Category Archives: Politics

Racism… What exactly is it?

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It has become the contrast of its own distinction. We either have heated discussions over it, or ignore it as best we can, but what is it? The dictionary says, “The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races:” or even “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior:” Unfortunately 21st century life has added splinters of this to make up the sum of the whole.

Racism. Credit: wikipedia

Racism.
Credit: wikipedia

Everything from governmental policies to sport and even entertainment has helped perpetuate the type of racism that should either be ignored, or addressed. A bold statement, you say… Ok, let’s have a look at politics. Government parties claim to have the betterment of the electorate for whom they are supposed to represent. Yet the ill of all that goes on seems to be directed toward immigrants and scroungers. The latter being painted in typical fashion that has become accepted!

The rise in electable anti-ethnic parties is unprecedented and they sway popularity with weak manifestos bolstered by ethnic reforms, which are unpalatable at best! Now whilst sport may be a difficult one to pigeon-hole, given the diversity of the sports and activities as a whole, the more popular the sport the more it seems to have a “Big Boys Club” mentality. This even puts the lack of female input to managerial and hierarchal appointments into the spotlight. So, given the diversity of the country as a whole, does it represent the people that pay to watch the sports? Obviously not, but that means we have accepted that things are OK! It is not to say there are not people qualified to do these roles, they just seem to be made available to a select few and when someone actually does get a role, if at all, it is scrutinised and made to feel that the role may not be o merit and for publicity and “ticking a box”.

Entertainment is, unfortunately, easier to highlight and has been under a huge spotlight in 2014! Everything from the awards to the fact Lenny Henry had to give a speech in BAFTA addressing the situation, which I found both entertaining and deeply saddening. In 3 years alone a recorded 2000 Black and Minority Ethnic actors have left the industry in the UK and that are only those that are known, whilst the industry has grown by 4000! Zero commissioners in the UK are of any minority ethnicity and funding has been found to not represent the criterion set out for the channels. They make up only 5.4% of the broadcasting workforce! That means in front of and behind the camera. With the rise in gang culture and the highlight for tougher sentencing, this issue could be squashed in a simple and effective manoeuvre.

Youth clubs and play areas will not only bring people together, it gives the young purpose and direction. I saw this issue arise as each government made their excuses for tearing down the structure that has been in all societies since man first colonised… let children be children and guide them as they enjoy their childhood. To make the stigmas of the adult populous those of the young has shown they are ill-equipped to deal with such matter and adding colour and race has made it far more volatile than the adults trying to impose their beliefs. Advertising is also an area that falls foul to the discrimination…

If you need to have proof then check the experiment from the University of Virginia. The experiment, conducted from March 2009 to March 2010, found that black sellers did worse than white sellers on a variety of metrics: they receive 13 percent fewer responses, 18 percent fewer offers, and offers that are 11 to 12 percent lower. These effects are similar in magnitude to those associated with a white seller’s display of a tattoo, which the authors included to serve as a “suspicious” white control group.Those corresponding with black sellers reacted much more negatively, implying less underlying trust.

Unfortunately this is reinforced by advertising agencies, as they never use any other ethnicity for advertising, unless it specifies a typical group. Unfortunately employment falls into the same category. A study was done with 2 exacting CV’s and the names were changed to be typically contrasting. 5000 resumes were sent out, which were to 1300 available jobs and the prospective employers were none the wiser of the experiment. Whilst the return rate of the CV’s were on average for both Caucasian male and female candidates (approx 1 call back in 10) the average for the ethnic male and female candidates were 25% lower. The experiment was carried out in July2001-January 2002. Unfortunately the experiment carried out in July 2011-January 2012 showed a significant increase in disparity from 25% to 50%, which shows how far the human species has come in regards to employment. Whilst these are only call backs, the numbers are compelling.

If I were to label all the problems with policing then we would be here for a whole separate subject and conclusion. So, whilst I have seemingly dissected the flaws of modern day earth and strewn it out for all to see, it’s not all one-sided. There are people who, naturally, are able to judge someone on the content of their character and that is no surprise.  Many ethnic groups are starting their own areas of business, which caters to people that are not represented in their field, but not excluding any colour, or creed, as it does not interfere with the progress of the company. And many of the youth consider the stupidity of the older generation for hating people for their colour not something they can get their head into and support! For those that question either the validity, or the impact of this subject. That’s easy, just try it for a while and see how long you last! If it is unacceptable then there must be something wrong with the way it is!

