Serena and Venus: A lesson to All

Serena Williams has defeated sister Venus at the 2017 Australian Open to claim a record 23rd Grand Slam title, and further re-affirm her position as the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. Venus, after battling back following a debilitating illness, put in a fantastic performance in the tournament, but fell short in the final. Both sisters continue to be a credit to not only their sport, but people in general.

A now famous fable has been told on numerous occasions – the story of how Richard Williams stumbled upon a tennis match while channel-hopping, only to see the winner presented with a cheque for $40,000. It was in this moment he decided his daughters – at the time unborn – would become professional tennis players. Raising them in the notorious Compton, few would have thought this was possible, but Richard’s bold expectations not only came true, but were surpassed.

Nineteen years after first competing against one another at the 1998 Australian Open, the duo would compete in the final at the 2017 edition. With a combined age of 71, few would have expected this to be possible. Throw in the fact that Venus has been battling the energy-sapping Sjogren’s syndrome, and it is an even more incredible feat. Both have ushered in a new era of women’s tennis – they have changed the game forever.

I alluded to the hurdles that the duo have faced, but in a wider context, they have done a considerable amount. The sisters have been instrumental in fighting for equal prize money in tennis. There have been several marches in recent days since the inauguration of Donald Trump, with women protesting. Yet how much does this actually achieve? These girls that sit back on social media, ‘liking’ photos and updates to apparently show support – how much does that actually help?

Then you compare it to what Serena and Venus have done. They have actually gone out and made success for themselves’. Instead of sitting back and complaining, they have actively gone out and made a difference. They have had to overcome several hurdles and pitfalls. Everyone can learn a lesson from the sisters. They should be the ultimate inspiration to these girls that are protesting. They show that if you put in the hard work – anything, and it is anything, is possible.

We are fortunate to live in an age with the best female tennis player of all time. Serena Williams thanked and paid tribute to sister Venus in her post-match speech. The bond that the duo have is robust. Their embrace after the match was an incredible moment, one that as youngster’s, they would have dreamed of one day happening. How much longer we have of seeing these two sisters compete like this remains to be seen – any tennis fan, and the wider community, should enjoy these two while we can.

After their Wimbledon 2009 final, it appeared that never again would we see the two sisters compete in a grand slam final again. Yet almost eight years later, the two competed like the champions they are. They’ve been written off before and always come back, and it’s highly possible they will compete again soon. But if not, then they have left a remarkable legacy. They have done everyone incredibly proud – they quite simply, are an inspiration.

(‘083’)
/MF/

America Goes for Trump: Summary

After a close-fought battle lasting many months, Donald Trump has shocked the world by defeating Hilary Clinton to become the 45th President of the United States of America. There has been considerable reaction to the shock victory, with some comparing the election result to Britain’s ‘Brexit’. Mainly, there has been shock horror at his victory, with many looking to book the first flight out of America. Here are the main points:

TRUMP IS PRESIDENT
In an unexpected result, Donald Trump is the President-elect. The vast majority of states, including considerable amounts of ‘swing-states’ voted in favour of Trump – handing him the victory. Large turnout of white, male working-class voters appeared to swing the pendulum in the favour of Trump, beating the coalition of female and minority workers which favoured Hilary Clinton.

In a move similar to that of Brexit, pollsters underestimated the amount of working-class Americans that would turn out to vote, and ultimately swing the election. Trump secured 289 votes to the 228 for the Democrats. The Republican party also secured control of the House of Representatives in what turned out to be a highly memorable day for their supporters.

CELEBRITY REACTION
Reactions from celebrities and general social media reaction have not been favourable towards Trump. Several celebrities, including Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, have voiced their disapproval of the result. Countless memes have been created poking fun at the result, and warning of the ‘season finale’ of America – such is the lack of faith of some in Trump.

