large followings but those who can are also often seen to be travelling or purchasing lavish items including vehicles and property. People want to know how it’s done and be able to do it themselves.

The real power of social media, of course, comes from the people. Social media was instrumental in helping to establish The Common Sense Network so it’s clear to us that it’s a tool that can change lives.

That being said, I’m not holding my breath that I’ll be buying a mansion any time soon.

Drill Group 1011 on Musical Expression

Afoma Andrea
-
0

Drill Group 1011 on musical expression and The Carters’ (unsurprising) collaborative album

In recent years Drill music has become increasingly more popular in the London capital – bringing some critics along with it.

Debate has ranged from discussions on its influence on knife crime to the removal of various Drill videos on Youtube as requested by Metropolitan Commissioner Cressida Dick who claimed that this was due to the content  “glamorising” violent crimes. It is safe to say that the genre has not been in looked at in a positive light for some time now.

Recently a debate popped up online on whether police should have the power to authorise what Drill artists can and cannot say in their music. The questions around artistic freedom and freedom of speech were brought up. The debate was sparked by the revelation that the Drill group “1011” were given a CBO (criminal behaviour order) – a first of its kind – which banned the group from writing certain lyrics without police approval.

The group was arrested back in November of last year after being found with machetes, baseball bats and a knife. Though claiming the items to be just props, the group were found guilty of conspiracy to commit a machete attack on a rival gang, 12-World, who had created a video threatening members Jordan Bedeau and his brother Micah’s grandmother.

Mugshot of members of the 1011 drill music group (November 2017)

This type of move comes across as lazy and rather very stereotypical of the police as the police have a long history of over-policing music of black origin, for instance in form 696, a risk assessment form deployed by the London Met before licensed events.

The root of the problem is being glossed over by the police. Youth violence has been around before Drill music, so it is inconceivable that the censoring of the genre will somehow magically solve youth crime.

Having said that, one of the more palatable court orders imposed on group forbids future references to the death of Teewiz, otherwise known as Abdullahi Tarabi, who was stabbed in West London last April. Online it is easy to find numerous videos of the group ridiculing Teewiz’s death and in various songs of theirs they have made multiple references to it: “Young Teewiz got a chestshot, just didn’t die like his bro Teewiz” (Kill Confirmed). This was an important legal move to protect the feelings of the family of Teewiz.

The Carters

In other news, the Royal Family from across the pond, The Carters, have returned with the unsurprising release of their album “Everything is Love”.

A still from Jay-Z and Beyonce’s joint album

Anyone could have seen this album coming from a mile away. There had been rumblings in the industry for some time that such a project would be released. Jay-Z himself confirmed this back in November last year with T Magazine.

Their new single Apeshit, however has received a mixed reaction online. Though lyrically engaging, the song comes off as corny and one cannot shake off the feeling that Beyonce and Jay-Z are simultaneously doing karaoke and covering a Migos jump off track (funnily enough Migos did produce the track). The visuals do, however, make up for the lacklustre track. This type of corniness is felt on a few other songs on the album but altogether the album is a strong body of work.

https://twitter.com/ira/status/1008123367822520320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecut.com%2F2018%2F06%2Fbeyonce-jay-z-album-best-reactions.html

The reaction online though largely positive with many of Queen B’s fans praising her for her constant reinvention of herself as an artist, a good deal of people have pointed out and praised Beyonce for being more explicit on this album. This is an interesting one and offers up a debate on whether American artists are allowed to be more liberal with their work than their British peers. The concept of the album is basically the couple not holding back and calling out not only their critics but also each other(with no f***ks given). Granted the explicitness of some of our Drill artists would make this album PG rated than anything, we should ask ourselves would Beyonce be given a CBO by the police for the mentioning of the Meek Mills case in Top Off or the calling out of the police in Formation.

Musical Chairs in MotoGP : What does the 2019 Grid look like?

Common Sense Contributors
-
0
Musical Chairs in MotoGP : What does the 2019 Grid look like?

The factory Repsol Honda team is a constant in the MotoGP title fight most years. Also a constant, is Dani Pedrosa who joined Honda back in 2006. Touted to be the next Valentino Rossi, he did come close to glory in 2012, but was beaten by eventual champion Jorge Lorenzo. Since then he has been on the decline as he never mustered a solid challenge.

