Home, a place that has never come easy for me, or has been easy to describe, even now. I never had a place that I felt was stable. When I was younger, I was more worried about what tomorrow would foresee than the worries that a normal kid would carry upon themselves. Money has always created stress in the family, and it was like we never had enough. When we were living in apartments, it was questionable some days if we would come home to an eviction note on the door, and a few times we did. I was one of the what you might say lucky ones in this case. We always had people to go to, relatives, and my mom's friends. Even when we weren’t considered homeless, the fear of becoming it was always there.

With the United States withdrawing from Syria, the territories of Turkish and Syrian Kurdistan were being invaded by Turkish government forces. Western media has claimed that US withdrawal from the region was a failure and a threat to the Kurds. Turkey has not only started to reclaim Turkish Kurdistan, but also crossed over into Syrian Kurdistan. The government of Assad, seeing that Turkey is violating Syria’s legal borders, would send in their own troops into Syrian Kurdistan, not just to defend what the Syrian government views as their territory, but because of a deal they struck with the Kurds.

Congress is back in session after a two week break, so time once again to look at our Representative in Washington has been up to. A fairly slow week, with only nine votes.

Should we fear or welcome Artificial Intelligence?

De Beers indoctrinated a generation to believe that “diamonds are forever…" but over time, we’ve learned that it’s plastic that lasts forever. And as it turns out, this has serious implications for our future as a species.

You’ve probably heard his name before. What image does it conjure for you? A brutal hate crime? A martyr? And if you have not heard his name till now, I’m sure that you have heard stories all too similar to his because there are far too many of them. Matthew’s is not the first, nor is it the last.

You've seen Greta Thunberg on the news, and you watched the coverage as millions of kids struck for the climate. But what did they accomplish by skipping school? Critics say that this was just a way to get out of class, but there's a long history of teens and young people changing the course of history. Here's how the climate strike changed the world in a single day.

It’s been a few good years for the LGBTQ community. In June of 2015 the Supreme Court ruled on marriage equality, I think that will be the “defining moment” when they write the history books.

During the summer, filmmaker Ava DuVernay was nominated for 16 Emmy awards for her groundbreaking Netflix series When They See Us.

My parent's house in El Paso, Texas, the house I grew up in, is a few blocks away from the border between the United States and Mexico. From the rooftop of that house, you can see Ciudad Juárez. In particular, you can see El Monumento a la Mexicanidad, a now iconic monument dedicated to Mexican nationals often referred to as "La X." From many rooftops of the houses closest to the border and many other rooftops in the vicinity, the borderlines are blurred, juxtaposed with one another, but also merging into one, separated merely by rock, water, and metal.

It feels pretty bad to be interested in politics but not want to sit through these three-hour candidate debates that keep cropping up. Featuring ten candidates—three or four you actually have heard of—these events purport to be an honest examination of the issues facing the United States in the 2020 Presidential election.

As climate change continues to wreak havoc on our ecosystem, millions across the world are taking action and calling for change in order to preserve our environment. The Global Climate Strike, the massive climate change campaign that united millions across the world to amplify the voices of young activists seeking environmental reform, is a perfect example of this. Because of its historic importance as a massively successful initiative, here is everything you need to know about the Global Climate Strike.

Scenes from the Climate Emergency:

I have a history with being homeless and let me tell you it is no walk in the park. Things are not easy as everyone may think. Most of the homeless are not out there because of drugs or alcohol, that happened after they became homeless and it is called a coping mechanism because being homeless knocks a person’s self-esteem into the ground and then society beats them down too, keeping them out there in the streets with no hand to help them up.

According to People magazine, new details have been released about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Africa royal tour with Archie . The tour is at the request of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, according to Buckingham Palace.

As American citizens become increasingly disengaged with American politics, there has been a rise in the ‘celebrity politician.’ The ‘celebrity politician’ is a celebrity character that uses their status as a celebrity to secure credibility in the political sphere. With a rise in a celebrity culture in America, fueled by social media growth, people are losing faith in traditional politicians and instead looking to popular celebrities to run the country. But isn’t Trump evidence enough that celebrity doesn't work in the White House? With celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Kanye West expressing their political views and wishes to run in the 2020 presidential election, could celebrity influence now make all of the difference in politics?

We’re approaching the fourth anniversary of the Josh Duggar sex scandal, one of the biggest stories to rock the Christian patriarchy. In August 2015, Gawker discovered that former 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar was a victim of the hackers who targeted Ashley Madison, a website used to arrange extramarital affairs. Josh confessed to being unfaithful to his wife and suffering from an addiction to pornography.

Congress is back in session after a two week break, so time once again to look at our Representative in Washington has been up to. A fairly slow week, with only nine votes.

A major bodyslam for Donald Trump this week regarding the whistleblower complaint of August 12. In a unanimous vote of 421 to zero, the House demanded that Acting Director of National Intelligence Maguire immediately stop stonewalling and send the complaint to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. They also demanded that Maguire protect the whistleblower from any retaliation by the Trump administration (House Resolution 576, RC 548, Sep 25). This follows a similar vote by the Senate on Tuesday. Trump has literally not got a soul in Congress willing to defend him on the whistleblower issue.

