Top Stories
Stories in The Swamp that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
The Standing Rock Series: The Calm Before the Storm
This was during my second trip to Standing Rock; camp had grown significantly in a short time after I left from a few hundred to a couple thousand people. It was in that time we had many successive peaceful actions that were truly beautiful to be a part of. I would call this the calm before the storm, for soon they brought heavier violence upon us.
Harry BenedictPublished 6 years ago in The SwampGentrification Blues
My late father criticized me when I moved out of the neighborhood where he and my late stepmother lived. “That building probably has graffiti on the walls,” Dad grumbled. Yet the rent in the new place was way less expensive than the rent I had been paying. My dad and stepmother could afford to pay the high price of living in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city. They relished rubbing elbows with the well-heeled. I had grown tired of dealing with the area’s elitist climate, and I wanted to live in an area with real people. I found a neighborhood where people leaned out of their windows to wave to their friends. Kids giggled as they ran down the street in packs to get to their next adventure. Mom-and-pop stores were the norm.
Hillari HunterPublished 6 years ago in The SwampCanada Has a Major Bread Scandal
Canada is currently experiencing a major bread scandal. I know that may sound absurd and slightly dramatic, but hear me out; recent revelations have exposed collusion amongst the country’s supermarket giants that have cost Canadians millions. At the centre of the scandal is Canadian grocery giant Loblaw and one of its subsidiaries, George Weston, which reportedly engaged in price-fixing between 2001 and 2015 on brands such as Dempster’s, Wonder, Villagio, Weston, Stonemill, and D’Italiano. Statistics Canada, cited by CBC, noted that during this timeframe, the consumer price index on bread products in Canada rose 96 percent, compared to an 45 percent for all other foods. Loblaw says they fired all involved employees and turned themselves in to the Competition Bureau in 2015, but in being the first to come forward and cooperating with the bureau, are immune from criminal charges. This is convenient given that price-fixing can be met with punishment as severe as $25 million in fines and 14 years in prison.
Logan CarmichaelPublished 6 years ago in The SwampPoverty in Guatemala
When it comes to the term poverty, people often view the word as a person or people living in a state of extreme poorness. What most people do not know, however, is that there is an actual poverty line. The poverty line is the threshold, and it shows the minimum level of income that a country sees fit, and anyone that generates under this level of income is a person who is living in poverty. In Guatemala, which is a South American country riddled by poverty, the poverty line is around $3.20, which represents daily income. The surprising thing is that 59% of the Guatemalan population is living below this poverty line. This insurmountable amount of poverty did not happen overnight though, but rather, the problem has been increasing for years. The causes for poverty in Guatemala include civil war, social inequality, and forced labor.
Zoe VinaccoPublished 6 years ago in The SwampUS-Mexico Relations & the Avocado
If you’re a millennial, chances are you love avocado and will never be able to afford a house. I can’t take credit for this idea — it came from Tim Gurner, an Australian millionaire who, earlier this year, claimed that millennials will be unable to ever buy a house because they buy “smashed avocado for nineteen bucks.” But I digress. The moral of the story is that avocado everything (from the world’s first "avocado bar" in New York City, to the all-avocado restaurant "The Avocado Show" in Amsterdam) has become a phenomenon, and at a price. If you’re an avocado lover like me, you were probably disappointed to see avocado prices skyrocket this summer. Thankfully this has calmed down somewhat, but at the very root of this issue — and many other avocado-related incidents over the past century — there is a deep-seated linkage to the historic relationship between the United States and Mexico. This relationship has returned to the forefront of public consciousness under the leadership of Donald Trump, but is by no means new. How is it that everyone’s favourite green fruit (yes, it’s actually classified as a berry) is so highly politicized, and so closely linked to US-Mexico relations? Allow me to explain.
Logan CarmichaelPublished 6 years ago in The SwampThe Simpsons Take a Jab at Donald Trump's Scandals in Clip
When it comes to the current United States President, everyone has something to say about Donald Trump. Because of his controversial statements and even more perplexing actions, Trump has drawn in quite a bit of attention onto himself. Lately, Trump has become a big topic of discussion because of his latest scandals.
An Open Letter To Australia
Thank you. Just, thank you. In the past year we have seen some horrific atrocities occur to the LGBT community. Whether it be fathers murdering their own son for being gay or the horrific allegations in Chechnya, this has certainly been a dark year for the rights of homosexuals, transgenders, and many others who identify with a different gender or sexual identity and unfortunately have to pay a sickly price for it in this society, in a world where there should be none.
Harjit SinghPublished 6 years ago in The SwampOne Year Later
November 8, 2016 — a date that that will live in infamy, at least to me anyway. This wasn’t just a simple fall day. It was election day last year.
A. Alexis KreiserPublished 6 years ago in The SwampMillennial Path to Power
For a lazy generation, we Millennials are killing off quite a lot of things. From the diamond industry to local stores to the hotel and taxi businesses, we are constantly destroying parts of our societies and recreating the world as we all know it.
Amanda JacksonPublished 7 years ago in The SwampCultural Appropriation Costumes
Let's start this article with a caveat. I am a White, cisgender female. I experience a great deal of privilege. I also do not have children, so when a friend of mine posted a Facebook status talking about whether or not it was racist to allow her daughter to dress up as Moana for Halloween, I had to take a step back.
Tarin CampanellaPublished 7 years ago in The SwampStop Using “Snowflake” As an Insult
It is fun to turn around and use the insult intended for liberal progressives on the conservative base in an attempt to point out how poorly conservatives react to having their feelings hurt. The insult du jour in American political debate has become “snowflake.” When a White conservative reacts angrily to being called out on racism, it’s fun to make fun of his sensitivity and use the insult he just used on you because you are concerned with the plight of the poor. But next time that word is on the tip of your tongue, consider its origins and usage.
David BulleyPublished 7 years ago in The SwampLas Vegas Attacks
I wasn’t going to post this, but with the Las Vegas attacks earlier this week, I want to add my thoughts, just as I did with Manchester. I was going to talk about gun control and the Second Amendment of the right to bare arms, but although I have my views on the matter I feel that they are ignorant at a time like this. Arguing about the right to own a gun is not helping the people who were injured or the families who have lost loved ones in this vicious and cowardly terrorist attack.
Reanne KingdonPublished 7 years ago in The Swamp