You are not expected to bear the burden of your forefathers and the mistakes of their past, but maybe the difference of peace and harmony can make the way of life easier and remember that we all only have a finite time on this planet. Illogical hate is something that is the epitome of racism. It truly is a state of regression and an excuse to express a primal behaviour! Anyhow a colour makes someone change their mind about a person, says more about the person attacking than the person being attacked. I was going to finish on a cliché of Martin Luther King Jnr, but I feel that something more prophetic is in order. So, when you go and have St George’s flag flying and puff up your chest about how he represents the fight and spirit of England… try to remember that he’s an Arab and born in Syria and venerated by Christians and Muslims.

Ian Thornton On The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation

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johnthortonThe John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation (JTYAF) supports young people in a wide range of youth organisations and provides them with scholarships to support their personal development and the pursuit of their ambitions. It was established following the death of my younger brother, John, on active service in Afghanistan in 2008. John, a Royal Marines officer, achieved an incredible amount in his short life and so the provision of opportunities for young people to live their dreams, like he was able to do, seemed the perfect way to honour such an inspirational person. Since its formation we have made awards totaling nearly £250,000 to over 550 young people. A legacy that John would be both amazed by and proud of.

There are a wide variety of ways in which people can help or contribute. We have an amazing network of volunteers, without whose help our numerous fundraising events wouldn’t get off the ground. The amount of people who have also helped through organising sponsored events is also overwhelming; from tea parties in local care homes to successfully summiting Mount Everest, our supporters have completely blown us away with their imagination, commitment and passion for this cause. People can also simply donate via our website www.jtyaf.org, or can follow links to fundraising webpages set up by those who are supporting us. Every penny truly helps and, with no premises to fund or paid staff to take into account, very nearly all of every pound donated goes directly towards the young people that we provide opportunities for.

The JTYAF certainly does keep the spirit of John alive. By the age of 22 he had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, flown with the Red Arrows, qualified as a free-fall skydiver, travelled across New Zealand, learnt musical instruments and played a wide variety of sports, and had worked in both Iraq and Afghanistan as a Royal Marines officer. He achieved more in such a short space of time than many do by the time they reach old age, and being able to help others realise their ambitions and conquer their own personal challenges is so fitting. The sheer scale of the support we receive really is testament to the uniquely inspirational person that John was more than anything else.

Putting together “Helmand” was hard in that it revisited a truly traumatic moment in my life in it’s references to my brother’s death. That said, it was also a therapeutic experience as it gave me the opportunity to look in detail at how he spent the final weeks and months of his life, and to learn about how his experiences fitted in with those of the Officers and Marines that he was deployed alongside. Including my own diary of my time in Afghanistan, some 4.5 years later, was something I was not initially comfortable with as I only ever wrote for my own benefit and to keep a record of everything that my Platoon and I went through together. It was never meant for anyone else’s eyes. However, in hindsight, to have the opportunity to hopefully do justice to the experiences of the soldiers I fought alongside is both rare and an honour, and at the same time I think the ability to contrast my tour with that of John gives the reader a true sense of the incredible progress that was made by the British Armed Forces in Afghanistan in those few short years.

I would like to write another book at some point in the future, but think that it may have to wait until my career in the Army has ended…I doubt I’d have the time to do so until then!

It’s difficult to say whether or not military personnel get the treatment they deserve on returning to civilian life as I am yet to make that jump. I certainly hope that they do. I think that the public perception of the Armed Forces is the most positive it has been for a long time, due largely to a respect for our sacrifices in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I hope that this manifests itself in the upholding of the military covenant for those who make the big decision to return to civilian life.

When I deployed to Afghanistan I felt so many emotions. In the time leading up to deployment excitement gradually gave way to apprehension about the unknown and ultimately a sense of fear prior to stepping out of the gate on patrol that first time. That fear however was not of personally dying or being injured as, ultimately, your training gets you so used to the idea of both that you kind of expect it to happen. The fear that I felt was of letting those around me down, and of what it would do to my family if the worst would have happened again. Letting people down is something on the mind of, I believe, everyone experiencing combat for the first time. Until you have been shot at for the first time you have literally no idea about how you will react. For me personally, the fear of putting my family through another loss so soon after we lost John was something that was on my mind constantly. I know that both of my parents struggled with me being away and spent the entire 6 months hoping and praying that lighting wouldn’t strike twice. To me though they were so supportive – despite their fears they knew that it was the only thing I wanted to do and as my Mum said, “as a parent all you want is for your children to be happy”. Before I deployed I remember saying: “Mum, this is my World Cup”. I wanted to make sure that if the worst did happen, she would know that my time came when I was doing something that I loved.

