Remake the world post Covid

It is clear to me that last year 2020 have been difficult and not great year for all of us because of one thing: The Coronavirus pandemic 

I hope and pray that this year 2021 can be the year of bouncing back. Economic recovery & the return of normality for the whole world. Only if we play our part of following the rules and regulations. 

Once the infection rate is low & the pandemic is declared over whenever is this year 2021 or next year or even 2023, we will be in a position to remake the world Post pandemic. 

There are things we can all do during and after the Covid pandemic is make sure that we would haven’t to be in this situation again worldwide.

That means we must tell our world leaders & governments around the world to have enough resources and to take action in order to be prepared for future pandemics and epidemics. 

Why do we think that Microsoft founder Bill Gates spoke at TED conference in 2015, saying that the world is not ready for next outbreak? Check out this video in case if you have not seen it. youtu.be 

What Bill Gates said in 2015 was true, the world (we’re not ready) & 5 years later in 2020 last year, the coronavirus pandemic had happened and it is ongoing to this day. Yet, Mr Gates have been vilified by Covid 19 deniers & anti vax people for bulls**t Covid 19 conspiracy theory, making it as if Bill Gates himself is the problem of all of these. Covid 19 pandemic. 

Also we have experts & public officials including two former US Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama saying the same thing. That was vital to prepare for handle & tackle any potential problems that could become epidemics and pandemics. Example: Obama handled the Swine Flu (H1/N1) pandemic from 2009 to 2010 as i recall that was everywhere in the world given it was not so devastatingly bad as the one that we have got currently with the Covid pandemic. Obama also handled Ebola as it didn’t spread outside West Africa & that US personnel was deployed to combat the Ebola virus disease. obamawhitehouse.archives.gov 

youtu.be

youtu.be 

Donald Trump didn’t handled the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Because of huge case of Covid infections & the fact that he have terribly mismanaged the situation & does not care, that is how he have lost the 2020 US election to Joe Biden which I hope and pray that he will be able to do better & finally tackle the social, political & economic problems caused by the pandemic by defeating Covid. Making sure that the American people follow social distancing guidelines and wear a face mask daily & have Covid 19 vaccine distributed every state in America to fight off the virus. 

Meanwhile here in the UK, recently in the capital, London was declared “major incident” by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan with the fact that hospitals have been overwhelmed as there are more Covid 19 patients. google.co.ukThis is why the central government (UK government led by Prime Minister) have really mishandled the Covid situation from the start & they are still mismanaging it. It is very sad because the Covid 19 deaths have been on rise for long time. youtube.com Watch this interesting documentary explained by political journalist Owen Jones. Explaining why the Prime Minister have really & badly handled the Covid situation in the UK from the start. 

Also in Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro (Donald Trump of Brazil) have not handled the Covid situation well and now there is a Brazilian Covid variant just like British and South African Covid variants. 

So people, we really have to reshape the world once the Covid pandemic nightmare is over & to take action by having enough money and resource so that the world can be prepared for next pandemic (it is one which I hope and pray that better not be another). We will also need and expect a big changes of how we will live in the world post Covid pandemic in order to rebuild our lives and remaking societies whatever we live in the world. All by building it better with the restoration of normality & economic recovery worldwide. Especially with the idea of UBI (universal basic income) which I hope that should considerably be the policy for countries in the future (as it is really needed) to improves our lives as we know the pandemic have caused high levels of unemployment. 

In the years ahead as we will eventually re build our lives again post pandemic, we must not forget about climate change. Tackling climate change will be our priorities & the governments’s priorities. I am aware about climate change. Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough & others have been saying about it for years now & it is high time all governments around the world to do something about it to prevent potential disaster in waiting. With bushfires had happened everywhere  in recent years from Australia to California, it is very serious topic and I believe this will be big topic that we as human beings have to sort it out. With Trump who is climate change denier out of the picture, America will be back in the Paris climate accord under Joe Biden. 

So these are the things we can and will do during & after the Covid pandemic in order to remake the world. 

Not a great start 2021 but remaining hopeful

“You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger”

“You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day”

m.youtube.com 

You gotta be by Des’ree. Amazing uplifting song from the 1990s.

