I will once again preach to the choir, but with the hope that this will arm you with resources to use in discussions with administrators and colleagues. This article by Walter McDougall (2003 by Orbis) is worth reviewing and is a good reading assignment to start the school year. The link is to a PDF version of the article.
See on pdfsb.com
“When it comes to making a multimillion-dollar action blockbuster, an important rule to follow is: do not alienate some1.3 billion potential theatergoers.”
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As the reaction to the U-Tube “Innocence of Muslims” trailer has shown, we must be more cautious of what we say and how we depict others as social media and cinema can now easily transcend boarders diversifying the place and space of potential viewers.
Forms of expression or entertainment such as art, music, dance, food and especially cinema can symbolize many of the values, norms, customs or fears that are prevalent within a particular society. However, these cultural expressions also may also carry a political stigma that conveys a message to its audience. China has played a major role in the development of the November release of MGM’s remake of the movie “Red Dawn,” which was a 1984 political charged Cold War film about the USSR invading America. The remake of the film incorporated many themes associated with a “declining” America, yet this was not China’s concern. Originally the producers of this film intended to replace the USSR with the PRC which would portray China as the villain and antagonist of the film. Yet (as the Chinese government soon made MGM realize) this is inconsistent with the realities of 21st century geopolitics or the globally economy. The threat of having the film blocked by one of their biggest and most lucrative markets in East Asia pressured MGM to re-edit the film depicting North Korea as the villain before its release this November.
Questions: How has globalization changed the film or entertainment industry in general?
See on www.dailymail.co.uk
Apple Promises To Fix Glitches In Map Software By Rearranging Earth’s Geography
Apple is working hard to move streets, buildings, and natural features of the Earth itself to be consistent with their heavily criticized Maps software.
The Onion is the best spoofing news channel, and in this video, they ‘report’ that Apple with correct the Earth’s geography so that it will conform to the their mapping software.
See on www.theonion.com
“Geography is a broad and diverse field, but one thing geographers have in common is using a geographic perspective to have an impact on the world. In this video, a few talk about the many ways that geography helps them to make a difference.”
This video is a great demonstration of the diverse and practical applications of geography. This is a great answer to the oft-asked question, “but what does a geographer DO?”
Tags: geography, video, geo-inspiration, AAG, Unit 1 GeoPrinciples.
See on www.youtube.com
This video is a great compliment to the classic Earth at Night composite image as well as the adjusted cartogram for population density. For more information about the science and production behind the video, see this Atlantic article.
Energy conservation starts at home….
This interesting National Geographic article emphasizes how consumption patterns in the home are a part of the larger global patterns.
See on ngm.nationalgeographic.com
Hawaii, Kauai Island…where they shot the Jurassic Park…
Sometimes we all to see a fabulously gorgeous physical landscape and marvel at the beauty that is in this world. For some other amazing images, see this collection.
See on 500px.com
Nielsen Prizm is a tool used by companies to analyze their customers spending habits, lifestyle choices and spatial patterns. Using their Zip Code Look Up feature, you can search any zip code to g…
This is an interesting glimpse into how market research analysts view neighborhoods, geography and spatial analysis. This economic and cultural data has a wide range of uses (albeit with some serious limitations).
Tags: socioeconomic, neighborhood, place, economic, consumption, spatial, mapping.
See on geographyeducation.org
For many albinos — born with a partial or total lack of pigment in their skin, hair and eyes — life is difficult, and that is particularly true in Tanzania, where they are attacked for their flesh, the result of superstitious beliefs.
This is not a typical look at the cultural roots of prejudice and discrimination. It isn’t racism per se (since albinism isn’t a racial category strictly speaking), but it does show prejudice that is linked to physical appearance. There are deeply rooted folk traditions that endanger the lives of African albinos as explained in this podcast. This photo gallery shows some of Tanzania’s albinos letting their light shine.
Tags: culture, racism, folk culture, Tanzania, Africa.
See on www.npr.org
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 