For the opinions of like-minded people
An intriguing title you might ask. And you would be right. What is the meaning behind it? All will become clear shortly.
There is an increasing connection between religion and football?
Well. In this world of mass sporting investment and expansion worldwide, certain things have crept in which are altering the face of certain sports.
This strategy is played out countless times in countless arenas. This of course has changed over the course of history, where initially, many centuries ago, it was just plain “attack” We want your territory, we have a bigger army, so we just attack. Then when this proved to be ‘unethical’ a change of plan was
introduced. Abuse the potential enemy with threats, false(invariably) accusations, and provocation and when they respond/retaliate (or not), attack. The justification being their response. And our final one is to play the diplomacy card first to show the ‘humanitarian’ side. ‘We want to persuade you to agree with us
because we want an amicable solution. When this fails, fall back to plans B(abuse) and C(attack).
In today's world, understandably there is the need for different types of security. Home security, government security, online security to name a few. However, this article is focusing on the security which has quietly crept into our lives under the 'pretext' of the above.
I watch a lot of sport on TV, and occasionally go to live events.
I can understand security due to the threat of terrorism. It is a constant in our lives now (mainly due to government actions), and we have to live with it. But the number of officials, the separation, of the fans, and the competitors, and the celebrities who now seem to be joined at the hip to sporting events.
My 1st point is about the incredible growth in the number of security companies and the presence of security guards at events nowadays. The companies themselves are begining to have their own agenda about how security should be handled, and in most cases the word 'intimidation' is floated around. Big, often bald, or shaven headed men standing facing a largely passive crowd who are trying to enjoy the entertainment being provided.
People get excited, people get emotional, people get upset. And more. But the idea that security companies decide the level of the fans 
emotions, and where 'they' draw the line and take action, has become laughable.
The picture on the right showing a 'human wall' of security is a classic example of how this industry has lost the plot regarding crown control and crowd interaction. I was always under the impression that security should be visible but not intrusive. It should make you feel safe but not make you feel intimidated. Unfortunately in this day and age, the 2 latter points are being a priority rather than the enjoyment of the fans.
I read a great article while researching ideas for this blog. It is from a website called Altpress.com
This article exposes the culture of what I call 'thuggery' disguised as security. The issue here is surrounding concerts which bands perform, which mainly attract young crowds. In some of the incidents being recalled, fans were being pepper sprayed and maced simply for getting on the stage. But the rub is; the band wanted them on stage, in fact one of the singers interview said explicitly that this action is an integral part of their concerts, but the security decides the opposite, and basically 'attacks' the fans.
Going back to the issue of general security. 2 years ago there was the bomb at an Ariande concert in Manchester. This incident, as regrettable as it was, was Islamic terrorism, which is a part of society today, so I understand that concertgoers need more scrutiny when attending concerts, but the regular fans who go to see concerts do not want to be faced with a wall of thugs, whose sole purpose seems to be to seek out offenders so they can either feel justified in earning their wages, or for the simple pleasure they derive from manhandling people with no consequences.
In my past, I regularly attended concerts with 20+ thousand concertgoers (Queen, David Bowie, Bob Marley, The Police, and more...). These events had security, but one thing I never saw was rows and rows of security personnel standing facing the crowd, staring out at them. They were there, and visible, but they did their job, which was not to detract from your enjoyment.
Even at relatively small venues such as the one in the picture, the presence, as you can see, distracts the fans attention from the stage. Most fans are well behaved, if a little over enthusiastic, but I think this is an issue which has been imposed on us, and the defenders of such actions trot out the usual lame excuses such as 'it's for your own protection.' Really? But where will it end? Will we end up going into concert halls either naked, or in suits provided for us to wear, and will we also have to wear devices (which are used in America) which deliver 50,000 volts (a la Taser) to anyone who gets overexcited, or look at security in a threatening manner (their interpretation. It is never yours)? When will the abuse end?
I remember several years ago returning to New York, after my 1st visit many years before, where I had been to the top of the Statue of Liberty and stood in the head and looked out at Manhattan. An amazing feeling to be inside an worldwide iconic landmark. However, on my last visit things had changed. I arrived on the Island where the statue is, got off the boat and was met with numerous signs, and numerous personnel, requesting that we observe the security measures, posted everywhere, and open our bags several times. This was all before we got to the X-ray machines. After over an hour I arrived at the foot of the statue hoping to retrace my original footsteps. Disappointment. The staircase has been closed to the public (since 911), so the nearest you can get now is to stand in the foyer and take pictures of the old torch (which I already have). In my mind this is what is known as 'complete overkill', but unfortunately our friends across the pond believe that this type of action is necessary in every aspect of our lives now. Whatever happens there seems to have a cascading effect in other countries, including my own.
Enough with the security!!!!
Every day in our societies we seem to be moving ever closer to the line between what is real and what is imaginary. For all the ‘Fake News’ which is manufactured, is basically just reporting events in a manner which ‘supports’ the writer’s stance or opinion, and the network media companies countering this ‘fake news’ with their own ‘fake news’ (sorry for the repetition, I just wanted to make a point).
Being English, I grew up playing football. Nothing unusual about that. Millions of boys were the same as me. Playing in the park, playing for teams, supporting a team(usually a top team, if you were from a small town. I supported Liverpool, and I am not a Liverpudlian).
This was what most boys did(girls did not play then, for all you PC brigade). It was life. Driven by 2 things; desire, and positive peer pressure. The thought of being left out was not something anyone wanted to experience. What were you to do when all of your friends were playing? This is how serial killers are made!!!!(my attempt at humour).
I have bee
n fortunate in my life, in the fact that I have been able to travel to many different countries. During my travels to different cities around the world, one thing which has really struck me is the ever-increasing similarities between them.This has been mainly due to the influence of western culture. Looking at the skylines of many a city you will see familiar names. Starbucks, KFC, McDonald’s, Mercedes, BMW, VW, Toyota.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or ‘NATO’ as it is also known, is an agreement between a group of countries regarding their common goals towards ‘defence’ of their combined nations against attack, primarily from Russia (The former Soviet Union).
The problem with this is that the acronym is misleading. It should read as the ‘North American Treaty Organisation’ due to the fact that it revolves 100% around North America. Namely The USA. Harking back to the title of the article, all the resolutions which the organisation make do not see the light of day unless the American reps agree to them. Hardly a democracy. Hardly a treaty.
Life without a cellphone. Why?
The cellphone, mobile, or whatever you call it; the saviour of mankind or the scourge? Whatever your view, the cellphone is here to stay. From the 1st time voice waves were sent over wires to an astonished recipient at the other end, the pace at which the humble telephone has changed has been astounding.
Recent events in Turkey, the killing of a dissident journalist inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, have brought into focus the war between governments, and those who would criticise them. Freedom of speech is the foundation of many societies, while in others it is the ‘death knell’ for those who openly, and in some cases, those who ‘secretly’ speak out.
Have you ever seen a product of any description, either online, in a store, or on TV, which comes with the added incentive of a “free trial period”?
I am sure most of have been in this situation. The product or service is something we think looks good or may benefit us in some way, or may even be an added luxury, which we don’t really need but think “Ah what the hell, I will try it”