Written throughout the Constitution of the United States are checks and balances on power between the three branches of government. In theory, this balance of power ensures that the country will remain stable and resist the threat of losing the freedom and democracy that many Americans cherish. The power of impeachment is one such check.

On a Tuesday, Mr. Torain describes the rainy and cold weather as a sign of Autumn, which is part of “cuffing season.” He thought about locking down a female, and then banished the idea. Star says that he will be going harder in this webisode. New information says that Atatiana aimed her firearm at the officer(s) according to the eight-year-old nephew. In relation to the main topic, Star doesn’t care what LeBron James has to say. Mr. Torain then asks whether James is an expert of foreign policy. Star insists that the basketball megastar should be focused on a “goddamn championship.” A total of fourteen women have spoken out against Cuba Gooding Jr.

Sometimes, it's hard to let go of a national icon.

Star wants to be called f–– nut during this missive. He says that he knows Atlanta and that he used fishscale at Sharon’s Showcase. He admits that he has not been at a Waffle House in fifteen years. He experienced “the worst breakfast in years” there. He threw away the entire meal on the way home and considered not even giving the food to his coyotes when he discarded the unwanted victuals. Anyone who wears lochs and not a net disturbs Mr. Torain. Star then gets on topic and discusses Jim Jones’ success. He wonders if he sent 50 Cent a warning shot, though. On Instagram, according to Mr. Torain, he called Jim Jones a rat. Star breaks down how rich people have shooters and 50 definitely has a team on deck.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

The Grand betrayal.

I will never forget where I was when 911 happened. I was just waking up.

The attacks on the World Trade Centre and on the Pentagon had a lasting effect on the world which we still see to this day. The events that had taken place on September 11, 2001, was quoted by many as the event that had ‘changed everything.' The attacks had caused many changes to happen in many aspects around the world and changed many attitudes as to how to cope and deal with terrorism. It had caused conflicts to begin in Afghanistan and Iraq, with many nations around the world rushing to America’s aid to deal with those that had caused 9/11. Security was increased drastically to try and prevent anything on this magnitude to ever be able to happen again. The biggest change to have come from the attacks was surely the intelligence services.

United Kingdoms Exclusive Economic Zone

Today, the Trump Administration has put the United States on the wrong side of history yet again. What we are witnessed to today is a repeat of how wrong Government has been ever since World War II. We have failed to heed the warnings from General Douglas Mac Arthur. And, I quote

You’ve probably heard his name before. What image does it conjure for you? A brutal hate crime? A martyr? And if you have not heard his name till now, I’m sure that you have heard stories all too similar to his because there are far too many of them. Matthew’s is not the first, nor is it the last.

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving in Canada, you’ll often see social media flooded with more posts and memes about First Nations’ rights, land theft, and colonialism. That the indigenous peoples of Canada were here first is common knowledge, and that settler society has done harmful and racist things against First Nations people is well-known. But there is still a fairly large gap in the general understanding of what, exactly, happened—and about what issues First Nations people in Canada continue to face.

The United States of America has a unique government in many aspects. While democratic republics are common in our modern world, the idea was radically different from any government or nation that surrounded it during the time of its founding. Its radical approach to individual liberty went on to inspire the liberation of countries all around the world.

Home, a place that has never come easy for me, or has been easy to describe, even now. I never had a place that I felt was stable. When I was younger, I was more worried about what tomorrow would foresee than the worries that a normal kid would carry upon themselves. Money has always created stress in the family, and it was like we never had enough. When we were living in apartments, it was questionable some days if we would come home to an eviction note on the door, and a few times we did. I was one of the what you might say lucky ones in this case. We always had people to go to, relatives, and my mom's friends. Even when we weren’t considered homeless, the fear of becoming it was always there.

The first time I saw Ligaya (all names have been changed to protect individuals’ privacy) she had just come into the shelter’s common room and gave me a small smile. I remember thinking that she looked worn-out and weak. Another shelter guest told me she just arrived yesterday at midnight. I wondered if she had been fleeing and if so, from whom, at an hour so late.

On Rejecting One’s Passion

Each state is divided into different counties because one state is geographically too large to be controlled entirely by just one government leader. To have better and more localized service delivered to the community, county executives act as heads of each subdivision in the state.

Sutherland Springs, Texas is about forty minutes away from my house. For most of my life, I hadn’t even heard of it. It’s not a very large town. However, after November 5th, 2017, when 26-year old Devin Kelley shot and killed 26 people at Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church, the town gained publicity. This event became the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history (Ahmed). For me, this tragedy was different. It wasn’t in some far off state like New York. I had some friends who knew people in Sutherland Springs. Never before had I been so close to an event so devastating. It’s because that church, could’ve been my church that the issue of gun violence has became the utmost importance to me. Thus, the question must be examined, what is the relationship between gun laws and gun violence?