QUESTIONABLE POLICIES
There are some questionable policies that Trump has spoken of, these include the building of a wall between USA and Mexico – something that will have the bill footed by Mexico. There are also question marks over USA-Cuba relations – something that is part of the legacy of Barack Obama’s fine presidential run. There is also the suggestion Trump might start a ban on allowing Muslim’s to enter America.

TRUMP: BUSINESSMAN
Something that can provide faith in is the work of Trump in terms of his business career. Trump has forged a highly successful business career – there are some hopes that he will be able to transfer this to the world of politics. There is no doubting his fine work in becoming a billionaire, but now he needs to apply this to the Presidency of the United States.

CANADIAN IMMIGRATION SITE CRASHES
With the result coming in, many Americans looked to research immigration in neighbouring Canada, flourishing under Justin Trudeau. However the surge in interest caused the site to crash, and there have been many reports of a lag on the site ever since. It appears that such is the unrest in the result, that many want to leave the country. It is a similar sight to the one seen in Britain after the Brexit result.

INFLAMMATORY QUOTES
There have been several inflammatory quotes applied to Trump that are simply not true. While we has said some frankly ridiculous things, some of the reports, quotes and pictures of him simply aren’t true. While he certainly isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, he deserves our respect – after all he is the President of the most powerful country in the world.

WHERE NEXT FOR CLINTON
Hilary Clinton deserves mass credit for her efforts. She leapt out of the shadow of her husband to run in the race. Despite significant detractors, she ran an admirable campaign and was unfortunate not to claim victory. She gained admiration from many and deserves credit for her demeanour throughout, and the fact she was gracious in defeat. Trump may have won the election, but Hilary won our hearts.

BARACK OBAMA
It is also worth mentioning this brings an end to a fantastic eight-year reign from Barack Obama. There is no doubting the incredible efforts he has made for his country – there is no doubting they are in a much better position now compared to when he assumed office. There is no doubting he will be missed, and he deserves considerable credit for his work as President – a very nice man who has positively impacted many lives.

WHAT NEXT?
So once the dust settles and Trump assumes office in January 2017, all eyes will be on the new President. Hopefully Trump will represent the interests of all Americans and bring them back together after a hugely divisive election. What’s done is done now, and whether people like the result or not, it is time to accept it – Donald Trump is the President-elect of the United Srates of America.

(‘080’)
/MF/

The Goldmans: Never Forgotten

In my last blog post I discussed the FX drama series ‘The People vs. OJ Simpson’, part of the American Crime Story anthology. I wrote about what a fantastic drama it was – one that made great viewing. But as the series ends, something I realised when watching the last episode was that I had failed to see the consequences of the trial from the victims’ perspectives.

Having enjoyed the series like so many other people, it is easy to forget what really happened. After all, this was a double homicide trial. While the trial revolved around Simpson and race, the victims cannot be forgotten. Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson both lost their lives in June 1994, meaning a life full of hurt would follow for the families of the victims.

One particular scene made me realise. After the ‘not guilty’ verdict had been delivered, along with the post-trial press conference, it was the end of the ‘trial of the century’ and the start of the next chapter in every person’s life. The show depicted a scene seeing the Goldman family making a lonely walk in to their car, isolated and defeated. It is hard to imagine what they felt at that time. Having just seen the murder of their family member unsolved after a long trial, the pain must have been unbearable. What made it worse was the fact that the decision was met with mass celebrations and hysteria, with many celebrating the verdict as a major human rights victory.

As mentioned, it is difficult to comprehend what the family felt at this time. I am sure over twenty years on the wound hasn’t healed – surely it never can, nothing can replace losing someone. A particularly poignant scene is the final part of this sequence and is the last addition to the anthology from the Goldman family – the sister of Ron asks – “what are we going to do now?” There is no telling after such a crushing defeat, what the family were meant to do.

That is why it is so crucial to remember in the midst of this excellent drama, that there was a real-life story behind it. In what is a move that is highly commendable – the Goldman family didn’t stop there and continued to campaign for Ron. In 1999, OJ Simpson was found liable for their deaths, being ordered to pay $33M in damages, though the Goldman family received less than $500k, for numerous reasons.