The best advice I have ever been given came from John, which was simply: “Don’t worry, everything will turn out for the best – because it always does”. I think that’s a good outlook to have on life.

First World War For Dummies Book Review

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firstworldwarfordummiesbookreview The First World War has been an endless source of fascination for decades now. The inhumanity, the loss of life. To a lot of people war seems unfathomable, it is not really something that has happened to my generation.

 

This book is brilliant. Well-researched and full of anything you would want to know about World War 1. Dr Seán Lang certainly knows his stuff, and we will have an interview with him soon.

 

The books gives an amazing overall education on the complex causes that led to war, the key battles, the Generals and how the war changed the world, along with the lasting effect. This book has everything you could ever want to know about World War 1. I learned a substantial amount and the book also pieces everything together beautifully, leaving you with an overview of the whole war and the key players. Even though this book has a ton of information and some harrowing history, it is always easy-to-read and the format makes retaining the information easy. Good for learning.

 

I also loved the Part of Tens section, with its list of wartime writers and poets, along with a list of films about World War 1. Over 380 pages of well researched and enjoyable to read, if sometimes sad, history. A must for history buffs.

 

First World War For Dummies is available here.

 

 

Does Having Children Hold Women Back?

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gorgeousbaby

Something has been annoying me for a long time and I need to write about it. Yes, women and how they are discriminated against if they have children, and if they don’t have children, Yes, basically just the fact that women can’t win when it comes to their ovaries. No one has every asked a man how he balances his work/life balance. Or how having children affected his career. And many famous men don’t have children and it is not pointed out in every single article about them a la Jennifer Aniston. But that has gotten me thinking: does having children hold women back? A lot of women in the June 2014 edition of Bazaar magazine thought so.

 

Zaha Hadid was interviewed and said: ‘With architecture, if you stop, it’s hard to go back. It’s long hours, lots of travel. If you have kids, it’s not obvious how to make it work.” and went on to say “When I could have kids, it just didn’t occur to me.”

 

Artist Phyllida Barlow said: “I don’t think having children and being an artist are compatible at all. I don’t mean that as a negative thing, just that both require full-time attention. Both are emotional and hazardous. Things go wrong” Phyllida has five children and a successful career so I am not sure what her point is.

 

This is an extract from the piece on artist Marina Abramovic: “She also knew she’d never have children. Every person, she argues, has only one source of energy, which can be transformed into work, family, children, creativity; anything. If you have children, you divide it.’ It isn’t a fashionable view, the article goes on, but there’s no doubt in her mind that it is not possible to be a great artist and have children: Maybe if you’re very rich and have nannies but then the children suffer’, she qualifies. The evidence is all around us she insists. ‘Why are there so many more male artists than female. Because a man doesn’t have to sacrifice as much as a woman.’ How sexist. She then goes on to cite Louise Bourgeois who had an amazing career post-60: husband dead and children who had left home, ‘So many artists start wonderful, talented, and then the children come.” Then how come so many men manage both? Oh, right, the woman gives up her life and career. Am I the only one who reads this and wants to scream the point that children have two parents? Surely the father could look after his own children at some point? And don’t get me started on men who refer to looking after their own children as ‘babysitting’. You contributed half of the DNA you idiot.

 

Weirdly enough, the sanest comment came from an Olsen in the June 2014 edition of UK Marie Claire: Elizabeth Olsen has been thinking about the working-women-having-kids-thing. ‘It’s more important for women to do well in their families lives because they end up doing better in their job if they pay attention to their family. There was a time when you’d have a career, get to the top and then have children, which I always thought was weird- as opposed to having kids witnessing the ebbs and flows, starting somewhere and growing together as a family’ Can someone please give this women a medal?