It’s now been over a week since we enter 2021. Let’s not lose hope everybody despite it has not been a great start (with events including huge Covid 19 cases, effects of Brexit & horrific incident in Washington DC). 

I still believe 2021 will be better year than 2020. So let’s not give up hope. I know it’s early days but we still can make 2021 a truly happy new year instead of letting it to become another difficult and sad year like previous year 2020. So let’s not give up everyone. 😀🙂

Blog about my music

Hi everybody 

More than a month ago, I wrote my first blog post  on my blog website that I have launched. Mr limitless 95 blog. mrlimitless95.blogspot.com 

I mentioned that my nickname Calvin Casino is used for making music. 

In today’s blog, I want to tell you guys about my music. My original music. 

In 2010 (over 10 years ago), I went to Youth Centre called “Canada Villa” in Mill Hill. It has a music studio (recording studio) with music equipment: keyboard piano, Mac computers & musical instruments. The name of music studio & project is Rithmik. Every young person from age 11 to 19 (& up to 25 if person has additional needs/SEN) could come to Rithmik to do any of the activities: Music production, songwriting, performances and studio recording. Also it has another project called Radio Rithmik. Rithmik’s own radio station. 

Radio Rithmik includes: Public speaking (radio presenting) , debates and group discussion, journalism and media, open drop in sessions and running an internet radio station (which it has podcast & radio episodes on mix cloud website) & courses like foundation and academy courses. Radio Rithmik have been in existence since 2013. While for Rithmik, I am not sure, perhaps maybe around 2006 before I first attend there. 

This is the place that I have been going for many years. Nowadays I don’t go there much anymore except making a visits to see how my mentors are up to.

Prior to me attending Rithmik, at the secondary school (high school), I had a guitar teacher who taught me how to play guitar. 🎸 He is originally from Australia and he goes by the name of Baxter Stone. I started learning to play a guitar for music lessons at my secondary school. I loved playing acoustic guitar (which is my preference although I don’t mind bass guitar or electric guitar. My friend who was my fellow classmate had his own guitar. Electric guitar). I even made my own motto. “Guitar makes me happy” at art lessons. Which led my father to buy me a guitar (which I still have it at my home). 

When I played a guitar, I know the guitar chords. A minor, D major, etc. Alphabet letters for chords (major and minor). What does take for the person  to know how to play a guitar well and confidently for fun or for career (which it depends) is to have someone who can either be guitar teacher or not to teach and guide the person of knowing a guitar chord and to play any songs whether be a cover or indeed original song. That is why Guitar is my favourite musical instrument to play (even I don’t play it much nowadays. Although it would be better for me to keep practising while other things are preoccupied on my mind. Not that I forgotten or dunno of how to play a guitar well given I do have a experience of how to play an instrument). Prior to playing guitar, I played other instrument like piano, drums, you name it. All for music lessons at primary and secondary schools. Even I used to attend the place where I had music lessons (after school) which I cannot remember the name of it. 

The point is that as I enjoyed playing a guitar, I didn’t had any particular interest to make music or write songs other than enjoying myself of singing a cover for popular hit songs. Guitar playing gave me confidence,  joy and peace of mind. 

So as I began to go for Rithmik in May 2010 after being referred there, I started making some of beats on LogicPro music software, singing lessons & performing. I didn’t wrote my first original song until October (5 months after I first came there). I was figuring for the name of my first song with the youth worker and mentor (Ajril the Leano). I initially didn’t wanted the title to be my first song. The song that became my very first song was called “No idea”. To be frank, I have no idea. I didn’t had a idea of the song “no idea” became my first song. 😀😆Because of that, it had happened accidentally. Although I am happy to this day that had became my first song despite I could had come up with something original than no idea as if I am Mr No Idea. Nonetheless, the song became so catchy as I distributed my CD to everybody around at my school as I was happy that I had finally making original music. I performed one of my original songs at the talent show in school. I even had my guitar teacher Baxter filmed 4 music videos of my original songs (which was all been filmed at the school). 

So on that point, that is I came up with my stage name Calvin Casino. Which is my nickname because I never had a English name. Not that I wanted to replace my birth name (real name) that is African as I was born in the UK to African parents who are originally from Nigeria and South Africa (which I am not obligated to disclose anything mainly for safety reasons) unless if any of you my readers have known me personally for long time. 