Over twenty years on and the Goldman family would have had to re-live the entire episode. For the vast majority of people, it was an insight into one of the recent incredible events in history. But for others, including the Goldman’s, it was a moment where a nightmare was relived – something that should never, and will never, be forgotten going forward.

/MF/
(‘075’)

USA vs. Apple: An Incredible Case

One story that is heavily in the news at the moment is essentially a battle between USA’s Justice court and tech giant Apple. Sadly, in December 2015, a young couple opened fire in San Bernardino, California, claiming the lives of 14 people. Yet when investigators pressed Apple based on the Apple-branded phones that the perpetrators owned, Apple refused to co-operate, essentially protecting the murderers, owing to their “philosophy”. But who is right in this instance?

There are two sides to this story – both of which will be analysed in detail. But firstly – here is what has happened so far to cause this situation. As mentioned, in early December 2015, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire, claiming 14 lives. Investigators the FBI found information that suggested that Farook’s iPhone had crucial information stored on it relating to the attacks. Yet when the FBI made the request to Apple to unlock the phone so that it could be analysed, they were given the run-around. As mentioned, there are two sides to this case.

A neutral looking in on this case would suggest Apple are out of line, refusing to co-operate with the FBI. After all, 14 lives were lost, information on the phone could lead to lives being saved in the future. Yet Apple have refused based on their “philosophy.” The ‘philosophy; is that no one, not even the makers of the iPhone, should be able to look inside your phone. It appears that despite the ultimate sin of murdering innocent people, that despite what you have done, Apple will not turn on you. While the loyalty is commendable, it is a very questionable move. There seems to be a lack of respect towards the victim’s families, who of course want justice for their loved ones. Yet this is the stance of Apple, which has caused this incident.

The other perspective comes from the USA’s side. Understandably, the FBI, like most of USA, want justice. The people behind the attack were dead, but those that helped orchestrate it are likely still at large. This is a time when any attack with terrorist-undertones are taken very seriously. This was labelled an act of ‘terrorism’ – it is hard to argue otherwise. This is why it seems fairly obvious why the FBI are seeking the information. As mentioned earlier, it could lead to a bigger picture being built up for the FBI, which could help them prevent or foil future attacks – something sure to save lives, which of course should always be the ultimate goal.

So who in this instance is correct. Apple offer ‘privacy’ as one of the main factors when selling their products – but surely this is one step too far. The pain that the murderers caused the families alone should be enough for them to give in to the demands of the FBI. National security has to be the most important factor in moments like these – Apple are not contributing to this at all. It is very important for civilians everywhere – many of whom are regular Apple customers, to be safe – something that Apple themselves’ need to help with.

Overall, it is fair to suggest that despite privacy issues, that the correct thing to do in this instance would be for Apple to comply with the demands of the FBI – and the Justice court. What will happen though is another question – Apple appear to be intent on stopping the FBI. It will be interesting to see what happens in this instance, whatever happens, there are sure to be repercussions as a result.

/MF/
(‘072’)

Back to the Future: How accrurate was their prediction?

Introduction:
Who knows what the world will look like in 2045. The way that technology is improving day-by-day, there is no telling what will change between now and then. For us to make a prediction would be difficult. However, this was a similar question posed in 1989, when “Back to the Future 2” was released. The film saw Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to the future, set in October 21st 2015 – the date of today. They predicted what the world would look like. So on the day being called “Back to the Future Day”, let’s take a look at how accurate their prediction was.

What they got Incorrect:
Sadly they were unable to predict some aspects of life in 2015. These include:

• Fax Machines – The film predicted that fax machines would be used hugely, being everywhere in this year, in reality, they are not used much at all!
• Smartphone Technology – Trying to predict the trends in technology are next to impossible. But without doubt one of the most prevalent features of day-to-day life all around the world is the use of smartphones.
• Flying Cars powered by rubbish – Although there has been some movement on flying cars, there hasn’t been enough to suggest they got that one right. But in 2045, perhaps then all would have changed!