 

Oprah Winfrey has stated many times that she couldn’t achieve what she has if she had children, but how does she know? How can she honestly say that? Oprah is also quoted saying: “If I had kids, my kids would hate me, They would have ended up on the equivalent of the “Oprah” show talking about me; because something [in my life] would have had to suffer and it would’ve probably been them.” Do children say this about their fathers? In a typical family set up men are away a lot. Kids don’t hate them, they just miss them. People don’t give children enough credit. They know adults have to work.

 

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard was interviewed in the Telegraph and she was asked, once again, about her child-free status. She said: ‘I’m comfortable with my choices. It gave me my chance to work as an PM’.  I mean, why ask a former Prime Minister about her career when you can question her ovaries instead?

 

But this hasn’t answered my original question. Does having children hold women back? Probably. I don’t have children myself, although I may one day, but I think the main question should be: if having children doesn’t hold men back, why should it hold women back? The answer is obvious. Women are supposed to sacrifice everything for their children and burn their ambitions and wishes on the alter of motherhood. And some of the worst critics for women is other mothers. I know married friends in their thirties, some of whom don’t even want children, who can’t get a job or a promotion because employers don’t want to risk hiring a women in their thirties, too worried that they will just get pregnant and then cost them maternity leave. Women are discriminated on the fact that they have wombs, whether they use them or not.

 

A book I will be reading is I Don’t Know Why She Bothers by Daisy Waugh. It rages against the social pressure of women sacrificing their entire life at the alter of motherhood and is an antidote to maternal guilt and pressure. Because you know what can stop children holding women back? Men picking up the slack and doing their fair share.

 

What do you think? Does having children hold women back?

 

 

The CIA Join Twitter With The Best Tweet Ever

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The CIA Join TwitterThe CIA joined twitter with what is, possibly, the best first tweet ever.

The Twitter account was launched a few days after the CIA opened a Facebook page, on which it honoured D-Day.  The agency will use its social media to post job openings, trivia from the CIA World Fact book, photos and “reflections on intelligence history.” The agency will also partake in Throwback Thursday and event livestreaming.

 

The CIA quickly had over 400,000 followers (now at 584,000) and the tweet has 280,000 retweets and 170,000 favourites. Not bad for three days.

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

Bowe Bergdahl And Robert Bergdahl Are A Disaster For Obama But He Can Recover

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bergdahls-praises-Allah-at-white-house-obama-not-happy

A lot has been said about the video of Bowe Bergdahl’s father praising Allah at the White House. Frankly, most of it is wrong. Obama was not smiling. Anyone who knows body language and looks at the video will see that, actually, that was a grimace. President was also obviously angry, he knew how much political damage had just been done to him. I don’t know who is advising Obama at the moment, or why he let five terrorists go for one man but whoever is advising him needs to either be fired or given the worst job in politics somewhere far away from the President to make a strong point. American Ambassador of Outer Mongolia or Siberia sounds good.

I don’t know if Obama knew what the Arabic meant at the time, but he knew it was enough to damage him in the eyes of his enemies, most of whom constantly try to make the President out as not a true American.

Robert Bergdahl said at the press conference of his son’s release, “Bism allah alrahman alraheem,” which translates from Arabic to English as “in the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate.” It is said before every chapter in the Koran except the 9th (the chapter of the sword). The level of stupidity in quoting the Koran at the White House, even more than ten years after 9/11 is insurmountable. Not to mention insensitive. He may have meant it in a well-meaning way, but it was not that he spoke in Arabic, it was the praise of Allah, the same Allah whose name the pilots flew into the World Trade Centre for. The beard didn’t help. Robert Bergdahl grew it out of ‘solidarity’ for his captured son but we live in a visual world. How things look matter, and it looks bad.

Bowe Bergdahl allegedly left a note saying he wanted to renounce his citizenship before he went AWOL. Then six American soldiers lost their lives trying to rescue him from the Taliban. This is the biggest crisis of Obama’s career and the shades of Homeland (incidentally one of the President’s favourite shows) does not help. The President did not know what Robert Bergdahl was going to say, and he clearly didn’t like what he did say. No man left behind is very American. Even if the man is controversial and not liked within the armed forces because of his desertion.

To rub salt into the wound, the Taliban have released a video of the release of Bowe Bergdahl. Despite all of this, I believe the President can still recover. He just needs to surround himself with the right people.

What do you think?