So that is how I come up with both nicknames: Calvin Casino (music) & Mr Limitless 95 (blog). 

So getting back to the topic of my original music. 

The genre of my original music: I would say mainly pop, rock, dance, blues, R&B, ballad, country, funk, soul, etc. Mainly just pop, rock and dance. 

My musical influences: Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Usher, Michael Jackson, Queen, Justin Timberlake, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, Prince. I could go on. That is all I can think of. 

So that is how I made friends with people who have musical talents at some places in Rithmik and Soundskool. Including Ajril the Leano, Mark Force (DJ & music producer), Sarah (Goldielocks), DJ Marco (Marcus), Simon Gordon, V Double V and MC Mighty Moe. 

I even made friends with the owner of the Mill Hill Music Complex, musician, guitarist and Barnet Eye blogger Roger Tichborne which I first met him when I was doing my two weeks work experience. He is the one who suggested to me last year April that I should write a blog despite I had tried my best to find work during Covid 19 lockdown. 

Finally, as I enjoyed making music, that’s when I started to have an interest of wanting to have a music career. Although in 2012 I completed a 10 week music course with Soundskool (which was after college), I wanted a music course which is career related which unfortunately I did not had a chance cos my English level (despite I am strong in English for reading, writing & speaking which explains why English is my strong strength in terms of writing songs & forming sentences) was not quite suitable to do course that goes beyond my education/qualification level as it was for A levels music course (which starts around level 2 and level 3 for qualifications in the UK). Because of that, I abandoned my approach for that & chosen an alternative approach. Like having a job that can be business wise (which I was happy to study a course which was a career related course. Level 2 business skills and administration = Business admin). Any career that is in business environment for instance, working in office. As far the coronavirus pandemic is concerned, I now don’t have any particular interests except working remotely at home & writing a blog (which will be the thing that I can do economically for my living) & that there aren’t many job vacancies available so that is how I intend to write a blog to earn money before eventually having a job (normal real job) in the world of employment. Given my blog can lead to other things than just employment. 

The reason I wanted to work in the music business is that when I was teenager, I couldn’t think of what job or career that I want to do when I am all grown up (except having a interest to become a train driver because I love trains: London Underground and National Rail which I abandoned the interest of it & chose music instead). When I chose music to be my dream job/career ideally, some people do respect my choice. Some of them don’t. Mostly it has to got to do why I choose a career that might not be realistic & that is hard to enter in the music sector for aspiring musician or person  to have a interest of working any job in the music industry or any of show business (showbiz) so that is how my class teacher recommended me that although no one is saying you cannot have a music career, you can do any job that doesn’t necessarily have to be music (while doing music either a hobby or even backup job like working in nights which I am not yet ready to work in nights). So that is why my teacher recommended me. For most part, I don’t care about anyone’s opinions (especially if I cannot succeed of having a music job/career) except I am open and willing to do any job that is not performing art like music in order for me to think realistically without having to abandon making and performing music. Sometimes hobby can turn into a job. Example: right now I just finished writing a blog which I know it will become my job. 

So that is my today’s blog about my music. 

You can find me on YouTube, SoundCloud and Reverb nation for my music. Except MySpace because I used to upload my songs which nowadays nobody uses MySpace (social media platform). The links are in description below. 

youtube.com 

reverbnation.com 

soundcloud.com 

myspace.com

And if you want to watch any of my music videos on YouTube. You can watch my first music video of my first song No Idea. m.youtube.com 

The effects of Brexit

So another blog about Brexit. 

MPs have voted for post Brexit trade deal (UK- EU free trade agreement) on Wednesday 30th December 2020 & then the next day, the Brexit transition period have ended on Thursday 31st December 2020 (New Year’s Eve). 

Friday 1st January 2021 (New Year’s Day). Full effects of Brexit have commenced. We know now what is Brexit exactly means. Outside the European Union. Not being in the economic structures (the Customs Union and the Single Market). No unlimited freedom of movement from the European Union countries (except Ireland). Red tape, customs duties, non trade barriers & more bureaucracy. Also no frictionless trade.

