Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
Pride and Privilege
The one thing in our “children,” starting with the millennials, that has been instilled, is a since of pride. Pride in the soil on which they stood, whether it was American soil, Mexican soil or Canadian soil. Pride in where they lived and where they came from. They were taught to always remember their roots, no matter how far they made it in life and no matter how big they ever became. Jenny from the block ring a bell? They were taught to have pride in what they have in life and not what they didn’t have, but most importantly, pride in who they were as an individual in the sea of life. That pride was instilled in every child by every parent, nanny, housewife, working father, step parent, teacher, and anyone else who had influence in these children’s lives.
Xander AlexanderPublished 5 years ago in The Swamp1968: The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
There is no figure more celebrated in the work he did for civil rights than Martin Luther King Jr. His death on April 4, 1968, due to an assassin’s bullet, left the nation and especially the black community hopeless.
Shandi PacePublished 5 years ago in The SwampAusterity Britain Is Like a Modern Day Dickens Novel
I have been engaged with politics since the Conservatives came into power via a coalition government, back in 2010. I can remember feeling, even at 16, that my life was going to change for the worst. I come from a proud working-class background in Liverpool, in the north of England: a staunch Labour stronghold, with deep socialist roots; a place that past Conservative governments (namely under Thatcher) have tried to destroy. Education schemes, funding, signposts to opportunities not afforded to the generations before me, and not least, sacrifices by my ever-supportive mother, have meant that I was the first in my family to go to university—despite the enormous tuition fees and interest rates on student loans imposed by the Tories, to try and keep people like me out of the world of the educational elite. Waving goodbye to Labour in 2010, and beckoning in the past eight years of austerity under the Tories, have done untold harm to cities like mine—and the end does not seem to be in sight.
P.O. WilliamsPublished 5 years ago in The SwampWe Repress, We Obey, and We Live
The alarm rings at 6AM, you swipe unlock on your iPhone 7 and turn off the ear-splitting sound that daunts you to remember your 9-5. You begin to think… Must you continue living life with the absolute fear and resentment to ‘rise and shine,’ to face a world that is so dysfunctional, and relive each day the same as the last because we are all controlled to operate, if not, obey to the order of those who reign supreme through a vote which we call ‘democracy’. The answer is yes. You rise, you shower, you brush, you dress, you eat and you leave. You leave to a job which holds back your dreams, your desires and your happiness. You leave yourself forever clinging to the inevitability that this is all that is, and all that will be. You stand, unable to breathe through the compelling thought of the never-ending debts of life, and the constraining disbelief that you are in fact, free, to do-as-you-please. We understand, that yes, we have the choice of freedom, but how can one be free without an income which is received through a 40-hour week, which pays for the shelter we sleep, the food we devour and the water we bathe and drink. But we are free, unattached, uncommitted and unrestrained to a position we hate, yet… we are not free from poverty. Can we rely on refuge from those we call our family and friends, those we know are continuously living life with the absolute fear and resentment to ‘rise and shine,’ to face a world that is so dysfunctional, and relive each day the same as the last. The answer is no. So, we continue, we obey, we repress and we live… because, after all, hard work is one of the most valuable necessities of life. So valuable, that we may never, in fact, meet the man which employs us, the face that destroys us, and those who underpay us. We are continuously told that we have the rights to our own freedom, but we must learn ourselves that the cost outweighs those right, and therefore, we stand in line and live by the life we believe is a choice. From the moment we are truly able to comprehend any of the world around us, we are thrown into that which is called mandatory Education. In this, we expect a fish to climb a tree the same way that a monkey can. When the truth is, we don’t all function the same. We don’t all function to understand that our lives should be more than ‘rising and shining’ to relive each day the same as the rest. We understand that life should have meaning, that we, a civilization of human beings living in a free world, should, in fact, be free. Free from the restraints of the five days of hell and the two days of freedom. We will forever be programmed to live the life we live until we are able to break free. We create lives, children, families, and homes, with the crippling debts of a mortgage, health care cuts and free school means been a thing of the past. We create a life for another when we, ourselves, cannot make a life without the need to live each day the same as the rest.. .because that’s our survival. And until our fight for true survival ends, we will sleep… the only true redemption from the civilization we call humanity… The alarm rings 6AM, you swipe to unlock on your iPhone 7 and turn off the ear-splitting sound that daunts you to remember your 9-5.
Conscious Consumerism: A Better Future for All
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, you will more than likely have seen Iceland’s advertisement regarding palm oil circulating across social media. It’s so great that this has been brought forward into public consciousness at long last. After all, this is not a new issue. It’s been a thing for years. But now thanks to Iceland, people are finally talking about the deforestation and unnecessary suffering and killing of orangutans and other animals all in the name of palm oil—which is used in so many every day products.
Janine AgombarPublished 5 years ago in The SwampStep 1: Google It!
It is Branding 101 in the modern world. Say you want to name your new product? Say you need to come up with a name for your new small business? Say you have the desire to create an organization to help those in need? What is the absolute first thing that you need to do? Well, any marketing expert worth paying anything to, any marketing textbook, heck, any freshman marketing student, would tell you exactly the same thing: Google your possible choices!
David WyldPublished 5 years ago in The SwampUnderstanding Nationalism
BRYCE ON POLITICS - Creating "Win-Win" situations. Click for AUDIO VERSION. I find the vilification of nationalism to be appalling. It is being depicted as some sort of Fascist, racist, unpatriotic institution. The reality is, nothing could be further from the truth. It is being characterized as such, because it doesn't fit in with the progressive/socialist agenda, nor other global developments, such as climate change, immigration, and defense.
Sweden's Recycling Revolution
Years ago, Sweden has started its "Recycling Revolution." The Recycling Revolution is where Sweden recycles 99 percent of all it’s trash almost to were it’s waste-free. Everyone produces waste, especially people in Sweden. Sweden sorts, filters and then recycles its trash. This process recycles 99 percent of the trash and then the other 1 percent goes into landfills ever since 2011 (see below for "What Are Landfills?"). Sweden’s trash ends up in three ways. 50 percent goes into burning to make fuel. 49% goes into recycling, making new materials, and the 1 percent goes into landfills.
Michael DuongPublished 5 years ago in The SwampDivided We Fail
In this the 21st century we still have to remember lessons learned from history are valuable tools to secure the future. Too often, though, mankind hasn't learned many of the lessons that history is supposed to teach us. Many empires that have risen fall by their failure to negate the inner divides of their people. Questions now arise about the future of the United States considering the enormity of division in the US today. Is the United States going to be the next nation to join history's long list of nations that fail to heed Lincoln's immortal words, "A nation divided against itself cannot stand?"
Dr. WilliamsPublished 5 years ago in The SwampBrexit Secretary 3.0: Who Is Next to Sip from the Most Poisoned Chalice in British Politics?
The role of Brexit secretary is perhaps the most talked about position in European politics these days. Stephen Barclay is the third MP to be given the seemingly impossible task of leading the UK into a reasonable deal with the EU. It’s hard to argue that he doesn’t have his hands tied.
Patrick HollisPublished 5 years ago in The SwampUnity or Disorder
One hundred years ago, the end of World War I was declared on a railroad carriage. On the occasion of the event, political leaders met in Paris to celebrate cooperation and unification.
Trump Faces Hurdles in 2020
In 2016, Donald Trump eked out a win in the electoral college by virtue of his strength in the industrial midwest. He did so by outflanking Hillary Clinton on the left, decrying trade deals that had cost factory workers their jobs and promising that he would return prosperity to midwestern states.
John HeckenlivelyPublished 5 years ago in The Swamp