 

A Fort of Nine Towers By Qais Akbar Omar Book Review

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I have to be honest. I have put off writing this review. Which may seem weird considering the fact that A Fort of Nine Towers is one of the most important books I have ever read. Many books change you, give you enjoyment, make you think, even change your outlook: A Fort of Nine Towers does most of these, but it also touches your soul, your heart and then breaks them a little. As a Western woman, with all of the privilege that entails, reading this book is an eye-opener and a game changer.

afortofninetowersbookreview

I read papers, I watch the news, I watch documentaries and read books. I stay involved in politics and world events, but this tale of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan should be required reading for every one in the Western world (and beyond).

How much the human spirit can endure is both interesting and fascinating. The same with the human body. Qasis Akbar was only eleven when a brutal civil war broke out in Kabul. For Qais, it brought an abrupt end to a childhood filled with kites and cousins in his grandfather’s garden: one of the most convulsive decades in Afghan history had begun. Ahead lay the rise of the Taliban, and, in 2001, the arrival of international forces.

Called ‘poetic, powerful and unforgettable’ by The Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini, A Fort of Nine Towers is the story of Qais, his family and their determination to survive these upheavals as they were buffeted from one part of Afghanistan to the next. Drawing strength from each other, and their culture and faith, they sought refuge for a time in the Buddha caves of Bamyan, and later with a caravan of Kuchi nomads. When they eventually returned to Kabul, it became clear that their trials were just beginning.

A lot of this book is horrifying, the inhumanity from one human to another, but there is also hope. Qais apologises to the reader for the stories he tells, knowing they will never leave your mind: stories of pits full of skulls, women being gang-raped, a man called ‘Dog’ who tortures and kills people by biting them. Something that happens to Qais and his father, but only after they have seen a row of dead naked people, some tourists, all in a row, horror as their death masks.

This book is also important as a way to dispel propaganda. Rather fascinatingly Qais writes about hearing talk of a rich Arab named Bin Laden (Yes, that one), who lived near Qais in a big house which used to be owned by someone called the Pimp of The King. The place was always covered by Taliban and they would drive black Land Cruisers and have big meetings there. So Osama Bin Laden was in Afghanistan. I am not saying this has made me pro-war, I believe lies were told, but this piece of information, and the stories of the Taliban; what they did, their brutality, what happened to women…Westerners don’t just have a duty to other Westerners and certainly not just to other white people. We can not just turn a blind eye. When I read the book and got to the end, I see how the invasion of Iraq also benefited Afghanistan. I am more educated but I want to learn even more, talk to more Afghans. The book even prints out the rules for women and information the Taliban distributed after it took over Kabul. These include toppling walls on homosexuals (if they live it means they weren’t homosexuals) and women should not step outside of their residence…she belongs to only one man (Husband) or soon she will be property of a man (Husband). And the ironically illiterate: women do not have as much brains as men, therefore they cannot think wisely as man. These ended with ‘Sincerely! The Taliban rules’. Like some illiterate teenager would graffiti on a wall.

I learned a lot reading this book. Some I already knew but it was reinforced: the Taliban are evil. Horrible peasants who use religion as an excuse to murder and torture and rule, the horror of organised religion and the damage it can cause, how privileged anyone is to be born in Britain or the US, how they have no excuse whatsoever not to make something of their lives, when there are people like Qais, who survived a brutal war, who saw the people he loved killed, who saw such horrifying things at such a young age. But more importantly I was more educated after reading this book, more compassionate. I was sadder, emotional but with a fire in my belly: knowing that every human being must do their best, and what happened in Afghanistan should never be forgotten. God knows what will happen when US troops pull out soon. I only hope the Taliban do not return, but I fear that they will. It is too awful a thought to even contemplate and God help Afghanistan if they do.

You can buy A Fort of Nine Towers here. I highly recommend that you do.

What do you think?

Harry Styles, Russell Brand Pay Tribute To Gay Equality Charity Stonewalls 25th

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Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Russell Brand and friends pay tribute to gay equality charity Stonewalls 25th anniversary

harrystyles russellbrand samsmith alancarr ritaora

Celebrities have contributed to a #FirstSNOG Insta-Exhibition using an app created by SNOG frozen yogurt to pay tribute to gay equality charity Stonewall’s 25th anniversary

 

Celebrities from the worlds of fashion, film, music and art provided their image in support of the charity’s international work and decorated them with graphics by Cassette Playa inspired by peace and love.

From top to bottom: Harry Styles, Russell Brand, Sam Smith, Alan Carr and Rita Ora.