See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
Tags: physical, geomorphology, landforms, erosion, climate change, Greenland.
See on www.youtube.com
See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
“Quebec voters gave a resounding no to the prospects of holding a third referendum on independence from Canada, handing the main separatist party handing the main separatist party in the French-speaking province one of its worst electoral defeats ever.”
Quebec, which is 80 percent French-speaking, has plenty of autonomy already. The province of 8.1 million sets its own income tax, has its own immigration policy favoring French speakers, and has legislation prioritizing French over English. But many Quebecois have long dreamed of an independent Quebec, as they at times haven’t felt respected and have worried about the survival of their language in English-speaking North America.
Tags: Canada, political, conflict, devolution.
See on www.nbcnews.com
See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
“California has had three consecutive years of below average rainfall and most reservoirs are far below their designed capacity; for a state with a growing population with limited water resources this is alarming news that has many politicians, officials and residents worried. This winter was especially mild; nice for bragging to friend back East about how gorgeous the weather is during a polar vortex spell, but horrible for the snow pack and accumulation.”
Most of California’s water originates for the snow pack in Western mountains ranges so this drought is expected to get worse this summer. The major urban areas have limited local water resources so they draw water from large area to bring in sufficient water for these burgeoning metropolitan regions.
Questions to Consider: What are some reasons (both from human and physical geography) for this severe drought? What can be done in the short-term to lessen the problem? What can be done to make California’s water situation better for the next 50 years?
Tags: physical, weather and climate, consumption, California, Los Angeles, water, environment, resources, environment depend, urban ecology.
See on geographyeducation.org
See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
Two photographers set out to see what happened to small family businesses in New York City in a decade.
The cultural landscapes of neighborhoods can change quickly as larger global economic forces restructure the places. This is a great gallery of photos from the Smithsonian to document these changes in New York City. Many mourn the passing of what once was as the landscape continues to be made and remade but subsequent generations.
Tags: culture, landscape, NYC, economic, urban, place, neighborhood.
See on www.smithsonian.com
“A state commission working on a much-discussed report titled ‘Foundations of State Cultural Politics’ will release their findings in two weeks, presidential advisor Vladimir Tolstoi announced last week, adding that the basic formula of the report could be summarized as ‘Russia is not Europe.‘”
At times Russia has sought to be perceived as a part of Europe only to be excluded in the minds (and institutions) of Western Europe. Now, in a discursive way to protect itself, it is reaffirming and building a cultural buffer zone between Europe and Russia. What are the borders of Europe as you think of it? Can world regions change over time? Any examples of regions having their borders redrawn?
See on www.themoscowtimes.com
See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
“As the world’s cities undergo explosive growth, inequality is intensifying. Wealthy neighborhoods and impoverished slums grow side by side, the gap between them widening. In this eye-opening talk, architect Teddy Cruz asks us to rethink urban development from the bottom up. Sharing lessons from the slums of Tijuana, Cruz explores the creative intelligence of the city’s residents and offers a fresh perspective on what we can learn from places of scarcity.”
As a geographer native to the San Diego region with family on both sides of the border, I found this TED talk very compelling personally, but also rich in geographic themes (city planning, diffusion, governance of space, socioeconomic differences in land use patterns, etc.). Relations across the border are economic, cultural and political in nature, and the merger of those varied interests have led to an uneven history of both cooperation and separation. San Diego and Tijuana have more to offer each other than economic markets–the ideas born out of distinct socioeconomic and political contexts can be just what is needed on the other side of the border.
Tags: urban, unit 7 cities, housing, economic, sprawl, neighborhood, borders. planning, urban ecology, density, planning, TED.
See on www.youtube.com
See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
20 years after the genocide in Rwanda, these perpetrators and survivors are standing for forgiveness.
The idea behind these images is incredibly powerful and heartbreaking. The horrific genocide turned neighbor against neighbor and tore communities and a country apart. I can only imagine the pain for the individuals, but also the trauma inflicted on the national psyche. See also the White House’s official statement on the 20th anniversary of the genocide.
See on www.nytimes.com
See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
84% of Americans are unable to locate Ukraine on a world map; those that can’t are more likely to support military intervention.
As I’ve said before, a more informed, geo-literate citizenry helps to strengthen U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic efforts because they have a spatial framework within which to organize political, environmental, cultural and economic information. National Geographic recently also produced a video showing how geo-education is important for business professionals as a part of their geo-education community (if you haven’t already, join!).
See on www.washingtonpost.com
See on Scoop.it – Geography Education
Volcanic islands can seem to appear out of nowhere, emerging from the ocean like breaching monsters of the deep. Below, Mika McKinnon explains how these odd geological formations are born, how they evolve, and how they eventually vanish back beneath the waves.
Where an island is along this developmental continuum says much about the human populations that may inhabit said island. If the island is tall and young with rich volcanic soil, the mountain will attract rainfall and the soil could support agriculture, making the island able to sustain a higher population density. On the other hand, an old, eroding island with little rainfall and depleted soils will need human inhabitants to rely on the ocean’s resources for food and would thus support a more minimal population. These islands are changing, even if the time scale is slow–but just recently two disconnected islands ‘merged’ as growing volcanic island has expanded in the Pacific.
Tags: Oceania, physical, geomorphology, landforms.
See on space.io9.com
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 