In the fall of 1984, when I was a senior in high school in Washington, DC, the protests at the South African Embassy began. Civil rights leaders met with the ambassador of South Africa on Thanksgiving Eve. Timed for maximum press coverage, that meeting became a sit-in, and that sit-in launched a movement. Soon, there were protests at consulates across the country. College students held rallies, built “shantytowns,” and pushed their schools to divest.

Area high school kids like me got in on protesting the embassy too. And we had a soundtrack. “Free Nelson Mandela” had been released by the Specials in March. The leader of that British ska band, Jerry Dammers, later admitted he didn’t know much about Mandela before he went to an anti-apartheid concert in the UK, where a long-simmering boycott movement was rolling into a boil. The DC music scene was pretty wild then—a bouillabaisse of go-go, R&B, punk, New Wave; there was breakdancing in the hallways during lunch hour—and for some of us, ska was sort of a unified field theory. Musically but also culturally. (If you have a racist friend / now is the time, now is the time for your friendship to end.)

But it wasn’t just kids who cosplayed in checked socks or porkpie hats. In 1985, a month after I started college, Artists Against Apartheid recorded Steven Van Zandt’s “(I Ain’t Going to Play) Sun City”—essentially the music world launching its own boycott on South Africa. The song was not (like, at all) great, but the wild cross-genre supergroup—DJ Kool Herc, Lou Reed, Bonnie Raitt, Gil Scott-Heron, Pat Benatar, Bono, and Miles Davis to name but a very, very few—guaranteed continual rotation on a relatively new cultural phenomenon: MTV.

We were getting a collective education: Because South Africa was so dependent on Black labor and exports, if industrialized nations withheld trade and investments, we could backstop Black South Africans who’d been directly resisting the Afrikaner regime for decades. So, suddenly, amazingly, we did. By 1986, Congress had imposed sanctions on South Africa and banned direct flights to it. Coca-Cola became the first major company to pull out of South Africa. Sports teams joined the musicians in refusing to play there. Divestment battles raged on campuses and boardrooms for the rest of the ’80s. And they worked. South Africa’s economy ground to a near halt. Mandela was freed in 1990, and negotiations to wind down apartheid began. By 1994, free elections were held and Mandela became president.

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My cousin Lorrie invited me on a ten-day retreat in Peru where we would partake in ancient ceremonies involving the Living Death Drug ayahuasca and—

“Don’t tell me anything more,” I interrupted. “The answer is yes!”

I never watch the trailer before going to the movie. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Even if sometimes that means the surprise ruins me. I met a big-personalitied Frenchman while traveling and did not take time to get to know him before marrying him and moving into his house in Paris. I guess I don’t feel any proprietary rights over my destiny. I allow the Parisian shopgirls to choose my outfits, and now I will let the Peruvian shamans choose my insides. Whatever they’ve got has to be better than what I got going on now.

Lorrie and I tried to figure out when was the last time we’d seen each other. Thirty-six years ago, when she visited me in Philadelphia!

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Arsenal are currently without a fit first-choice attacker, yet they opted not to explore the transfer market for free agents, a decision that could prove costly in their Premier League title race against Liverpool. With key players unavailable, the Gunners have struggled to maintain consistency, and their latest setback against West Ham highlighted their growing concerns in attack.

Last weekend, Arsenal fans were thrilled when their side secured a late victory against Leicester City, courtesy of two goals from Mikel Merino off the bench. Encouraged by his impact, Mikel Arteta rewarded the Spaniard with a start against West Ham, hoping for a similar performance. However, Arsenal failed to replicate that success and suffered a disappointing home defeat.

The loss exposed the extent to which injuries have disrupted the team. With no natural goal threat in attack, Arsenal lacked cutting edge in the final third and struggled to create clear chances. The absence of key attacking players has undoubtedly weakened the squad, and no one has been able to step up and fill the void.

Sky Sports’ Nick Wright highlighted how Arsenal’s struggles stem from their injury crisis, emphasising that any team would face similar difficulties with so many absentees. Speaking on Sky Sports, he said:

“It was no great surprise that they struggled in attack. Any side would without their four main attackers. The absences of Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Gabriel Jesus were keenly felt. The paucity of options available to Mikel Arteta was summed up by him sending on two left-backs, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Myles Lewis-Skelly, when chasing the game in the second half.”

Ian Wright has weighed in on Arsenal’s defeat to West Ham, expressing his disappointment as the Gunners lost further ground in the Premier League title race. The result was a major setback for Mikel Arteta’s side, who had the opportunity to put pressure on Liverpool before the Reds play their match tomorrow.

Liverpool have not been flawless this season, but they remain at the top of the table largely because Arsenal have also dropped crucial points at key moments. If the Gunners are serious about winning silverware, they must produce more consistent performances, something they failed to do against West Ham.

Arsenal will have more opportunities to pick up points in upcoming fixtures, but their inability to capitalise even when their rivals struggle is a worrying trend. Against West Ham, they lacked creativity and struggled to break down a well-organised defensive unit, failing to convert possession into clear chances. Wright, who watched the match closely, was left frustrated by their lack of attacking threat.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, the former Arsenal striker analysed the game and credited West Ham for their defensive efforts while highlighting Arsenal’s struggles.

“It was always going to be a tough one with the forwards missing. You need something to happen with set-pieces, or someone like Ethan Nwaneri. Not enough creativity, you have to give West Ham credit for the defending they did,” Wright said.

Martin Odegaard has admitted that Arsenal were simply not good enough in their 1-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League this afternoon. The Gunners struggled to break down a well-organised West Ham side, who executed their game plan effectively to frustrate Mikel Arteta’s team.

Just a week ago, Arsenal were celebrating a dramatic late win against Leicester City, courtesy of two late goals from Mikel Merino. However, the Spaniard was in the starting lineup today but was unable to make the same impact against a stronger opponent.

Arsenal’s lack of an out-and-out striker has been a talking point throughout the season, and their attacking struggles were evident once again against the Hammers. Despite dominating possession, they failed to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal.

Speaking after the match, Odegaard acknowledged that the team’s performance was below the required standard. In an interview with Premier League Productions, he expressed his disappointment at the result and admitted they must improve.

“Performance today wasn’t good enough, and yeah, really disappointed. We let them run too easily on the counter, we weren’t sharp enough on the counter or our final third efficiency. We are missing players, but we have to focus on the players that are available, and we have more than enough quality to do more than what we did today.