#se17

Gentrification

Whilst travelling down the old kent road one late night, I was peckish and thought I take a trip down to Walworth road. Having worked in this area for a decade, I thought it would be nice to take a trip down memory lane.

I took the opportunity to capture a few photos as I could see that new properties were being developed and it was only a matter of time before the old Aylesbury becomes a memory. 

For sale 2 Bedroom flat Brandon Estate Otto Street London SE17 £375,000

@s-e17

He's not quite sure how long its been since he made it outside. Being trapped for as long as he had, he didn't have much of a plan for after he was out. Somehow getting this far felt like it wasn't even real.  Maybe he was dreaming and if he closed his eyes he'd be right back in his cage. No.. he couldn't think about that. He needed to focus on getting back to Hoenn. But.. he couldn't even figure out where he was. His pokenav was long dead and his pokemon were too weak to help from their own isolation. So.. he wandered the wilderness in hopes he might find where civilization might be. Unfortunately, he just felt like he was going in circles.. 

Maybe she used to be unencumbered,

or somehow wildly liberated-

anything that’s contrary to what she knows now.

She goes about her days,

unsure and weary,

unease pervading her mind,

thinking about what is to be,

and what could have been.

From now on,

life is only reduced to time.

It’s always minutes, hours, days, and weeks,

as the months and years grow yet more uncertain,

with her growing resolve.

Perhaps one day,

she will triumph over all those voices,

and she can finally be free-

What do you see around you? What do you read? It rather perplexes me that I read different interpretations and versions of essentially the same thing time and time again. It seems rather ordinary and ‘conventional’ to read news about the Trump Administration, the Republican Party now being in complete disarray, the sheer amount of rhetoric, and obviously, the Russian investigations being conducted against the Trump campaign. Just this morning, I was reading the New York Times, when I clicked on the headlines, and realized the trap I had fallen into. It was declared that President Donald Trump’s own lawyer, Michael D. Cohen had connections with Russian authorities.

Since the Cold War, normalized relations between the United States and Russia has been nothing but an illusory reality that many Presidents have only promised. Donald Trump, in particular, has parroted this throughout his campaign trail. Yet, when we take a look back at the progress of the Trump Administration thus far, we simply do not seem to see the materialization of any promise or success on this front. The recent Russian investigations being conducted by Robert Muller and the entourage of FBI agents are ongoing and White House criticisms only continue to aggravate.  

When we take a look at the striking turn of events since Trump took office, the future of Russia- U.S.- relations indeed seem quite bleak. In the past few months, Congress has resolved to tighten international sanctions against Russia even further. In retaliation, Vladimir Putin has also severely curtailed the power of the U.S. consulate in Russia and cut down the number of foreign diplomats and advisors in the country by a record number. Russian officials recently proclaimed that they would respond to the U.S. shut down by closing down their Consulate in New York, Washington, and San Francisco. Moreover, President Trump continues to argue and prolong wars with words between GOP senators. Not only is this making him more isolated and entrenching the divide between the President and Congressional Republicans, but it also questions his authority and power to make good decisions that favor and safeguard the interests of the United States.

Critics of the Trump Administration, journalists, reporters, political analysts, governments, Republicans, Democrats only seem to think about how the Russian Investigation could potentially accentuate and bring to light the threat of hacking and international espionage by foreign hostile governments. Yet, no one really seems to pay heed to the fact that the sheer magnitude of media attention, controversy, and rhetoric only serve to discredit the system of democracy in the U.S. and the office of the President of the United States. The current state of affairs only serves to trigger yet more suspicion and mistrust within the government and the public.

While a whole nation partakes in this rather pointless debate, Russia continues to capitalize on the chaos. It’s almost business as usual for them, as they continue to follow status quo and stick to the foreign policy they have been following under Putin since the collapse of the Soviet Union. They are at the forefront of an investigation that does not seem to hurt them domestically and Putin’s approval rating in Russia continues to soar. International attention to the U.S. has also now turned quite sour as people question why an inexperienced, misinformed demagogue occupies the hot seat of global governance and international discourse.

For What It’s Worth- Liam Gallagher