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Thoughts on… The Vietnam War – A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick

I have just finished watching The Vietnam War on Netflix, which unfortunately has been taken off the steaming service. It is a 10-part documentary recalling accounts of people on all sides of the war, from the National Liberation Front, to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, American conscientious objectors to civilian daughters and sons of officials. It is brilliantly produced and paced, taking time to explore each aspect of the war in depth, based on personal accounts and stories of people whose lives were changed drastically by the war. Produced by Americans, it is biased towards exploring the feelings of primarily Americans, including detailed and insightful accounts into American society, and the anti-war movement in the 60s and 70s. If it were produced by the Vietnamese, there are no doubts there would be enough material to make 50 documentaries, as the war undisputedly had a far greater impact on Vietnam, touching the lives of every citizen and ripping the country in half. The
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The Cost of A Billion Cows – Farming Animals in an Advanced Society

The meat and dairy industries have always been at the forefront of agriculture. It is hard to ignore the ways in which farming animals has shaped our society and culture, for thousands of years. As populations have boomed in the last two hundred years, from 1.2 billion in 1850 to almost 7.8 billion in 2020 , we have had to change the ways we produce food. Factory farming methods were adopted by many countries after the second world war, to aid in economic recovery and reduce the reliance on imported goods. Factory farming is the idea of maximising production, while minimising production costs, with little concern for animal welfare. This was made possible with the discovery of vitamins and their role in animal nutrition, and the discovery of antibiotics and vaccines which facilitated raising livestock in larger numbers by reducing risk of disease. Chemicals developed for use in the second world war established the rise of synthetic pesticides , and developments in shipping networ

The world is burning, and we are running out of time – How can we hope to move forward as a collective if our society is so discriminative of minorities?

Last night was the ninth night of protesting in the US. Protesting for ending police brutality in every state, and for real, institutional change. As Trump declares war on the American people, economies around the world are reopening after lockdown. Industries, factories, transport, and production; back up and running with haste. The last few years have been the most environmentally charged time anyone has ever lived through, with public opinion shifting to recognise our biggest existential threat. The media agenda has changed rapidly. From Covid-19 to police brutality protests in America, these issues have rocked society to the core, and rightly so. The biggest health pandemic of our generation paused the world. These protests deal with issues that are inbuilt to our society and have been prevalent for hundreds of years. It is baffling that these are still issues we are facing today. How can we hope to move forward as a collective if our society is so discriminative of minorities?

Blackout Tuesday

I stand in solidarity with black people everywhere being oppressed by their own and other countries. Those who have endured racism and discrimination daily based on the colour of their skin on all levels. The system does not work for them. It was designed to be systematically racist and has been so for hundreds of years. It is easy to look at other countries and condemn racism in other places, but we have to recognise our oppressive, colonial past, and the racist past of the party and the Prime Minister who the British people put in charge again in the 2019 general election. Boris Johnson has a horrific past of vulgar racist slurs and offensive language. He has actively endorsed the Trump Administration, who have a disgraceful history of racism and police discrimination on an institutionally racist level. It is not enough to be quietly against racism. We must stand together to defeat the rise of racism, nationalism, fascism, and the far right. It is NOT okay. #blacklivesmatter #solidar