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.

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Six Degrees of Separation: A History

Introduction
A commonly known theory in the present day is the ‘Six Degrees of Separation’. This is the theory that everyone on Planet Earth are at most six (or fewer), steps away from any other person in the world. This opens up the chance of a long chain of friend of friends, with the idea becoming quite the phenomenon. But what data is there to either prove or disprove this idea, it makes compelling viewing.

Conception
The theory was originally set out by Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy. The theory was first posited in 1929. The idea became even better known in the early 1990s with a play written by John Guare helping popularize the idea. Such has been the impact of the theory, that many have gone to great lengths to either prove or disprove the idea, the following are some of the key contributions.

Post WWI
In the aftermath of World War One, the world was said to be ‘shrinking’. This was in part due to the increasingly optimal designs of cities, neighbourhoods and logistics, but mainly due to the rapid technological advancements. These advancements were slowly making it easier to communicate with people more than ever before.

2003 – Columbia University Project
Ivy League stable Columbia University conducted an experiment among Internet email users in 2003. They set a target of reaching 18 targets across 13 different countries. Despite almost 100,000 people entering, only 0.4% of respondents reached the targets. This suggested that the theory was incorrect.

Duncan Watts
The second offering from Columbia University came from Duncan Watts, a professor. In 2001 he used the Internet to test the validity of this argument. With almost 50,000 senders with 19 targets in 157 countries, the test was set up well. Watts found that the steps between people were most commonly around six. Six. Of all the numbers. This added considerable weight to the validity of the theory.

2007 – Microsoft Messenger
In 2007 Jure Leskovec and Eric Horvitz together examined a large data set regarding instant messages on Microsoft Messenger. The duo analysed a staggering 30 billion conversations among 240 million people. This was the biggest study to date. Indeed, after considerable work, they found the average path length to be six.

Kevin Bacon
Media personality Kevin Bacon was an unlikely source of more interest in this theory. A game focusing on Bacon was created, where the goal was to link Bacon through no more than six connections to another actor. The premise was that it has to be linked to a co-star of any Bacon film. Search-engine juggernaut Google also got in on the act, helping fans of the game search for ‘Bacon numbers’ in their quest for completion of the game.

Judgement
Overall, nearly all of these contributions are linked to the ‘small world phenomenon’, which helps show a logical side to this theory. It is a phenomenal thing to think about – that for instance Barack Obama, current United States of America President, and arguably the most powerful man in the world, is just a maximum of six steps away from us. It is certainly something that is an amazing part of the world we live in. From a real-life perspective, it is common on social networks to find a ‘random’ person, only to find you indeed have a mutual friend with them. This only further strengthens the case that this theory is correct.

Conclusion
Overall, this really is a phenomenon. There have been countless contributions to this field, too many to list here. But the key arguments within this post mostly all agree that the theory is correct. With the continuous improvements in technology, communication will arguably become easier – meaning in the future it is likely this theory will be strengthened. But for now, it certainly seems like a theory worth treating as factual. It is another incredible occurrence in this world.

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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.

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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.

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

Debate: Terrorist or freedom fighter?

INTRODUCTION
“One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.” This quote is a well-known one – with the on-going conflict around the world, the debate surrounding this quote is more fervent than ever. While the West has categorically labelled those fighting for the Islamic State and other similar groups as terrorists, for others, they are freedom fighters. The question is though, which of these beliefs is correct, or do both have grounds?

IDEOLOGIES
Western and Eastern ideologies play a big part in this overall debate. While the West is firmly in the modern day, offering an opportunity and a better life for many, the East appears at times to be in the dark ages, often medieval with some of their rules and regulations. As mentioned, there are a host of conflicts going on at the moment – the on-going conflict in Iraq and Syria, the battle in the Congo and also the Nigerian encounter.

TERRORISTS?
To take an example – the Islamic State – formally known as ISIS or ISIL. During their bid to claim large swathes of Iraq and Syria, forming a “caliphate”, they have left a bloody trail behind, killing thousands. Without doubt, this has been an act of evil. While they suggest that they do this in the name of religion, no religion can condone the acts of violence we have seen in recent months. There have been so many victims of the advancement of the Islamic State. When the West designates an organisation like this as a terrorist group, there are always grounds to do this.

Perhaps the biggest signifier that they are terrorists is their sickening videos they have released through their Al-Furqan media arm. Many journalists, even some aid workers – all innocent bystanders in the conflict, have been murdered in cold blood, before putting their families through the pain of releasing a video of the act. While these videos have been released in their dozens, we are yet to see a video of Barack Obama or any leading authority figure from the West engaging in such a brutal act. The US continue to help the Iraqi and Syrian civilians in trying to halt the advance of the Islamic State, however there is only a certain amount they can do.

FREEDOM FIGHTERS?
While the obvious idea is that those that take part in these mass executions, suicide bombings and despicable videos are terrorists, it would be unfair to not analyse the other side of the story. A freedom fighter is defined as a “person engaged in a resistance movement against what they believe to be an oppressive and illegitimate government.” When applying this to Syria – you could suggest that the Islamic State can fit this category. The Assad regime have been known to not treated their civilians well.

The Nigerian group Boko Haram have also labelled themselves’ freedom fighters. They bid to impose sharia law in Nigeria. Their name translates close to “Western Education is forbidden.” One thing is for certain – it is unfair to deny children the right to an education – no freedom fighters would be doing this. But it is only to fair to an extent to consider terrorist groups freedom fighters – after all, many consider them to be.

OVERALL
In conclusion, this is a topic very much open to opinion. From a Western perspective, it is clear that these organisations are terrorist-related. No politically-correct group would go round killing masses in sickening executions. The Islamic State are an ideal example of how a group can be designated terrorist. What is important to remember is that these groups do have support, whether those who support them have had their mind-warped is a question for another day, but to some, they are freedom fighters. However overall, it is hard to justify the acts of terrorist groups around the world, with their designation as a terrorist group surely correct.

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R.I.P: Peter Kassig’s full letter to Parents

In sad news, Peter Edward Kassig has been murdered by ISIL militants. He is the fifth Western hostage to have been killed by ISIL, as they continue to murder thousands in acts of depravity and pure evil. Kassig was captured in October 2013, being held for thirteen months. It truly is sickening, that  a man that went to Syria to try and help those affected by conflict, has been murdered for his actions. It once again shows that ISIL have no heart, their acts are evil. Hopefully one day they will be stopped.

Kassig sent a letter to his parents via a released prisoner. Here is the full letter:

It is desperately sad to read the letter. Kassig sounds like he is almost resigned to his fate. It is near-unimaginable what he and his fellow hostages went through in their captivity. Yet ISIL maintain they are doing the world a favour. But their acts, reminiscent of the medieval ages, will hopefully be stopped.

It is also sad for the parents, as well as Kassig’s friends. The parents will not have their son with them ever again, they will be constantly reminded of what their son had to go through. It simply isn’t fair on them. We can only hope that in time ISIL will be defeated, and that his death wasn’t for nothing. It is the fifth time that a western hostage has been brutally murdered by ISIL in recent months, hopefully they are also resting in peace.

I’ll leave you with a final image, one that shows Kassig with his father. The sad thing is, when this photo as taken – seemingly at a happy time for both, no one was aware what was to come.

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