The US House of Representatives recently voted to approve a hike in the national minimum wage to $15 per hour over the next several years. For at least one freshman lawmaker, however, that increase is insufficient.

Before I get into this, I want to play my “minority card” granting me the power of immunity to personal attacks about my perceived privilege. I hope by the time you finished reading this post the following declaration will be redundant. I am a masculine looking gay woman, I grew up poor, and I am half native. I also live with a mental illness, but I mean who doesn’t these days? My point is while my stats indicate I am not a typical person of “privilege,” my education and my bank account would state otherwise. I graduated at the University of Calgary with a bachelor of social work. I basically have a degree in oppression. We were always encouraged to advocate for people in-need. While I do agree with many of the principals and philosophies of social work I've seen being a "social justice warrior" become bastardized, and hijacked by today's youth in the name of leftist politics. Here are four uncomfortable truths about "the left" that more conservative thinkers and politically centered folk find cringey and foolish.

Recently, scientists moved the Armageddon clock closer to midnight than it's ever been. This clock, which shows us how close we are to the end of the world as we know it, has been around for decades.

Let's be real. We're in the day and age where being "woke" is what's cool. Even if it feels good to repost something semi-controversial (in the eyes of your right-wing uncle), it's not doing a whole lot. Here are some actionable steps if you're legitimately fed up with the state of the world right now, particularly, the U.S. Already accomplished some of these? Give yourself a pat on the back and accomplish the rest.

"I just don't get it."

Is it ethical for a leader to make an unethical or immoral decision? Clearly, if you dare to lead, you will be frequently faced with such dilemmas. Yes, you may have to decide to do the “wrong thing” for the right reason.

It's the year 2019, the country is gearing up for the most important election of a lifetime, and more than 20 candidates, most of which are polling at about 1-2% percent, still believe that they are the only one equipped to do the job.

With the United States withdrawing from Syria, the territories of Turkish and Syrian Kurdistan were being invaded by Turkish government forces. Western media has claimed that US withdrawal from the region was a failure and a threat to the Kurds. Turkey has not only started to reclaim Turkish Kurdistan, but also crossed over into Syrian Kurdistan. The government of Assad, seeing that Turkey is violating Syria’s legal borders, would send in their own troops into Syrian Kurdistan, not just to defend what the Syrian government views as their territory, but because of a deal they struck with the Kurds.

Our last election, Justin Trudeau had been elected as prime minister for Canada. I was curious how the Trudeau government has changed Canada, because I think it can help people make up their minds for who to vote for. I am hoping this helps people in the long run. Once again, we are to put our votes together to vote for another party that has more promises, but what has Trudeau accomplished since he was in power?

If you live in Canada, you probably know that in less than a week, we will be heading back to the polls, and if you're from out of the country, then, Ayo! Suprise, Canada has another election that you may or may not have heard of. I think it's always an interesting idea to take a step back, and try to explain the election from the point of view of one outsider telling another outsider about the election, similarly to me talking about American or British politics to one of my friends, so I'll attempt to do the same thing here.

Looking at Justin Trudeau's latest scandal. I started wondering about cultural appropriation, and how each region around the world thinks about things differently.

How do you lampoon an election that already routinely veers into absurd territory? That’s a challenge that Trevor Noah, the host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, faces nightly, as he discusses an election cycle of scandals, leaks, bigotry, and fear-mongering—a cycle where even the most unprecedented happenings have become mundane. A South African television and radio host and comedian, Noah has been the host of The Daily Show since 2015. Being the child of a Xhosa mother and Swiss-German father, his childhood in Johannesburg under apartheid’s Immorality Act had a large impact on his life and future in comedy. This is explained in his autobiographical comedy book Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, which become a #1 New York Times Bestseller and named one of the best books of the year after being published in 2016. Noah's mixed-race ancestry, his experiences growing up in Soweto, and his observations about race and ethnicity are leading themes in his comedy. His typical humor genres include political/news satire, deadpan, and black, insult, and observational comedy. This he carried over to The Daily Show after the retirement of his predecessor and one of his comedic influences Jon Stewart, integrating political and ethnic humor.

Extremism and all the other -isms that exist out there are not usually pretty things. They instigate us, embroil us, and fuel us with unhealthy emotions: for most of us, rage (at the idiocy of the fundamental ideal) and sadness mixed in with a little bit of fear (would be classified as the healthy response, by most psychologists).

There is no question that the political climate of the US is highly charged in recent years, or that President Donald Trump has been accused of heinous actions. In the Ukraine scandal alone, he is accused of numerous crimes, including bribery, extortion, and conspiracy. (Walter 2019) There’s been ongoing, consistent outcry about the border camps and practice of separating migrant children from their families to live in squalor. (Dalton 2019; Holmes 2019; Helm and Tapper 2018; Miller 2019) But the conversation around these border camps—these concentration camps, as they have been called (Holmes 2019; Miller 2019)—falls woefully short of acknowledging the biggest, most central problem with the practice of separating children from their families as a matter of government policy.

To The Republic,

If it has not been clear that the President of the United States is racist, we certainly learned that he was in his latest Tweets.