These were his parting words: “I want to thank HRC [Honda Racing Corporation] for all these years of great success,” Pedrosa said. “I have grown not only as a rider but also as a person with them. I will always have HRC in my memories and in my heart. In life we all need new challenges and I feel it’s time for a change. Thanks, HRC.“

Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis meanwhile, speaking to Dorna’s Simon Crafar at Catalunya on Sunday said: “Dani’s situation is something new that has come up in the last couple of weeks. If Dani is available and keen to ride a satellite Yamaha, it would be a really positive thing and a pleasure for Yamaha.
We’ve had discussions in previous years as well, and it’s always been a curiosity in my mind. So if Dani would finally be one of the riders, I think myself and Yamaha would be happy to see that.”

Now that same constant has been evicted by the very team that saw his potential replacing him with his arch-nemesis and compatriot, Lorenzo. His future as of now remains unknown. Meanwhile, the aforementioned 3 time MotoGP champ is looking to make a comeback towards the sharper end of the field after two disappointing seasons at Ducati by his standards. His performance slump mirrors that of former Yamaha teammate Rossi when he switched to Ducati. Teammate Andrea Dovizioso, on the other hand, competed for the 2017 title, which that definitely hurt his stock and arguably his legacy.

Danilo Petrucci has been rewarded the second factory ride at Ducati after a stellar series of performances and displaying a brilliant capability to tame the Desmosedici. With Yamaha being filled out by Rossi and Vinales, this leaves Suzuki with a vacant seat besides Alex Rins, who had a brilliant year in 2017 keeping the measure of his veteran teammate. This means that Australian Jack Miller will become the number one rider at Pramac Ducati Racing.

Aprilia have now confirmed Iannone, who will leave the Hatamatsu-based Suzuki outfit to join Aprilia’s quest to MotoGP relevance. This means Scott Reading has to depart, as will Bradley Smith from the new Factory KTM team. KTM will now field Pol Espargaro who outperformed Smith, and rising star Johann Zarco. LCR Honda has a vacant seat alongside UK star Cal Crutchlow.

This was before the following sequence of events occurred. Top Satellite squad Tech3 headed by Herve Poncharal announced their switch from Yamaha to KTM, announcing Moto2 star Miguel Oliveira and Malaysian Hafiz Syahrin. “We are very happy to join forces with Tech 3 in MotoGP from 2019 onwards,” said KTM motorsport boss Pit Beirer. “The team has many years of experience and achieved a lot of great results in the championship. Their professional structure will make us stronger.“

Undoubtedly KTM have the ingredients to cause some waves in the paddock.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

Cancelling Culture Needs to be Cancelled

Common Sense Contributors
-
2

By Tanya Mwamuka.

Much like the fashion industry, social media and today’s modern society continue to have influxes of trends. As political correctness has seen an increased surge of controversy, platforms such as “black twitter” have allowed the flourishing of the new trend of “cancelling culture”.

For those who don’t know, cancelling culture is when a person or an organisation do something that is seen as problematic. The reaction is a group effort from ‘social justice warriors’ to “cancel” said person/organisation. The increase from coverage the scandal gains in twitter, facebook and instagram and other social media outlets results in more people retracting any support to them or their endeavours.

I myself have been a prime contestant of the game. My first cancellation began with me no longer affiliating with fashion brand H&M. This was after their debacle of a campaign where an image of a black boy dressed in a green hoodie with “coolest monkey in the jungle” printed across it was advertised for sale on their website.

The jumper that caused outrage from the public and various celebrities. Source: HM.com 

Most would agree that the pairing of the model to the garment wasn’t an intentional attempt to humiliate and marginalise an entire group. Others suggest that it was a deliberate action to gain publicity; after all any publicity is good publicity.

Nonetheless the failure of the stylist, the photographer, the editor and the marketing team to step back and think about how inappropriate and potentially offensive it was, shows a lack of care and likely reflects lack of diversity within the framework of the company. Were one of those positions held by a black person, I highly doubt they would have let that image slide without warning the team of the repercussions. Those repercussions were certainly impactful as celebrities such as G-eazy and The Weekend immediately stopped their collaborations with them.

Statement from rapper G-eazy following the release of the jumper. Source: Twitter

For the majority of us, we joined the cause by boycotting the store and on this occasion I do believe the cancellation was just. Why promote and spend my hard earned money on a brand who doesn’t take the time to consider cultural sensitivities that affect me daily.

Whilst I do think people should be held accountable for their actions, the question comes to mind how productive is cancelling as a method of improving social awareness? The culture is now turning into a witch hunt; a way of ridiculing rather than a just calling out. Could it be that cancelling culture is more damaging then it is empowering?

Most recently, TV presenter Maya Jama was under fire for the resurfacing of old tweets. These tweets contained a joke where it bashed dark skin black women. Whilst these tweets are a reflection of the trend of degrading dark skin women at the time, I and many others feel this doesn’t excuse this hurtful behaviour. Just because everyone was saying it in 2012 doesn’t give her a free pass.

