“Europe and Asia, while often considered two separate continents, both lie on the same landmass or tectonic plate, the Eurasian supercontinent. The historic and geographic story of the Eurasian boundary is intriguing.“
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
While most continental borders follow some physical geographic definition, the border between Europe and Asia is purely cultural and a remant of classical regional differentiation. Some argue that Europe isn’t a separate continent from Asia, and while they are not wrong, the concept of Europe is deep and pervasive in how we think about the world.
When filmmaker Shantha Bloemen was stationed in a remote village in Zambia as a worker with an international aid organization, she had to adjust to living in a different culture. But one thing struck her as oddly familiar: almost everyone in the village wore secondhand clothing from the West. Bloemen began to imagine stories about the people who used to wear the clothing, wondering if the original owners had any idea that the castoffs they had given to charities ended up being sold to Africans half a world away.
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
This PBS documentary shows some of the unexpected consequences of globalization and less well-publicized economic interactions. This online supplemental to the video allows users to track the journey of a T-shirt. For additional reading on topic, this article shows how some the same process is impacting the those in Haiti. The complex interactions that stem from globalization never cease to amaze me.
Tags: industry, economic, poverty, globalization, Africa.
See on www.youtube.com
“Most of us think of international borders as invisible, but clear-cut lines: stand on one side, and you’re in one country; stand on the other, you’re in another country. But here’s a list of five international borders that, for one reason or another, are not quite that simple.”
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
This article is in dire needs of some maps, but it still provides 5 intriguing case studies of borders and chunks of territory that defy normal categorization.
Tags: borders, political, territoriality, sovereignty.
See on mentalfloss.com
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
The Comedy Troupe ‘The Mighty Boosh’ doesn’t need to work too hard when Chelsea Handler makes it so easy.
See on weknowmemes.com
……..”Linking the Chinese pollution data to mortality statistics from 1991 to 2000, the researchers found a sharp difference in mortality rates on either side of the border formed by the Huai River. They also found the variation to be attributable to cardiorespiratory illness, and not to other causes of death.”
High levels of air pollution in northern China – much of it caused by an over-reliance on burning coal for heat – will cause 500 million people to lose an aggregate 2.5 billion years from their lives, the authors predict in the study, published in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
See on www.guardian.co.uk
The Bay Area’s Jenny Odell creates maddeningly complex sets of similar structures, like stadiums, nuclear plants and cargo ships.
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
See on www.theatlanticcities.com
There are reported cases of fish and frogs raining from the sky, as well as ice bombs attacking earthlings from above.
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
The world is full of some amazing weather-related phenomena. This picture is from a freak hailstorm that hit Alberta, Canada earlier this month.
Tags: physical, weather and climate.
See on www.top10zen.com