What they predicted right:
To rightly predict anything within this time frame is a huge achievement, so the fact that the following list is of a good length is testament to the filmmakers.

• Thumbprint technology: A character in the film named “Biff” paid for a taxi journey with a thumb print. Of course, fingerprint technology is now seen on the iPhone 6, as well as selected apps such as Bounce.
• Video Glasses: Wearable technology is a fast-expanding industry, with again Back to the Future getting this one right. The “Google Glass” is perhaps the best example of this, while Microsoft announced recently the “Hololens” – again they got this one right.
• Video Calls: As well as video glasses, they also correctly predicted that video calls would be part of life. The characters in the film talk to each other through screens, just like Skype or WhatsApp.
• Flat-Screen Televisions: In the 1980s TV’s were very large, yet all these years on we see flat-screen televisions frequently, in a range of sizes too. The film correctly predicted that this would take place.
• Self-tying shoes:  Nike are believed to be developing trainers with inbuilt motors, which will allow laces on shoes to be self-tied.

How the Internet has reacted:
As always with these cultural phenomenon’s, the Internet has reacted hugely to the day. Police Forces all over Australia have been making light of the day, suggesting they are investigating crashes or incidents involving vehicles reminiscent of those within the film. Twitter has been the source of most of the discussion, with users all around the world interacting. In an age where sad news dominates the headlines, this is certainly a welcome break. Great British TV Channel ITV2 have been hosting a “back to the future” day, which has included the film series being shown, back-to-back.

2045?
It is only right to also predict what the future will look like some time from now. Of course, it is very difficult given how quickly the world advances, but you would think that given how fast technology is improving, that day-to-day life would have been further revolutionized even then. One thing is for certain, on this date in, for example, 2045, that we are all in the position to look back on the last thirty years and be happy with how our lives have panned out. It is up to us in this present day to be responsible for this.

Conclusion:
It has been a happy day for many. Everywhere you looked there was some sort of reference to Back to the Future. The film series has left a lasting impression that is very impressive. They correctly predicted many features of life in 2015, which was no easy feat. There is no telling what will change in the forthcoming years, but these are surely exciting times to be alive. I wish for a very successful and prosperous next few years for all those reading this. We shall have to wait and see what the future holds!

/MF/
(‘063’)

Nick Jonas: On the Charge

For fans of singer Nick Jonas, these are exciting times. After starting out as one third of the Jonas Brothers, he has gone from strength to strength in the last year, with a bright future seemingly ahead for Jonas. However, despite this bright future, this didn’t seem too likely a couple of years ago, with Jonas doing very well to get back into the public eye. Looking ahead, Nick Jonas is in a very good positon!

Jonas was born in 1992 in Dallas, Texas, United States of America. He came to prominence thanks to the success of the pop-rock band the “Jonas Brothers”, made up of Nick and his two older brothers – Joe and Kevin. He also had acting roles in Disney programs. In August 2006 the first album produced by the brothers was released – entitled “It’s about time.” After an underwhelming time at their first record label, the band switched to Hollywood Records soon enough. A self-titled album helped to gain the band mainstream popularity.

After a few years success, Nick Jonas then undertook solo projects, including various acting positions. In late 2013, the Jonas Brothers officially split. While there has been limited news about Joe and Kevin since, Nick has made the most of the split. July 2014 appeared to be the start of a new era for Jonas, after the release of his song “Chains”, he began to get a foothold once again in the ultra-competitive pop music industry. His next song “Jealous” was a huge, international success which has helped him hugely. The song charted all around the world, with this song putting Jonas firmly back in the eye of the public.