Source: Twitter

Some people will suggest that cancelling Maya was a huge exaggeration but an important point made by Tolani from the Receipts Podcast was that the tweet, whilst seemingly looking like a mild joke, is part of the constant degradation this group of women face daily. Colourism is present in pretty much all communities excluding whites, but dark skin black girls have arguably been at the forefront of the butt of jokes for many years. So it is expected that many people were angered by Maya’s tweet. Perhaps working to educate and help improve people’s self awareness would be far more productive then simply cutting ties without rehabilitation. On the counter, for those offended groups they’re just too tired of trying to educate people who won’t listen.

This culture has even been spread to our personal lives. When someone in your life has wronged you, common advice steers away from working through the issue but rather cancelling them and cutting them out. Off course, disposing of toxic people out of your life makes perfect sense but this doesn’t give room for people to learn and grow. Instead of speaking to that friend explaining where they went wrong they are simply written off and what’s worse, perhaps allowed to continue that behaviour because no one spent the time to tell them where they went to wrong.

Just like any trend, we seem to cancel someone and move straight on to the next scandal. So realistically, what does all the fake outrage help? Sometimes I wonder if all the internet anger is just a way for keyboard warriors to seem “woke”. Despite the bad publicity, the public apologies and changes made by brands don’t seem permanent and are somewhat superficial. Furthermore, the world isn’t so simply divided between the self aware and the ignorant, there is a definite in between and people are always learning. Take Maya Jama for example, the tweets which are very unlikely her opinions or thoughts in present day. Like many others who have come to validate the significance of colourism, Maya has also acknowledged that the tweets from 2012 are not part of her present reality.

My verdict is that cancelling culture needs to be cancelled. I’m tired of having to cut all ties with everything. Day after day someone will do something wrong and in my opinion we need to spend more time educating rather than binning, especially if they are willing to. And for those who refuse to admit their mistakes … well goodbye to them.

 

Tanya is currently studying Biomedical Sciences at the University of Manchester and hopes to get into science journalism and media after completing her degree. She is an avid lover of fashion and travelling and enjoys learning languages in her spare time. Right now she is learning French and Spanish.

Twitter: @thisnewoldthing

Apple Watch Displays Heart Rate

Common Sense Contributors
-
0

By Dolline Mukui.

An Apple watch could have possibly saved a man’s life.

52-year-old Kevin Pearson’s apple watch alerted him that his heart was not beating properly.

One day Pearson was sat reading a book when his heart began beating as fast as 161bpm when his watch alerted him. Despite that, he wasn’t feeling any symptoms and although doing very little, it suggested he could be having a heart attack. The watch instructed him to sit down as it measured his heart rate over the following couple of minutes and his heart rate showed an irregular pattern, rapidly increasing to as high as 135bpm then as low as 79bpm.

Mr Pearson had been taking his father to the hospital for an appointment and got the attention of a nurse and explained what had been happening with his watch. He said ‘it’s possibly just my watch that’s wrong but can you have a look?’ The doctors told him there was something wrong, possibly an arterial fibrillation where the heart beats fast and irregularly.

More needed to be done, so the doctors fitted Mr Pearson with heart rate monitors, which showed that there was something undeniably wrong and referred him to see more specialists at a local and larger hospital. They did the same thing and found that he was in the middle of what doctors call an ‘event’.

The doctors aren’t sure of what caused his unusual heart rate but same readings could have been an indication of a heart attack, blocked arteries, or something else just as serious.

Health data of heart rate on iPhone. Source: Apple.com

The Apple watch takes regular heartbeat readings and sends it to the phone meaning it can spot something out of the ordinary, and because this information was stored on his phone, Mr Pearson could share that information with his doctor.

“I felt nothing,” he said. “My initial reaction was that there might have been a problem with the Watch. I felt absolutely fine.

“Even now, if I hadn’t put my Watch on, I wouldn’t know if I was having a similar sort of event.”

His watch will keep monitoring his heart rate which will allow him to alert doctors if he has the same symptoms.

“They’re monitoring now, and I’ll let them know if it ever spikes again. The watch is set up so that it will tell me if my heart rate ever goes over 120bpm,” he said.

“I’ve used my Apple Watch for calendar events, to complete its targets by exercising, and using it to lose weight,” he said. “The heart rate wasn’t really of any particular value, and I didn’t even know it could alert you if it was too high.”

Mr Pearson is grateful that his watch saved his life and hopes that more people can be saved by not only the watch, but by partaking in studies being done with health information taken from them.

