GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

In Indonesia, efforts are underway to grow palms in a sustainable way. But that’s putting a squeeze on small farmers.

Palm oil is in everything, from pizza dough and chocolate to laundry detergent and lipstick. Nongovernmental organizations blame it for contributing to assorted evils, from global warming to human rights abuses. But in the past year, this complex global industry has changed, as consumers put pressure on producers to show that they’re not destroying forests, killing rare animals, grabbing land or exploiting workers.

Tags: Indonesia, conservation, environment, consumption, SouthEastAsia, podcast.

Source: www.npr.org

How “crisis mappers” activate after a catastrophe

Tags: Nepal, disasters, physical, tectonics, mapping, geospatial.

Source: www.theatlantic.com

The Social Progress Imperative creates a shared language and common goals to align different organizations and achieve greater social impact.

Source: www.socialprogressimperative.org

I think we all know that we shouldn’t judge a country just by it’s GDP.  Economic development might be correlated with development and social progress, but the outliers are so telling.  In this TED talk, we learn about a new metric designed to measure how well a society provides opportunities for communal and individual success.  Having lived in Costa Rica for two years, I’m not surprised to find that Costa Rica does much better on this index than it would if we were to use GDP or HDI as a way to measure social progress and quality of life. For a more detailed look at the United States, see Geographies of Opportunity: Ranking well-being by Congressional Districts.        

Questions to Ponder: How is the Social Progress Index similar to and different from the Human Development Index?  What assumptions are built into the system? 

Tags: development, statistics, economic, Costa Rica, mapping.

Eleven years after Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex couples to marry, the Supreme Court on April 28 will hear arguments about whether to extend that right nationwide. The case comes amid a wave of gay marriage legalization: 28 states since 2013, and 36 overall. Such widespread acceptance in a short amount of time isn’t a phenomenon unique to gay marriage. Social change in the U.S. appears to follow a pattern: A few pioneer states get out front before the others, and then a key event—often a court decision or a grassroots campaign reaching maturity—triggers a rush of state activity that ultimately leads to a change in federal law.

We looked at six big issues—interracial marriage, prohibition, women’s suffrage, abortion, same-sex marriage, and recreational marijuana — to show how this has happened in the past, and may again in the very near future.

Source: www.bloomberg.com

Source: www.youtube.com

“LIVING IN THE AGE OF AIRPLANES is a story about how the airplane has changed the world. Filmed in 18 countries across all 7 continents, it renews our appreciation for one of the most extraordinary and awe-inspiring aspects of the modern world.” airplanesmovie.com

Source: vimeo.com

I was absolutely delighted to see this film on the big screen…it was as visually stunning as any film I’d ever seen.  I and my young children were mesmerized.  So much of the modern world that we take for granted is absolutely revolutionary.  This is a great teacher’s guide to teaching with this film.

Tags: transportation, globalization, diffusion, industry, economic, National Geographic, video, visualization.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Maragret Mead

Source: www.youtube.com

I share this video as a part of my final lecture in world regional geography as I attempt to tie up loose ends and help my students see the global linkages and connections.  Occasionally in the course of a semester where we examine global problems, it is easy to become pessimistic about the world.  In spite of all our problems, the world is becoming a better place, and I share this video to emphasize that individuals still have the power to act, and are not simply things to be acted upon by larger forces.  I can’t change everything everywhere, but I can do something, somewhere…so do something.  

Tags: development, globalization.

Ethiopia is due to launch a light rail transit system later this year, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Source: www.youtube.com

This is a very encouraging accomplishment; from Lagos to Nairobi, similar projects are now being considered. 

Tags: Ethiopia, Africa, development. transportation, planning, urban.

“The Muslim world doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to female empowerment. With a lack of of strong, independent female role models, young women in the region have few places to look in popular culture for guidance. Until now.

Meet Burka Avenger, the game-changing Pakistani cartoon that, for the first time, has flipped the status quo on its head with its female superhero protagonist, who fights crime in her magical burka.”

Tags: Pakistan,  gender, popular culture, SouthAsia, globalization, culture, Islam.

Source: mic.com