2015 has so far seen him touring, making the most of his success. Jonas seems to have a very bright future ahead of him. He continues to release songs periodically, with it easy to forget that he has only just turned 23 – his best years are surely ahead of him. Comments on social media tend to be very positive towards him – suggesting that he could be around for a long time yet, perhaps to the extent of becoming one of the most famous and potentially successful pop artists in the world, though these are early days yet of course.

The point of this post was to highlight the persistence of Nick Jonas. When I was in Secondary school and the Jonas Brothers were in their pomp, they were the “heart-throbs”, with all of the teenage girls being mega-fans of the trio. I would hear about them all of the time, with all the girls gushing over their every move! Somewhere along the way, their popularity waned and I, unbeknownst to be at the time, didn’t hear about them for years, I completely forgot about them. Then in mid-2015, when I heard the song “Jealous”, I kept replaying it. Soon enough I realised it was Nick Jonas who was singing it! It seems that after a two-year lull, his hard work is paying off now.

Overall, as the introduction suggested, any fans of Nick Jonas are in a good moment. Jonas has seen his popularity increase a lot recently and will have high hopes for the future. Whether it be acting or singing, the supremely talented American will surely be around for many years yet. It is great to see a talented individual do well – Jonas has worked hard to get back into the public eye, with only now it seems he is reaping the rewards. The next few years will be important as he looks to cement his place as one of the most well-known pop stars not only in USA, but the world. Given his ability, anything is possible for Jonas.

/MF/
(‘062’)

Intel: How their Free Merchandise reflects the Technology of today

Today, as part of my University course, I attended a company fair, with the aim of finding out about possible internships and graduate jobs. There were a number of highly-reputable and famous companies being represented – Microsoft, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Santander among others. Perhaps one of the most famous was Intel. Intel don’t have the same drawing-power as Microsoft, yet still, like Microsoft, play an integral part in computing, particularly spearheading several technological advances we have seen in recent times.

So it was at this fair where Intel gave each interested student a bag, inside of which was mostly information based on placements, internships and graduation jobs. But also it included several “freebies”, which included several items of high value. Included was the Intel “Power Bank’ – a device which allows portable charging without the use of electricity. This is a device which is sure to grow in popularity in the coming months thanks to the incredibly saturated smart-phone market. Next was some headphones. Rather underwhelming yes, but they were packed in a very nice Intel box, plus my other ones had recently stopped working, meaning this was a real blessing!

There was one other device that came free, the one that led me to write this blog post. It was a 4GB memory stick. I was surprised to see this included in the free merchandise. However, the more I thought about it, the less surprised I was, with the use of memory stick’s rapidly declining in the past few years thanks to the advancement in online and cloud storage. So this made me think about how much technology has changed in the past few years, with the memory stick the perfect example of this.

Ten years ago, the memory stick was heavily-used by millions of people. It was the “must-have” gadget, something that would allow you to move any file from computer to computer, without the use of the Internet. Replacing the less-fashionable “floppy disks”, memory sticks became crucial to own. For many years they remained prominent, with even to this day incredibly 500gb memory sticks available.

But in this moment, memory sticks aren’t anywhere near used as much as they were previously. Thanks to the advancement in online and cloud storage, there is little need for a memory stick. The OneDrive by Microsoft is an example of the replacements for the memory stick. The OneDrive is an incredible program, offering any user the chance to access their documents all around the world, of course provided the computer is capable of running the Internet. Apple also has a well-renowned cloud storage system, with many companies now offering it.

The switch from the memory stick to online storage sums up how technology has changed. Although I will use the memory stick, many of my fellow students won’t even think of using them. But it is testament to how much technology has advanced in such a short space of time, there is no telling what the new trends will be in ten years time in relation to online storage. It is certainly an exciting time to be alive in terms of technological advancements.