 

Dolline is an MA Broadcast Journalism graduate and an ITV Breaking into News finalist. Currently she is a voluntary co-host/contributor on show called ‘A Chat with Elle Celeste’.

Twitter: @ceraz_x

On this day, Mr Basketball was born

Common Sense Contributors
-
1
On this day, Mr Basketball was born

Mr Basketball was the nickname given to George Mikan born in Joliet, Illinois 1924. In 1938, he attended the Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary. When Mikan entered Chicago’s DePaul University in 1942, he stood 6′ 10″, weighed 245 pounds, moved awkwardly because of his frame, and wore thick glasses for his near-sightedness.

As pioneers stories go, rather stereotypically, George met 28-year-old rookie DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer, who saw potential in the bright and intelligent freshman. Meyer just so happened to share the same Alma mater – Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary School. Looking back, this may have proved to be a coversation starter. Destiny as we know it was beginning to take shape as at the time it was believed that tall players were too awkward to ever play basketball. It’s commonplace today to think that Basketball is a Tall person game. We do have players who defy those rules however once in a while.

Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson in 2001, listed at 183cm a meager 6 feet 1 inch 

In the following months, Meyer transformed Mikan into a confident, aggressive player who took pride in his height rather than being ashamed of it. The budding DePaul Freshman learned how to make hook shots accurately with either hand. A technique that is a must in player development and commonplace since the 70s, is aptly termed the Mikan drill.

His training included punching the speed bag for core strength, arm muscle development and activation leading to muscle memory. Dancing lessons and skipping the rope were included to improve agility thereby making the once shy 6′ 10” spectacles-cladded-freshman into an explosive athlete about to lay the foundation of pro-Basketball into the form we know it today.

Mikan dominated the NCAA and invitational games with his unstoppable hook shot on offense and size and strength combo on defense. He shocked the world of Basketball by blocking shots in their downward trajectory above the basket, aka goaltending. His ability to Jump that high caused the audience to marvel as it was thought that no living being could reach that height. One may now trace back the basic goaltending rule to George Mikan’s low post dominance.

Mikan playing for DePaul in 1945

Mikan was named the Helms NCAA College Player of the Year in 1944 and 1945 and was an All-American three times. In 1945, he led DePaul to the invitational title, which at that time was as prestigious as the NCAA title. Mikan led the nation in scoring with 23.9 ppg in 1944–45 and 23.1 in 1945–46. He was named MVP for scoring 120 points in three games, including 53 points in a 97–53 win. He had managed to outscore an entire team.

Mikan went on to play for the Chicago American Gears for owner Maurice White. He led them to the PBLA title, the predecessor of the NBA, averaging 16.5 ppg as a Rookie. He was named MVP averaging 20ppg in the post season. The team folded after the owners failed bid to launch a league where he owned all the teams, a reminder that Lavar Ball is 70 years removed from the idea. The yesteryear Lavar Ball’s league folded after a month and  Mikan joined the Minneapolis Lakers with hall of fame coach John Kundla. The NBL became the NBA as the PBLA folded and the BAA merged with the NBL.

Mikan on court went on to destroy competition enroute led the league in scoring with 1,195 points, becoming the only NBL player to score more than 1,000 points in an NBL season. He beat Red Aurebach and Bill Sharman in the 1949 BAA finals. One of the many instances to illustrate his hold over the league until his fall and retirement. He led the Lakers to their first NBA title winning MVP again along the way. The following season was the only time Mikan didn’t win a pro-basketball title due to a severe leg injury. Mikan later recounted the incidents in 1990, he managed to average over 20 points a game inspite of playing with a plate taped to his leg. This showed that he was the First ever superstar player.

He dominated yet again in the 1951-52 season, as the league widened the foul lane from 6 to 12 feet. Big Men like Mikan now had to post up from twice the distance. The genius that is Mikan adapted wth a reduction in averages from 28.4 to 23.8 ppg, a FGP sink from .428 to .385. His rebounding remained top notch with averages of 13 rebounds a game. The rule was dubbed the Mikan rule and was forced by the New York Knicks, the Lakers chief rival. They met in the finals that year which the Lakers won 4-3.

A year removed and Mikan was part of the strangest game in NBA history. The Lakers lost to the Fort Wayne Pistons in a 19-18 contest. This was the game where the players played out for as long as they wanted in a stall tactic. Evidently, there was no shot clock back then and this prompted it’s introduction four years later. Mikan holds the record for the highest percent of points scored of the team as he scored 15 of the 18 Lakers points this game.

Mikan on a collectable card

The legend retired in 1954 after the 53-54′ title citing a “growing family” and “to get started in a professional world outside basketball”. This statement holds true to this day as modern legends, hall of famers and role players alike are required to plan and look towards the “after basketball phase” of their lives.

