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’)
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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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IBM: In decline?

IBM – once a global powerhouse in the technology industry, once a company so big few would dare to take it on. But now, the company has hit tough times, with an uncertain future ahead. Problems with its core businesses and difficulties in advancing their “strategic imperatives” has seen IBM struggle recently. And yet, there are many encouraging signs for them going forward.

IBM were founded in 1911, after modest beginnings, the introduction of Thomas Watson as President in 1926 helped to make the company become one of the biggest. Indeed, by the 1970s, they had a stranglehold over several markets, where often firms wouldn’t dare take them on.

Having had the pleasure recently of attending their London South Bank base in London, United Kingdom, I came away with negative thoughts. Having met their staff, there seemed to overall be a lack of enthusiasm. The firm has been declining in previous years. They have five “strategic imperatives” – cloud, analytics, social, mobile and security. These are all areas that are heavily competitive. While at one point IBM would easily win any battle with competitors, it is not that way anymore.

An example of this the major own goal IBM recently scored involving a $600M contract with the Central Intelligence Agency, better known as the CIA. The CIA were offering the huge contract to a firm to help with their cloud and data storage. This was considered the “backyard” of IBM. Not many companies staged a bid for the contract in anticipation of an easy win for IBM, but it was far from the truth. Instead, despite IBM offering a much cheaper quote than eventual winners Amazon, there were grave concerns over IBM. Amazon – relatively novices in the cloud industry, secured the contract, which was an embarrassing moment for IBM.

The concern is that if IBM are unable to secure these big contracts, there is little hope for them going forward. The CIA contract is not alone, and despite impressive-looking partnerships/alliances with Apple and Twitter, there is no masking over the fact IBM are in a slow decline. But is the decline terminal?

IBM have always been a very forward-thinking, innovative firm. Virginia Rommety is the current President – it is refreshing to see a female lead one of the world’s biggest companies. In 1946, the company hired a black salesman – eighteen years before the Civil Rights movement. Then they have been responsible for some of the world’s best known inventions – such as the ATM machine, the barcode, and the POS system nearly always seen in retail.

Then there is the Watson Supercomputer. Ever since it came to the public eye in the 2011 US TV game show Jeopardy!, it has been a hot-topic for many. Making use of artificial intelligence, it is set to take the computer generation into the third generation of cognition. But with the Microsoft Azure a direct competitor, will IBM be able to control this market. Long time rivals Microsoft have often had the measure over IBM, will this market be any different?

There are a few more bright signs for IBM. As well as their reputation for innovation, which is likely to see them get out of their trouble, in fairness they are also a business in transition. Moving away from their core businesses such as mainframes and PC’s is not an easy transition – they seem to be managing it well. Then there is their impressive 2014 revenue figure – $92Bn – a staggering amount.

Overall, IBM are in a difficult moment. What was once one of the largest businesses in the world is falling on hard times. While many problems exist though, there are several positive signs that we are yet to see the best of IBM. It will be interesting to wait and see what happens with IBM going forward, especially in regards to the Watson Supercomputer and taking on their competitors. We shall have to patiently wait and see what events unfold.

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(‘067’)

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. 

American Police Black Person Shooting: A History

Not for the first time in recent history, an unarmed black man was shot dead by a member of the American Police a few days ago, prompting widespread condemnation of the incident. As mentioned, this is far from the first time something like this has happened, with down the years several black people shot dead. Perhaps what is most poignant about this story, is that it has led to black citizens in America to detail their plight, with several interesting images surfacing since the shooting.

American Police

In the latest incident, Walter Scott, a black man, was shot dead by a Police Officer named Michael Slager, who is white. Although White looks like he could be prosecuted, there have been several instances when this hasn’t been the case. Recent cases similar to this include Tamir Rice, Eric Garner and Michael Brown among others.

As mentioned, several images have surfaced, with many being shared heavily on social media. The first of these features “the talk”.

The image above was created by writer Derrick Jaxn recently, yet after the shooting of Walter Scott, gained mass notoriety. The talk suggests that parents need to tell their children to fully comply with authorities, but not as it is necessarily the right thing to do, but because it seems it is either comply or die, if you are black.

The next image shows how Walter Scott was linked with the military.

It is interesting in this image how there is a quote about how “black lives matter.” It is almost as if the recent incidents surrounding black people has led to them believing that black lives aren’t as important – which is highly harrowing. The fact that Walter Scott was a US Veteran could change any perspective on this incident.

This final one is perhaps the one that provokes the most discussion. The image shows protests taking place back in 1936, and now once again in 2015 – almost eighty years later. Quite rightly, it asks – “how far have we come?” This is a great question – in all of that time have things really changed? It doesn’t seem so, with again black people seemingly at risk from police brutality more than ever.

