#Colonialism in a nutshell!

“Colonialism demands history begin past the point of colonization precisely because, under those narrative conditions, the colonist’s every action is necessarily one of self-defense. The story begins not when the wagons arrive, but only after they are circled." - Omar El Akkad

c: @keposjaj

2 contrasting stories about #electricity in #Scotland:
In the #Borders, controversy about where to put new cross border #pylons. As electricity continues to replace fossil fuels and more #renewable sources come online such stories are increasingly common
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq80xp9g049o
But in #Renfrewshire, the renewal of the National #Grid sees some of the oldest transmission towers (1929) being demolished- a reminder that they've been part of the #landscape for almost a century
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c9djlp85n62o

https://www.europesays.com/uk/1740/ Norway criticizes Finland’s move to quit land mine treaty – POLITICO #AlexanderStubb #Baltics #Belarus #Borders #Defense #Environment #Estonia #Finland #Kremlin #Latvia #Lithuania #News #Norway #Poland #Russia #Security #Ukraine #War #WarInUkraine #Weapons #World

European visitors now need an entry permit to visit the UK.

Travellers from Europe will now need a digital Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit.

The permit can be purchased online for £10 (12 euros) until 9 April, when the price will rise to £16. The UK government follows other countries in seeking to strengthen immigration security by screening people before they cross its borders.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20250402-european-visitors-now-need-an-entry-permit-to-visit-the-uk?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

"While CBP said it only searched about 47,000 devices of the 420 million people who crossed the US border in 2024, experts the Guardian spoke to say border enforcement has been unpredictable under the Trump administration, so figuring out whether you’re at risk of a device search is not as straightforward as it once was. French officials said a French scientist was recently turned away at an airport in Texas because immigration officers found texts that were critical of Trump on his phone.

“The super-conservative perspective is to assume they are completely unhinged and that even the most benign reasons for travel are going to subject non-citizens to these device searches,” said Sophia Cope, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a non-profit digital rights group.

If you’re a US citizen, you must be admitted into the country. That said, some jurisdictions allow CBP to work with the FBI or local police to advance domestic investigations, so there are still some risks of your devices being searched for domestic reasons.

There are steps you can take to make it harder for CBP officers to access your device and the data on it. So what should you do to protect the data on your phone from being searched? The main thing is to prepare ahead of heading to the airport. Here is what you should be thinking about:"

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/26/phone-search-privacy-us-border-immigration

Driving down the street here in Duluth, MN and saw a billboard that read - in bold white letters on a black background - A TARIFF IS A TAX ON YOUR GROCERIES. I checked who had paid for the message. It was bought by the Canadian government.

While I wish the situation were different, I love the moxie. I have no notes. Please just don’t make the same mistake we did. #elbowsup #canada #minnesota #borders

A reminder that people on here telling you what your rights are at a border, who advocate things like "just don't unlock your phone" or "ask for lawyer":

A) don't seem to be lawyers
B) appear to all be US citizens
C) don't seem to have much border crossing experience
D) don't seem to have any experience being black/brown/non-english-speaking/female/trans/non binary at a border
E) and are, as far as I can tell, just straight up wrong about the law.

Maybe don't listen to them.

Ask an actual lawyer. Read your government's advice. Know that things *are* different and worse with each identity that doesn't please the KKK.

And if the above is true of you, *please* stop giving advice. Respectfully, you don't know what you're talking about and your bad advice endangers others.

One day, one map
Far from the reality of state control
#Migrations #Cartography #Walls #Deaths #Camps #Borders
Source: Migreurop, 2022

This is a must-read from @KimTallBear

https://kimtallbear.substack.com/p/i-wont-wave-your-national-flag-but

The nation state is not a pathway to liberation (of any kind), and all the Canadian nationalism I've seen in response to the trade war shenanigans/threats of annexation has been so dispiriting.

"Settler nationalist flag waving in any political tone is ultimately anti-Indigenous; it’s built on ongoing Indigenous death and destruction co-constituted with environmental destruction."

Poland accused of brutality as Belarus border crackdown escalates.

Polish border forces regularly force migrants back into Belarus, with reports of people being beaten, stripped of their clothes and left stranded in forests without food, shelter or medical care, according to a new report from Oxfam and Polish NGO Egala published Tuesday.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20250318-poland-accused-of-brutality-as-belarus-border-crackdown-escalates?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

A new Desert Sage letter: Of haboobs, invasions, border politics, and historical memory.

https://desertsagenm.substack.com/p/little-bottles-of-sand

“Along the Line: Writing with comics and graphic narrative in geography”.

NEW BOOK out soon with EPFL Press, the result of my long & slow border walk, archival work, and painstaking drawing. Will be available open access & direct from the publisher. Distributed internationally from September via Chicago University Press.

(My comic “Bornées”, published in French, was first written in English)

EU countries agree phased launch of Entry/Exit System, ending years of delays.

European Union countries agreed on Wednesday to finally bring into force the Entry/Exit System (EES), the bloc's automated registry for short-stay travellers that has been repeatedly delayed over technical problems and lack of preparedness.

The agreement paves the way for a likely start of operations in autumn, though no fixed date has been set.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20250305-eu-countries-agree-phased-launch-of-entryexit-system-ending-years-of-delays?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

How much #US states rely on #imports

Frontline countries pitch €10 bn defence line for Russia-Belarus border.

Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania outline details for the creation of a defence line on the border with Belarus and Russia.

They propose EU countries jointly invest in infrastructure with fortifications, high-tech border surveillance systems, electronic warfare capabilities, drones and counter-drone measures.

https://mediafaro.org/article/20250228-frontline-countries-pitch-10-bn-defence-line-for-russia-belarus-border?mf_channel=mastodon&action=forward

we geo people might all laugh at the renaming of “Gulf of Mexico” renaming stunt from USA…

But what happens when the USA decides it's done a deal with Russia re: Ukraine, and US maps must show a certain border of Ukraine/Russia …

oh I would not want to have to deal with that…
#uspol #ukraine #maps #borders #russia #usa #map #geo #GulfOfMexico