He was the first commsioner cum founder of the ABA which introduced the Blue-Red-White Ball to attract crowds. He saw the introduction of the three point line, but quit in 1969. Some years later, the now popular Slam Dunk Contest was introduced by the same ABA. In addition, the ABA gave us the Spurs, Nuggets, Pacers and the nets. The ABA made the one and done scenario feasible for the NBA.

He helped Minnesota get a NBA franchise and campaigned for better pensions till his last day in June 2005. Even in his death, he helped players as it brought to light their financial struggles post playing days.

Mikan’s statue, Target Centre Minnesota

The basketball world mourned and it seemed fitting that ex-Laker’s and then Heat Star Shaquille O’Neal paid for the funeral services.

This is an ode to Mr Basketball, a fairly huge history lesson.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

Canadian GP Race Review

Common Sense Contributors
-
0
Canadian GP Race Review

After a mega lap, Sebastian Vettel was on pole at Montreal. He converted that pole into a dominant performance reminiscent of Schumacher’s drive in 2004. The result, a happy Canadian tifosi, and a Championship lead with all the momentum purely in terms of mindset. It started off right after Stroll and Hartley collided (see tweet below).

Vettel did not look back after the restart. Verstappen had a resurgent afternoon race taking third, his first race in a few grand prix without incident, behind Valtteri Bottas who finished in second place. Bottas proved once again that he can be more than a match for his world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton who had a horrendous race by his standards racing to a distant 5th.

In the psychological battle that is the World Drivers Championship, Sebastian Vettel has seized the momentum of beating his title rival by 15 points. Hamilton knows all too well about the nuances of psychological warfare from his battle with Nico Rosberg. Only in this case, there happens to be no spoken words for now.

Elsewhere at the middle, Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz completed the best of the rest and Renault further solidified their claim to 4th place in the standings. They crucially finished ahead of the sole Force India car that scored points, in the form of Esteban Ocon. Force India were in the mix until Ocon had a botched pitstop that put him behind both Renaults, whom he beat off the line. Sergio Perez meanwhile had a incident with Sainz and was furious. Evidently, Sainz and Perez blamed each other post race.

He spent his afternoon passing cars but couldn’t make the points. The final spot was taken by Charles Leclerc, who gave Ferrari every ounce of the time and money they invested in him. He, like Verstappen and Ocon, show the hallmarks of future WDC contenders.

Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, had yet another retirement. The 24 hours of Le Mans, could not have come sooner for the McLaren man who won from sister #7 Toyota alongside ex-F1 drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastian Buemi. Despite having the sister Toyota as the only means of competition, the outright pace on display was staggering as the #8 had to overcome two stop and go penalties. It’s no wonder that he is the gem that F1 will sorely miss. As the fanbase says, give this man a Mercedes and see what he can do, Truer words haven’t been spoken.

Williams had a torrid day as did Torro Rosso and yet again they score no points, however they will secure a large invoice for new parts. Williams are on track for their lowest ever finish unless they have some form of updates that can prop them up the standings. A fall from grace is sad to see, and this holds true to a fault for the once world champion side that, as recently as 2015, finished 3rd.

Kazuki Nakajima who put the Toyota #8 on Pole, and Alonso in Practice. The circus heads to Paul Ricard, for the first French GP since the 2008 race, which Felipe Massa won. It seems like a long time ago.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

Spain’s New Government Holds Precarious Grip on Power

Alex Davenport
-
1
Spain’s New Government Holds Precarious Grip on Power

Last week, Spain’s entire political system was thrown intro chaos as the country’s parliament passed a vote of no confidence against the prime minister Mariano Rajoy, ousting him and his conservative People’s Party from power. The People’s Party had long been mired in a corruption scandal, with its former treasurer Luis Barcenas being convicted of accepting bribes as the country’s national court concluded that the party had benefitted from illegally obtained funds.

Rajoy’s replacement as prime minister Pedro Sánchez, of the centre-left Socialist Party, now has a monumental task ahead of him to keep both his government and the country together in one piece. The Socialists have only 84 of the 350 seats in the Spanish Chamber of Deputies, making the task of passing any legislation, and therefore performing as an effective government, far from simple.

Mariano Rajoy, the former prime minister who was ousted by the vote of no confidence (Source: EP)

Sánchez, of course, cannot rely on the support of the People’s Party – the largest in parliament – whose Prime Minister he has just ousted, while the centrist Ciudananos have also asserted that they cannot ideologically support a left-wing government. This has forced the PSOE to deal with every other party in parliament, from the radical Podemos to various nationalist parties from the country’s Basque and Catalan regions. The result has been a fragmented yet necessary confidence-and-supply deal to maintain Sánchez and his government, with the hope being that this will be sustained until the next national elections, scheduled for 2020.