Overall, this is a another sad incident to engulf USA. For such a great country – there are many disappointing incidents involving their Police force. The images that have raised on social media since the incident sum up what life is like for black people in USA – it isn’t equal.  In this day and age there really should be equal rights, it also questions how far society has come in the last few years – it is highly apparent things need to change. In conclusion., may Walter Scott Rest in Peace, and hopefully time will help solve this issue.

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(‘049’)

For more reporting on this issue, a writer specialising in this topic, for whom much inspiration for this article was gained, can be found here: https://twitter.com/mwendling

Wrestlemania: The legacy lives on

Last night saw wrestling company WWE stage Wrestlemania 31 – the biggest event on the wrestling calendar. With millions of fans worldwide viewing the event, it is always seen as a phenomenon. With several surprises and great moments throughout, the event has been greeted with praise by fans. Wrestlemania always seems to deliver – the WWE has proved again what a great company it is.

A record 78,363 fans attended Wrestlemania 31 at the Sun Life Stadium in California, USA. Wrestlemania has turned into an extravanganza in recent years, and it easily the most-looked forward to event for any WWE fan. There is an international audience for each event, while some of the worldwide trends on Twitter since the event have been WWE-related. It is highly impressive how WWE continue to stay relevant, fighting off various challenges from other promotions – Vince McMahon is a genius – he has created a masterpiece.

Highlights at this years’ event included seeing DX and nWo meet in the ring at the same time – something any fan from the Monday Night Wars era would have enjoyed. While The Undertaker returned, this time in a winning effort, while The Rock and UFC favourite Ronda Rousey made appearances. Fan favourite Daniel Bryan won his match, while the biggest surprise of them all saw Seth Rollins cash in his “Money in the bank” briefcase, entering into the main event, where he won the WWE Championship.

Wrestlemania is an incredibly special event. So many of the iconic moments and matches in the illustrious history of WWE have taken place at Wrestlemania. Year in, year out, it never fails to entertain. Next year, it is expected over 100,000 people will watch the event live. While many criticise wrestling for being “fake” – you can’t deny how much of an impact the event has every year.

Overall, the general consensus is that Wrestlemania 31 was the best Wrestlemania in recent memory. There have been rave reviews for the event. WWE seems in good health at the moment, with Vince McMahon and Triple H controlling proceedings, it appears success is still to come in the forthcoming times. WWE continue to be on the top of their game, continuing to thrive, entertaining the masses!

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(‘048’)

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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(‘036’)

American Gun Laws: The Debate

A topic which has been highlighted in recent days, yet always relevant, is the debate over gun laws in USA. Tamir Rice, a 12-year old child, was shot dead by a Police officer after he was believed to be carrying, and threatening people, with a gun. The gun turned out to be a replica. On the face of the argument, it could be argued that any country that allows guns to be distributed near-freely is a recipe for a disaster, but it is a debate which has two sides to it.

On the one hand there is the idea that gun laws are fair in the USA. The idea that “everyone has a right to protect their home”, can easily be misinterpreted, but at the same time, it does seem fair. If someone has worked hard to achieve the position of owning their own home, along with a family, then they surely do have a right to protect their home in whatever means are necessary. “The right to bear arms”, is written into the second amendment – it is a question of tradition as well as common sense – something many people feel very strongly about. There aren’t too many arguments for the use of guns, however it could be as simple as stating the obvious – gun laws have been this way in USA for a long time – is there really a need to change it?

In light of the recent Tamir Rice case, more questions have been asked of gun laws. Rice had a replica gun – if the laws weren’t so relaxed on guns, it would be unrealistic for the officers to assume that Rice was holding a proper gun. Guns also arguably make suicide easier – something that many believe is morally wrong. Then there is the model of many countries – other countries don’t law guns as seen in USA and have a much lower homicide rate. The high homicide rates in USA are also put down to the laws on guns.

One of the most recent events that changed public opinion was the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, where 20 lives were claimed. The perpetrator used a gun, it was a despicable act – many children were killed – innocent children. And like all incidents like this – it is the families and friends that are affected by these acts as well. There have been countless school shootings – all of which could be avoided by the use of more strict gun laws. Mass shootings generally cause more debate over the situation, but little has been done.

In terms of public opinion in USA, the Huffington Post ran a survey in September 2013. The results were as follows:

• 48% thought that gun laws should be made stricter.
• 16% said the laws should be made less strict.
• 29% said no change was needed.

The statistics seem to suggest that most people believe that the laws need to be made more strict. However it is a very difficult topic. There are many incidents – school shootings are almost common in USA. It is a difficult culture to be in, however then there is also the belief that everyone has the right to protect their property. The laws have been the same for a number of years and it is unlikely they will dramatically change in the coming years. However, one would presume sooner rather than later they will be toughened up, sadly it will probably be in reaction to a terrible event which will claim many lives. I hope this isn’t the case, but we will see. It is a debate that will continue for a long time to come.

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