Top Stories
Stories in The Swamp that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.
The Controversies From Shakira and J-LO
During the fifty fourth Super Bowl this year in 2020, the Half-Time show was a performance put on by Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. The show caused quite the controversy in the media. While everybody is entitled to their opinion, some things are simply facts. Facts and humanity are what we are here to discuss today.
On ‘Daisies’ and Why it does Matter
The Czech New Wave was a film movement that emerged in 1963 which writer Simon Hitchman in his 2015 article suggested was due to increasing pressure for socio-political reform within Czechoslovakia. The country was in the midst of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CSR) period in which the country was under communist rule. Film makers needed a voice to combat this oppressive rule and thus the New Wave movement began. During this period, a renowned female director, Vera Chytilova; ‘first lady of Czech cinema,’ according to Fox in 2014, released the film Daisies in 1966. The film is a 70-minute experimental, absurdist look at two young girls who, after deciding that the world ‘has gone bad’ decide that they themselves will ‘go bad’ too. They embark on a series of anarchic, destructive behaviours as a rebellion against society. Theorist Shaviro in 2007 wrote that he regarded Daisies as a ‘violently nihilistic assault’ against the conventions of filmmaking, social normalities and even the spectator themselves.
Jordyn KelseyPublished 4 years ago in The SwampHarry Megxits Royal Life
It is perhaps one of the most iconic pieces of Royal film ever: a 21-year-old Princess Elizabeth dedicating her entire life to the service of her people and further Commonwealth family. Her historic words – “my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service” – set a precedent for her reign, and in the near seventy years of service as Queen and Monarch, she has unflinchingly, stoically and tirelessly honoured each and every word.
Jonathan ReedPublished 4 years ago in The SwampA Few Things You Forgot Happened In 2019
Ah, 2019. What a year. It was...long and...uh...that's all I can think of right now: it was long. It was so long, that so many things happened, that I can't remember what happened at the beginning of the year. Hell, I can't even remember what happened at the beginning of the day! That's how bad it is. So, with that, here are a few things that you might have forgotten that happened in 2019.
A. Alexis KreiserPublished 4 years ago in The SwampThe 5th Youth Global Forum: 3 Important Take-Aways
I’ve been invited recently to the fifth annual Youth Global Forum in Amsterdam as a journalist. [Last May, I wrote a piece that could sum up the Youth International Movement and Youth Global Forum which you can read here.]
Karina ThyraPublished 4 years ago in The SwampCongratulations Greta
Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg has been awarded Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2019 award. At a mere sixteen years of age, she is the youngest recipient ever.
Ian McKenziePublished 4 years ago in The SwampExamining Robert F. Kennedy’s Greatest Speech
On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was tragically shot by James Earl Ray outside of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. While the country went up in flames, there was a calming voice that arose from the ashes. That very same night, Robert F. Kennedy gave one of the greatest speeches by any American politician over the last 100 years. On what would be Kennedy's 94th birthday, let's take a look at the politician's most heartfelt and progressive statement of his entire career.
Shandi PacePublished 4 years ago in The SwampEleven Nobel Laureates Who Have Endorsed Universal Basic Income
The idea of an unconditional basic income (UBI) floor where everyone starts with the same minimum amount of money as everyone else each month as an economic right of citizenship is not a new idea. UBI is an idea with a long history and thus a long history of support. Among that support exists a number of Nobel prize winners. The following is a compilation of some of those names and what they've said about UBI in recent years.
Scott SantensPublished 4 years ago in The SwampHow The Climate Strike Has Already Changed The World
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.
Anna Gooding-CallPublished 5 years ago in The SwampA Little Group of Letters
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.
Craig BraquetPublished 5 years ago in The Swamp5 Forgotten Art Pieces and Films That Shined a Light on Racial Discrimination
During the summer, filmmaker Ava DuVernay was nominated for 16 Emmy awards for her groundbreaking Netflix series When They See Us.
Zari's DiaryPublished 5 years ago in The SwampDiscussing the Importance of Respecting a Memorial (And How We Can Still Learn from the Yolocaust Project)
This June, before heading to a (blistering hot) Berlin, just a week earlier I found myself discussing the topic of respectful behaviour at memorials and sights of tragedy with friends. Our discussion was prompted by a recent tweet we had seen from the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The tweet included pictures of visitors to the camp posing on the famous train tracks. The account (@AuschwitzMuseum) accompanied these photographs with the following caption:
Georgi KatePublished 5 years ago in The Swamp