 

Whether the deal will last this long remains to be seen, with many contentious issues threatening to divide the parties. In negotiating support for the vote of no confidence against Rajoy, Sánchez committed himself to largely maintaining his predecessor’s economic policy of austerity. This will not have pleased Podemos, who have long advocated for a move away from such policies and towards higher government spending.

Pedro Sanchez, left, meeting with Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias (Source: Bernardo Perez)

Similarly, while Sánchez is arguably more sympathetic to the Catalan nationalist cause that Rajoy was, he remains staunchly against secession. This puts him in a difficult position as he approaches what is perhaps Spain’s most salient issue. If he is too antagonistic to the Catalan nationalist he risks the future of his government; too conciliatory and he risks the future of Spain as we know it. To keep his hands on power, Sánchez and his government will have to perform a number of political balancing acts to keep their allies happy.

 

Yet those hoping for a more progressive-minded government in Spain will have been encouraged by the start the Socialists have made to governing. 11 of the 17 members of Sánchez’s cabinet are female, including the deputy prime minister, the economy minister and the justice minister. Many have suggested this move represents a transitional moment for gender equality in the country.

 

As well as this, Sánchez recently defused a potentially divisive clash with Italy by accepting the arrival of a ship carrying over 600 refugees. The Italian government had refused to allow the MS Aquarius to dock in any of its ports, arguing that other countries were not fulfilling their responsibilities to accept refugees themselves. Sánchez, in resolving the issue, pointed to the importance of averting a humanitarian crisis, a progressive move which will likely have pleased the left-leaning partiers he relies on to maintain his government.

 

It will certainly be a bumpy ride for Sánchez and the Socialists, but if he can show more of the political acumen we have already seen flashes of, they may go on to surprise many.

A Golden Sweep : Warriors Crowned NBA Champions

Common Sense Contributors
-
0

The Golden State Warriors are now NBA Champions after completing the mere formality of game 4. The sweep in the finals was sad for every person who has seen LeBron play. He gave his heart out and his team failed.

It was another case of  ‘David versus Goliath’, however this time round, the former dominated the latter. Unfortunately, LeBron and Cavalier fans across witnessed Golden State exude their dominance throughout the series. Things could have panned out very differently if the Cavaliers had managed to secure the win in game 1. They were extremely close to doing so. James had 50, the first since Michael Jordan back in 1993. There were no words to say it, he had a perfect game. However, it was Victory blown away after this……………..

 

 

This may go down in NBA history as the moment that shaped an era. An era that may cause a massive change in the landscape of Basketball. James is almost certainly out of Cleveland, and it wont tarnish his legacy as he already did what he had to. In 2016 LeBron put his team on his back and lead an outstanding comeback against the Warriors, after being down 3-1in the series, bringing back a championship to “The land”.

However, during this year’s series, LeBron reportedly incurred a self-inflicted hand injury affected his performance. He averaged  28.3 points (49.2% shooting overall and 27.3% from three-point range on just 3.7 attempts), 10.7 assists, and 8.7 rebounds in the first three games with an injured wrist. In game 4, he attempted only one three-pointer shot and took only three shots in the second half. This caused a barrage of scathing criticism from the likes of Charles Barkley, Chris Webber and Grant Hill.

Giving up does not come with the territory of being one of the greatest to ever play the game, especially considering the fact that we live in a time where you compare effort on the court to Michael Jordan. We even compare the lack of the “killer instinct” athletes at this level usually tend to have. Also noticeable is the lack of defensive effort, but that’s down to the era and the fact that James is in his 15th season. On the other hand, One would be foolish to doubt LeBron’s work ethic. To be fair to LeBron and the Cavaliers, they had a great first half and the game just went away after the Warriors took off in scoring and exploiting mismatches. Durant began to express his true potential and that was something Cleveland couldn’t handle.

For now, we can only speculate where the best player of the modern day NBA will go. In addition, Michael Jordan comparisons must be cast aside, for now.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

Englishness, Britishness and the Search for Identity

Alex Davenport
-
2
Englishness, Britishness and the Search for Identity

What does it mean to be English? For some, it is about tradition, history and glory. For others, it is about exclusion and prejudice. For many it is about secretly getting over-excited about England’s World Cup chances before moaning about how you knew they never stood a chance when they get knocked out at the group stages.

Football aside, the concept of English identity seems to receive a lot less attention than the more universal British identity, or that of the other nations of the UK. With this in mind a new YouGov poll commissioned by the BBC has shed some light on the nature of English identity, particularly where and with whom it is strongest.

