Human geographer (retired, sort of) interested in geopolitics, territory, national identity, rural social change, heritage - and football

Joined February 2014
2,446 Photos and videos
Poppies on Bredon Hill
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'There is a legacy in Northern Ireland of people being burnt out of their houses or being forced from their homes as a result of sectarianism and communal hatred.... we remain very much a society that is “comfortably segregated”' @brendancbrowne share.google/mWKISMGqCVQmJtR…
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RT @PetraSchur: I still remember a time, when the bombing of a hospital was considered an unspeakable atrocity. But in the past 30 months…
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World Cup geographical analysis...though Haiti isn't ruled by it's neighbour!
Haiti v Scotland is the World Cup’s only group-stage match where both countries occupy the smaller, mountainous part of a major island shared with a larger neighbour. Haiti has western Hispaniola. Scotland has northern Great Britain. Stay tuned for more cutting-edge, geography-based World Cup analysis.
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David Storey retweeted
Capaillíní Chonamara♥️ #connemara #pony
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David Storey retweeted
Elon Musk becoming the world’s first trillionaire is not the mark of success, rather the unforgivable failure by those in power to build fair economic policies. Billions of people on Earth are the victims of an unequal and exploitative system, trapping them in poverty and, in many cases, leaving them without access to the means of survival. For one person to reach such obscene levels of wealth whilst many don’t even have shelter, food or water lays bare the grotesque consequences of the global economic system and political inaction to tackle inequality through distribution of wealth.
SpaceX IPO latest: Elon Musk becomes world's first dollar trillionaire as shares jump on opening Follow our live blog ⬇️ trib.al/BulSrK4
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The World Cup as 'shopping mall'
Declaraciones de Jurgen Klopp a ZDF, sobre la reanudación del juego retrasada por el árbitro, durante el cooling break del México-Sudáfrica para que terminaran los comerciales de algunas cadenas de TV: "Esto es el fútbol siendo tomado como rehén por ejecutivos en oficinas con aire acondicionado". "Estos supuestos 'descansos por el calor' nos los vendieron como un escudo para el bienestar de los jugadores, una noble espada contra el calor. ¿Pero en realidad? No es más que una jaula dorada construida para patrocinadores. Cuando vi a los jugadores parados durante un descanso por calor mientras los tiempos de televisión dictaban el ritmo del partido, no pude evitar preguntarme: ¿a quién está sirviendo realmente la Copa del Mundo? ¿A los aficionados?, ¿A los jugadores?, ¿O a los anunciantes?". "Un partido de la Copa del Mundo debería fluir como un río. En cambio, estamos construyendo presas en medio de él para que los comerciales puedan pasar. Eso es peligroso para el espíritu del juego. El fútbol alguna vez fue el evento principal, pero ahora corre el riesgo de convertirse en la música de fondo de un espectáculo publicitario. Nos dicen que estos descansos son por el bienestar de los jugadores, y por supuesto la salud de los jugadores importa. Pero cuando el juego empieza a doblar sus rodillas ante los tiempos de la televisión, la gente va a hacer preguntas. El balón se supone que es la estrella. No un descanso comercial". "La Copa del Mundo es la catedral del fútbol. Sin embargo, a veces da la sensación de que la hemos convertido en un centro comercial donde la caja registradora recibe más respeto que el propio partido. Si este es el futuro, entonces el fútbol ya no está siendo interrumpido por los anuncios. El fútbol se está convirtiendo en la interrupción entre los anuncios".
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A sad reflection on the state of the world
Elon Musk has become the first trillionaire in history.
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Disappointing to see that Ireland doesn't feature here!
Where each European country thinks the most attractive men come from
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David Storey retweeted
When @EdDzeko was a child, he survived the four-year Siege of Sarajevo. Before he captains Bosnia & Herzegovina at this World Cup, he has a message for the children. And for the world. theplayerstribune.com/edin-d…
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Apparently, what has been happening in Belfast can be blamed on Russia and Iran! 🤔
Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley very strong on scenes in Belfast: "I was watching a bit of the news last night, and I can't remember what channel it was, but a journalist was talking about 'these protesters.' "I thought, that isn't a protest. People are setting fire to cars. That's not a protest. That's violent disorder, that's criminality. I really feel for Northern Ireland colleagues who are wrestling with that. It's really, really difficult. "We live in these volatile times and, some of what goes on online whips up, sentiment on the street. "We know that Russian state actors, Iranian state actors, they want to sow discord on the streets of the UK. So this is a really complex issue we're wrestling with. So you've got very polarised debates in the UK, and you've got other people overseas who want to drive wedge issues to create disorder, and you've got the great men and women of Police Service Northern Ireland on the streets in the middle of that, trying to sort of protect people and stop people burning down houses and things. It's awful."
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A teensy-weensy lack of awareness of identity issues in NI! 🤔
Kilmeade to an agreeing Markwayne Mullin: "In Belfast they're standing up because their leaders have let them down. They're trying to take their country back. They want to label them as racist. All they want to be is Irish. They want Ireland back. And that is what we've been saying for the longest time. I see a lot of the same fights here."
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"The US of Donald Trump is tonally different to any host of a major sporting event that has preceded it: a country that actively wants you to see the darkness in its heart, the inhumanity at its core, that gets off on your revulsion" theguardian.com/football/202…
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"Never before has a sporting tournament managed to combine supporter exploitation, hostile bureaucracy, diplomatic disputes, climate catastrophe and basic failures of spectator welfare on quite this scale"
In the wake of being told to "chill" and "relax" by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, I re-attach my piece on how FIFA and MAGA are squeezing the joy from this summer's World Cup. READ HERE: joshbland.substack.com/p/sea…
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David Storey retweeted
Replying to @ZackPolanski
"For the BBC, history always begins at the moment Israel is attacked. Everything that happened beforehand is treated as irrelevant." —Hamza Yusuf x.com/Hamza_a96/status/20639…

“This whole flare up started in Lebanon… where Hezbollah has fired at northern Israel… …Israel says that’s a violation… it acted by attacking Beirut…” The BBC of course doesn’t mention that Israel has been violating the ceasefire and bombarding Lebanon daily.
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"There is a darker reality that often accompanies major sporting events, one that receives far less attention than the action on the pitch. For thousands of women, they can bring fear & intimidation, rather than celebration" share.google/FoYUa9v2y9Y8Cjz…
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