Intel are sure to be at the fore-front of technology in the coming years. Their free merchandise is highly generous, after some research into them, it seems that Intel is a very harmonious place to work, I intend to enjoy their free merchandise. In relation to the title of this post, the memory stick obviously doesn’t sell so well at the moment, allowing Intel to use it as one of their “freebies”, without losing much potential revenue. In the coming times, there is no telling what will happen next, but thanks to the brave souls at Intel, along with the highly-creative minds in other technological firms, we can be sure great advancements will take place!

/MF/
(‘061’)

Thanks for reading this post! Feel free to follow this blog for more! Intel provide a wide array of products, their website is http://www.intel.com – this provides information on their latest products and developments.

Google at 17: The Brilliance goes On!

As Google showcase their commemorative doodle to celebrate their seventeenth birthday, it is fair to say they are still on the top of their game, continuing to have a hugely positive impact on the world. In the last seventeen years they have had an unparalleled reach, affecting so many people in a positive way. A popular question is always – “where would we be without Google?” At the grand age of seventeen, thankfully, they show no sign of stopping!

As seen above, Google have marked their seventeenth birthday with a doodle. It has been an incredible journey in the past seventeen years, starting from humble roots before slowly becoming the global juggernaut that they are in this moment. It is well-documented that the co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google in a garage, therefore making their transition into the huge company they are at the moment even more impressive. They now house most of their operations at the well-renowned “Googleplex”, located in Mountain View, California, USA.

But what perhaps is most impressive about Google is their ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. Back in 1998 when Google was founded, the Internet market wasn’t heavily saturated, with Google essentially filling a gap in the market to appeal heavily to consumers. But fast-forward to 2015, they are still highly relevant and, as mentioned in the Introduction, show no sign of stopping soon. They have had to fight off challenges from the likes of Yahoo, AltaVista and more recently Bing, but Google is still the most-used search engine in the word.

Of course, Google isn’t just about the search engine. In order to stay highly-relevant, they have branched out into several different sectors, including software development, telecommunications and more. Google pioneered the Android phone movement, which provide a strong operating systems to millions of phones. Although many would attribute Apple to the advancement in the smart phone industry, there can be no doubting the impact of Android devices, while a considerable amount prefer Android over IOS.

Then there are also the facets we seem to take for granted with Google. If we have a question, most of the times they will be able to answer it through the search engine. Even just asking a sum, their in-house calculator can calculate the answer. There is no doubting the difficulty many would have without Google. In academic and education institutions, Google is heavily relied on as well, providing millions of results to search entries. Across countless industries, Google is used considerably, the world simply wouldn’t be the same without it!

Overall, the business model of Google is one that will surely be heralded for many years to come. Their impact on the world is incredible, and thankfully looks like it will go on for years to come. Their corporate motto “don’t be evil” is iconic, that motto could easily apply to real life as well. For seventeen years now Google have consistently been one of the world’s biggest companies, their impact on the world will surely never quite be quantifiable. But I, like many others hope that Google will remain at the fore-front of the technology world for many years to come. Happy seventeen birthday to Google, let’s hope for many more good times to follow!

/MF/
(‘060’)

Thanks for reading this post! Feel free to follow my blog for much more! A special thanks to my followers, who I apologise to for my absence in the last few weeks. After a difficult period, I am doing well, and ready to post a lot more. I hope you are all very well, keep up the good work!

A Victory for Equality: Same-Sex Marriage Legal in All U.S. States

In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Same-sex marriage is legal in every single U.S. state. It is a historic moment, with LGBT campaigners declaring victory in a long-pursuit of this moment. LGBT – a catch-all term for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transexuals, have all-long struggled to have equal rights. But at long last, it is a victory for LGBT, but more importantly, it is a victory for equality. This comes in a time where good news is rare, with this a moment that is sure to be remembered for a long time.

The reaction to the ruling has been overwhelming. WordPress itself, while I write this post, has a LGBT banner at the top of the page, while Google – arguably the most powerful brand on the Internet – is celebrating the ruling with a prominent LGBT colour display on their various pages. President of the United States, Barack Obama, called the ruling a “victory for America.” Social media has been awash with reaction to the ruling as well.