Some of the results are to be expected. In particular, it comes as no surprise that English identity is stronger among older people, with over-65s 10% more likely to strongly identify themselves as English than those aged 18-49. Such identification is almost always more common among older people, who would have had far less access to other countries and people of other nationalities in their youth.

https://twitter.com/GoricHistoria/status/1005718845875728384

Those who live in England’s major cities, meanwhile, are far less likely to consider themselves English than those elsewhere. Being the areas of the nation with the most diverse and international populations, it may be the case that those most exposed to the social and cultural effects of globalisation hold a cosmopolitan identity alongside or even above an English one.

Perhaps most striking, though, is the difference between white and non-white people in their views on English identity. 85% of white respondents said they identified strongly as English, compared with only 45% of people from a ‘BME’ background. While 61% of white people also described themselves as ‘proud’ to be English, the same was true for only 32% of people of other ethnicities. These people were also far less positive about what it means to be English, with significantly fewer people associating the terms ‘tolerant’, ‘welcoming’ and ‘outward-looking’ than white people.

The picture this paints about England is an interesting one. In particular, it appears as though the tolerance celebrated by white English people as a part of their nation’s identity is not felt by the very people who are meant to be tolerated. Many such minorities appear to view Englishness as an identity as exclusionary by definition.

Members of the English Defence League, an organisation which for many sums up the exclusionary nature of English identity (Source: Wikimedia)

This seems to be distinct to England. According to the survey, British identity does not elicit the same negative responses from non-white people. Many more ‘BME’ respondents, around three-quarters, considered themselves British. While this is still below the figures for white people, the difference is nowhere near as large. In some ways, this is intuitive. The idea of Britain and Britishness can be seen to conjure up more images of tolerance and diversity (even if some of this is the result of the country’s imperial past), or at least less important but still benign things like politeness, tea and the Royal Family.

In comparison, Englishness, particularly a pride in being English, evokes images of football hooligans, skinheads and racists. English patriotism can be seen to go beyond usual love for one’s country seen all over the world, perhaps because England is already by far the dominant and most powerful nation of the UK. Needing to assert that identity can come across as aggressive and even violent when the nationalism of other UK nations is more about asserting the need for equal recognition alongside England. Embracing an English identity, given the relative power of England in the UK, is in many ways not dissimilar to embracing a white identity, which in countries like the UK has historically been dominant over other races, perhaps explaining the apparent link between whiteness and Englishness.

Many appear to see English identity as necessarily regressive, where Britishness and – perhaps even more so – moving identity beyond national boundaries altogether, represent open-mindedness and tolerance. Whether this is true or not, though, it is worth remembering that the more people who identify as English feel marginalised and isolated from these others, the more they are likely to assert themselves and make their voices heard. Englishness may seem like a backward-looking idea, but don’t expect it to disappear quickly as we go forward.

NBA: New Kids On The Block

Jireh Antwi
-
0

This year’s NBA season gave birth to a crop of future basketball superstars. Here’s an overview of which rookie players rose to the occasion, on a consistent basis throughout the 2017/18 campaign.

Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons is a point guard who’s regarded to be a transcendent player. He was originally Drafted in 2016 as number 1 overall pick. Unfortunately, he broke his foot and didn’t play for the whole year. Luckily enough he was entrenched in the NBA culture, learning and studying of the kind of player he needed to be for the Philadelphia 76ers. Along with Joel Embiid he is known as part of ‘The Process’, a plan to transform Philly into a title-challenging team. Despite, being at the forefront of the race for rookie of the year, he lacks a long and mid-range shooting game. However, he makes up for it by being big and strong. At 6 feet 10, Simmons is known for his raw ability to drive to the rim. The Australian born player moved to America and attended LSU for his college career (averaged 19 points, 5 assists, 12 rebounds) he was dubbed Lebron James part 2 or the ‘Prince’, due to his high basketball IQ. Even though he never participated in the NCAA basketball finals, scouts had seen enough to place him in number one draft position. In the NBA he’s averaging 16 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds. In the regular season nearly averaging a triple-double, is a well-respected feat. He passed Magic Johnson’s number of triple-doubles in a rookie season, with a total of eight.