First week of Brexit (7 days now day 8). Border disruption at Calais - Dover situation (Michael Gove admittedly said they will be more “disruption”). Customs duties, red tape, paperwork & bureaucracy introduced. Some EU companies like Dutch bike company not shipping to the UK to avoid the need to pay VAT. Non trade barriers introduced for both the UK and the EU27 (that explains why UK customers like myself might have to reconsider buying something from Europe/EU before paying customs duties). 

Who would ever thought that things could possibly go well for the UK post Brexit without any disruption & anything bad? 

Well Brexit (in my opinion) will never be a good advantage for the UK. Never. 👎🇬🇧🇪🇺 I guess now someday (in the future), I might have to think about relocating from the UK to Europe. Given the effects of Brexit are only just the beginning as it had commenced the day after the Brexit transition period was finished last week Thursday (New Year’s Eve 2020) and there will be more to come.

Furthermore, I have a story that I want to share with you guys.

Couple of months ago, I received the parcel coming from Malta. It was a first time seeing the yellow sticker saying “Goods not fulfilling the conditions laid down in Articles 28 and 29 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union”.

I thought to myself “why the yellow sticker?”. I never recall buying any item from continental Europe online which has the yellow sticker before given the UK had left the EU on 31st January 2020 but it was still in the Customs Union and the Single Market and nobody had to pay customs fees from the EU27 prior to the end of the Brexit transition period. The Brexiteers have really messed up big time. They claimed that they are against EU red tape (& bureaucracy) & that Brexit will mean less red tape (which is not really the case). Brexit means more of red tape. Not less, knowingly it will not cut & get rid of bureaucracy. 

I think the penny will start to drop in years and decades to come. As the effects of Brexit (customs duties, bureaucracy and red tape) are now the norm which we will all get used to eventually in the future, any British citizen would start to say “enough is enough”! in order to push for close relationship between the UK and the European Union that might be the start of the journey to rejoin to reverse the effects of Brexit.

Should that happen in the future? Time will tell. Until then, we will start to ask whether Brexit was worth it & that have benefited the UK positively or negatively. My answer: it’s a no. Brexit is not worth it.

Mayhem in US Capitol Hill, Washington D.C

I am sure as everyone is shocked about yesterday’s event in Washington D.C.

Trump supporters messing around in Capitol Hill, causing chaos, terror & mayhem that shocked America & the world. google.co.uk 

In my previous blog post, mrlimitless95.blogspot.com I detailed that Donald Trump alongside Republican politicians had played dirty & never wanted to acknowledge Joe Biden’s election victory. That is gutter politics. This is not something that should be tolerated including yesterday’s chaotic situation in DC. 

When I first reacted to it last night, it was very worrying.

Act of lawlessness & recklessness, it was nothing but terrorism. 

America. The country that everyone including all of us have looked up to all in our lives. The country leads the world with democracy & economy. World largest economy & world superpower. America that we have watched films & TV shows & listened to music from America. Culturally, economically & politically. 

Yet Donald Trump have turned America into the country that doesn’t have functioning, true & proper democracy. Banana Republic.

4 years of Trump presidency & undermining America’s reputation in the world. It’s so sad. 

I am now beginning to think that we the world should look up to other countries that has a true & proper functioning democracies like New Zealand, Canada, Australia & even the European Union (countries like France, Germany, etc) & the UK (even the politics here is rubbish & it needs fixing especially after years of divisions on Brexit but it has a functioning democracy unlike US under Trump) instead of the US due to Trump eroding democracy & the rule of law. He (Trump) has no shame at all. Whatever he says something rubbish & anything outrageous, he’ll just divide opinions just to divide America. 

That is not leadership. I never liked him governing the country (United States) because the way he talks & behaves, it’s not presidential behaviour, manner and altitude. Because of mad & foolish Trump supporters, it just proves that USA is badly divided due to the Trump presidency & idiotic policies including the construction of the border wall at the US - Mexico Border, splitting up children from their parents at the border & the outrageous racial travel ban (Muslim ban) on countries that is from the Middle East. 

With 2 weeks left until he is out of the Oval Office, I am afraid that the situation like this from yesterday could happen again, knowingly that Donald Trump won’t leave the White House peacefully. 

