“China’s one-child only policy and historic preference for boys has led to a surplus of marriageable Chinese men. Young women are holding out for better apartments, cars and the like from potential spouses…30 to 48 percent of the real estate appreciation in 35 major Chinese cities is directly linked to a man’s need to acquire wealth — in the form of property — to attract a wife.”
Tags: gender, folk culture, China, culture, population.
See on www.npr.org
The Caucasus region, dominated by the imposing Great Caucasus mountain range and stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, has long been known as one of the world’s ethnically and linguistically most diverse areas.
After this weekend it has become glaringly obvious that many are painfully ignorant of the geography of Chechnya and the surrounding Caucasus Mountain region. This article from GeoCurrents discusses the linguistic diversity of the region and this Geography in the News article outlines the contentious geopolitical situation of Chechnya within the Russian Federation. Also, the Washington Post published an article entitled, 9 questions about Chechnya and Dagestan you were too embarassed to ask.
I do not post these materials to lay blame to an entire ethnic group, religion or region for the terrorists acts of two individuals. On the contrary, I post these articles because I find this to be a teaching moment where we as educators can clarify the geographic context of an unknown part of the world to our students. As we teach this context, quick labels and lazy narratives become harder to maintain and our students can become less prejudiced and critically think about the situation with greater depth and clarity.
See on geocurrents.info
“The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities – the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation.”
The fact that this official statement is even made by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic is an indictment of the state of geo-literacy in the United States.
See on www.mzv.cz
“Preparing to Teach Social Studies: Geographic Content for the Praxis Exam.”
I know that most of my readers are in-service teachers as opposed to pre-service teachers, but I thought it was still worth sharing. Several schools have noticed that without geography classes, social studies teachers have difficulty becoming certified without some core geographic content. As a part of job at the Alliance coordinator for the Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance, I’m giving a workshop tonight at Salve Regina University designed to strengthen pre-service teachers geographic content as outlined on the Praxis Exam. I have prepared these materials with that audience in mind, but if there is anything you find useful, please use it or share it with those that could use it (local School of Education, Alliance, etc). Most of the images in the presentation are hyperlinked to articles, videos and infographics that I have posted here in the past.
Tags: Rhode Island, training, geography education.
See on www.slideshare.net
A heartfelt & moving story of how instruments made from recycled trash bring hope to children whose future is otherwise spiritless.
I’ve shared this video before, but this worthy project is now asking for assistance on kickstarter and I feel it merits reposting. This video shows that the human spirit of beauty and joy can come shining through from the poorest of places. Slums are not new, but rapid population growth coupled with rural-to-urban migration patterns have led to an increasing amount of slums. Despite all the stereotypical images of destitute poverty, slums can also be places with a strong vibrant communities with residents filled with innovation, hope and ambition. For more on this organization, see their Facebook page.
Tags: urban, squatter, poverty, South America, community, Paraguay.
See on www.kickstarter.com
USGS National Geologic Database- TopoView
The National Geologic Map Database is a simple interactive tool to find USGS topographic maps to you can dowload. Users can search for current or historic maps.
Tags: geospatial, GIS, mapping, cartography.
See on ngmdb.usgs.gov
Questions to ponder: How much do you agree with the author’s assertion that geography explains the foreign affairs of the U.S.? Is there any environmental determinism in this argument?
See on www.foreignpolicy.com
Put away that old Rand McNally map — it’s time for a new way to see what America really looks like.
There is a great series of maps in this NPR article that shows that internal political divisions do not always line up with actual regional interactions. The map of the United States shows the what money flows within regions that do not always follow state borders (see Wisconsin, Idaho and Pennsylvania). The map of Great Britain shows the connections based on telephone calls.
See on www.npr.org
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 