Before the ruling, fourteen of the U.S. States were yet to enforce the same-sex marriage rule, though this has all changed. The ruling follows the results of legal battles that have lasted well over a decade. There was a large split in opinion over the topic, with many believing that the ruling should have been passed years ago, while others believed that same-sex marriage is fundamentally wrong.

Of course, there has been opposition to the move. Those with fundamentalist views of some religions would suggest that the ruling is not within the grounds of religion, with many believing it isn’t what God would have wanted. Mike Huckabee – former Presidential candidate called the ruling “an out-of-control act of unconstitutional, judicial tyranny.” And for however pro-equality you are, you have to appreciate the religious reasons for the opinions of some.

Love is a special thing. This doesn’t matter if it is male-female love, male-male love, or female-female love. Not everyone can experience such a great thing. Therefore it is something that should be made the most of. With marriage seemingly the ultimate symbol of love, it is surely only right that same-sex marriage is accepted. People are normally happiest when they get to spend time with the people they love, with the people they can share and cherish memories with. There is no reason why people should be punished for this being with someone of the same-sex.

Despite the negative opinions, the reaction following the ruling summed up how much of a landmark moment it was. Loud cheers erupted outside the court, as well as a large show of emotion with tears, hugs, as well as the patriotic “USA, USA, USA” chants. Overall, this is a historic event, one that will be remembered for a long, long time. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to accept same-sex marriage. Eleven years on, and history has been made, as all of the states now accept same-sex marriage. Love is a great thing – this ruling has allowed it to be embraced in the best way possible.

/MF/
(‘057’)

Debate: Is USA the Greatest Country in the World?

“When USA sneezes, the world catches a cold.” That famous quote which has been repeated over the years is still relevant to this day. When ascertaining what the greatest country in the world is, many different factors have to be taken into account. While there is no definite answer to this question, there is no doubting how powerful USA are, and that they are great.

While there can be no doubting the fact USA is a global super-power, it appears in recent times that the country has been in somewhat of a decline. Broadcast network HBO’s series “The Newsroom” managed to make the real-life news thanks to a scene where a character tells a young woman through the use of statistics and well-constructed arguments, that despite her beliefs, that USA isn’t actually the greatest country in the world.

The conclusion from the scene sees the character say “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” The people of USA, at least from a British perspective, are renowned for being hugely patriotic and proud of their nation. But it appears that perhaps the people of USA are starting to think otherwise, and aren’t as patriotic as they appear.

If you think about what “great” entails, freedom and democracy would be at the forefront of any list. The idea of the “American Dream” truly is great, and is thought of fondly by British people as a fresh start. The famous Statue of Liberty also has connotations of freedom, while USA has a very successful democracy, allowing everyone within the country to have a voice. Finally, USA appears to be a very fair country, where the citizens are free to live life in their own way.

Criticisms of USA, and those who would oppose that USA is the greatest country, have many statistics and theories to provide substance to their argument. The arrival of Obamacare could be attributed to many alarming statistics based on health, while the lifestyle, healthcare and education system as well have all been questioned on numerous occasions.

Back to the pro-USA argument, it could then be argued as to why successful education countries such as China send an influx of students to USA for their education. Some of the greatest and most innovatory businesses in history, such as Microsoft and Amazon, have been founded by American’s – and who can question the impact Google has had – again, an American creation, as well as the social media giants of Facebook and Twitter.

On balance, it is hard to question the power USA has, and the positive impact the country and its people have had on society, and overall, the world. Although perhaps there is not as much patriotic behaviour as there once was, the people of America seemingly have a lot to be proud of. Overall, it appears, that there could well be a very strong argument to suggest that USA is indeed the greatest country – without doubt they have had a hugely influential impact on the lives we all lead.

/MF/
(‘054’)

This post was written as Millicent Faith approaches 1000 views from USA, thanks for the support, and all the best.