At least now as of few hours ago, the Congress have certified the 2020 US election, affirming Joe Biden’s win. Also two Democrat candidates have won two senate seats in Georgia which means, The Democrats have a control of the Senate. 3 victories for the Dems. White House (presidency), the House and the Senate. 

On final note, with 4 years of Donald Trump ruining America’s reputation in the world stage, this poll was conducted two months before November 2020 US Election which shows US Allies & Partners have no faith & trust in the United States of America because Trump & him representing America badly in the world. He can talk of “Make America Great Again or Keep America Great” all he likes. No wonder America have bullied traditional allies (mostly European countries like France & the Germany & the EU) like Canada. Treating them as enemies while admiring & cosying up to authoritarian tyrants & dictators like Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong Un of North Korea. 

I hope America’s relationship with the world & US allies like Europe & Canada will be improved once Joe Biden is sworn in as the president of the United States. I have seen enough garbage from Donald Trump & the way he govern the country.

England in lockdown

For third time in row, England will come into Covid 19 national lockdown. Announced by PM Boris Johnson.

New Year, more lockdown. Third nationwide lockdown in England just like November 2020 & March/April 2020 lockdowns (first and second), I conclude after third lockdown, we in the UK (England) will be back to the crappy tiers system that didn’t work effectively & then lockdown again & the tiers system. It could mean we could go into the repeat routine until something has done successfully which none of two lockdown have done. Look at some countries like New Zealand, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia & even China. They handled way better here in the UK and the US. I still hope 2021 will be better than 2020 but if it becomes so much of 2020, then I guess 2021 will be yet another difficult year (which I hope that will not be the case). From one day to now, Boris Johnson & the government have not handled the Covid situation well. They better get this right this around.

Look up at the news article from the Guardian about New Zealand’s zero Covid strategy which led the country to successfully deal with the coronavirus situation. That’s how Jacinda Ardern (Prime Minister of New Zealand) won the election in NZ few months ago by landslide. I have to say that she is a better world leader than Boris Johnson (UK) and Donald Trump (USA). 

google.co.uk

Year of hope 2021

Happy New Year Everybody. 

Welcome to 2021. The year that I hope and pray that should become a good and better year than than the old year 2020 (now the previous year).

My first blog post of the year 2021. 

After the difficult & tough year 2020 (from Covid 19, police brutality, racism, etc) now that we are in 2021, all we need is hope and peace of mind. m.youtube.com

Uplifting song from the 1990s I chose this song as the the song of hope for the world. 

We can make 2021 a year of hope so that better days will come. A truly happy new year. 

Here is the lyrics of the song Lifted by Lighthouse Family. I know this song for very long time. It is good and wonderful song that is feel good & uplifting song. 

I’d really love to be alone without all the 
Ache and pain and the April showers 
But it ain’t long before I long for you, like a 
Ray of hope, coming through the blue moon 

When it all gets dark again 
The whole thing falls apart I guess 
It doesn’t really matter ‘bout the rain 
‘cause we’ll get through it anyway 
We’ll get up and start again 

‘cause we could be Lifted, Lifted, Lifted 
We could be Lifted 
From the shadows, lifted 
Oh we could be, lifted up today 
Lifted all the way, you and I forever 
Baby, lifted, lifted, lifted, hey 

It’s undisturbable the peace we found 

In a bright new space up above the clouds 
Everything is understandable 
You don’t have to say anything too loud 

When all our luck runs out again 
We’re brought back down to solid ground 
I wouldn’t say I’m mad about the rain 
But we’ll get through it anyway 
We’ll get back to the start again 

‘cause we could be lifted, lifted, lifted 
We could be lifted 
From the shadows, lifted 
Oh we could be, lifted up today 
Lifted all the way, you and I forever 
Baby, lifted, we could be lifted, we could be lifted, hey 

We could be lifted, we could be lifted, we could be lifted 
You and I forever 
We could be lifted, we could be lifted, yeah we could be lifted 
We could be lifted up to new horizons 

Lifted, lifted up today, lifted all the way, yeah we could be lifted 
We could be lifted, from the shadows, we could be lifted 
Lifted upto new horizons 
When it all gets dark again, it doesn’t really matter ‘bout the rain 
When it all gets dark again, it doesn’t really matter ‘bout the rain

All best wishes for 2021. 

Enjoy this year ahead everybody.