Image result for ben simmons
Simmons show glimpses of greatness throughout the regular season. Are we looking at a Magic Johnson 2.0? ( Image via Sports Illustrated)

Donovan Mitchell

Whilst playing for Louisville cardinals Mitchell averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds. The 6 foot 3 shooting guard and the number 13 draft pick for Denver nuggets, was traded on the night to the Utah Jazz. The attention on Mitchell leading up to the draft wasn’t a lot and now he’s the hottest prospect from this years draft even though he wasn’t number one or even top ten! He elevated the Utah jazz play-off chances in a tough Western conference with less talent on his team compared to Benn Simmons. For the Jazz he averaged 20 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds in the regular season. He also set the Jazz scoring record for a rookie with a 40-point game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Mitchell was also the 2018 All-Star Slam dunk contest winner with his recreation of Vince Carter’s iconic dunk. He even rocked Carter’s Toronto Raptor Jersey from 1999.

It’s fair to say in the playoffs there was quite a difference in their performances. Donovan Mitchell has been able to despatch the reigning MVP Russell Westbrook in the first round whilst salvaging an away game against the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, Houston Rockets,  in the second round. Whereas collectively the Philadelphia 76ers had a great playoff run. Ben Simmons had a number of games where he disappeared and due to his lack of shooting ability and shot selection was really easy to guard. This weakness was especially exposed in the second round against the Boston Celtics who won the series 4-1.

 

The Rookie of the Year award is a regular season performance trophy and with both players being exceptional overall it might start weighing on people’s minds with what they’ve seen in the playoffs to make their deciding factors.

Honourable Mention : Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum the small forward for the Boston Celtics, number 3 pick in 2017 draft, has all the fundamentals locked down and steps up when it really matters. He can shoot, he can create and he can defend. Averaging 13.9 points, 1.6 assists and 5 rebounds per game. For someone who’s a rookie he has the skill level of a player who’s been in the league for 4/5 years, moreover he has been a crucial piece already for the Celtics this season due to the injury of Gordon Hayward.  In this year’s playoffs, he has been the most exciting rookie to watch. More importantly, under the leadership of Brad Stevens, Tatum’s weaknesses can easily be transformed into his strengths. Case and point, Isaiah Thomas, who was exceptional for Boston despite being listed at 5 foot 9.

Image result for jayson tatum on lebron james dunk
Tatum laying down a devasting dunk on LeBron James. (Image via Youtube)

June 25th 2018 is the date of the award ceremonies for all the categories this year including the MVP, Sixth man of the Year, Defensive Players of the Year and so forth. Whatever the outcomes of these there will be a lot to talk about in the off-season with moves all over the league imminently happening.

Let us know who think will take the title of NBA Rookie of The Year. Comment below.

 

“Visit Rwanda” Arsenal’s Sponsorship Deal Sparks Outrage

Common Sense Contributors
-
1

By Shafiq Kyazze.

Rwanda’s government recently signed a £34 million deal with English Premier League giants, Arsenal.

‘Visit Rwanda’ will be emblazoned on the left sleeve of players in Arsenal’s first, under-23 and women’s teams.

The country’s President, Paul Kagame is a proud supporter of the North London based football club whose players are set to visit the country for a publicity stunt in the coming months.

Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda.

The East African nation hopes to generate over £600 million from the deal as well as double Tourism receipts from £302 to £600 million by 2024.

The fast–growing nation mainly relies on tourism as its chief source of foreign exchange and has experienced an influx in the number of British travellers visiting over the last 12 months.

The sponsorship deal has sparked outrage among some aid donors.

The deal has drawn criticism with some calling it elitist.“Many people in Rwanda are kept in the dark and don’t know the actual money invested. Rwandans are learning this through foreign media,’ local political analyst, Robert Mugabe said.

British daily newspaper, Daily Mail, referred to the new jersey as the “shirt of shame”.

“British taxpayers will be rightly shocked to learn that a country supported by huge handouts from the UK is in turn pumping millions into a fabulously rich football club in London. It’s ludicrous,” Tory MP Andrew Bridgen was quoted by the Daily Mail.

The CEO of Rwanda Development Board, Claire Akamanzi retaliated saying anyone who criticizes the Arsenal deal because Rwanda is an aid recipient either wishes the country to remain poor or doesn’t understand the key role marketing plays.

‘The more Rwanda earns from tourism, the more we can invest in our people. That’s the connection,’ the CEO tweeted.

 

Shafiq is a Chemical engineering student at The University of Manchester. He has a strong background in philosophy and history having been exposed to such issues at a very tender age. He has a voracious interest in economics, history, politics, philosophy and social issues. Shafiq is also an avid Barcelona fan and is currently a writer at TCS network.

 

1...798081...91Page 80 of 91

Editor Picks

Must Read

Hot Topics

About Us

Our mission is to make democracy healthier by creating spaces for people who disagree to have fruitful dialogue.

Contact us: hello@tcsnetwork.co.uk

Follow Us

© Copyright - Newspaper theme by tagDiv