Shaped like a giant pistol sitting on its butt end, Wisconsin’s new 22nd state Senate District is Exhibit A in the case against partisan redistricting.
The redistricting process is far from neutral; to be far we should remember that gerrymandering is has happened on all ends of the political spectum. Which map to you think is the best way to divide these districts? What is the fairest way to divide them?
See on www.jsonline.com
The United Nations General Assembly approved an upgraded U.N. status for the Palestinian Authority, despite U.S. and Israeli opposition.
While this may be primarily symbolic, it is still a highly significant move on the part of the United Nations. 65 years ago, the United Nations called for a two-state system. This map of the vote that I found on Facebook (can’t find another source as of yet) is quite intriguing.
Questions to Ponder: Why might a country choose to abstain? Can you think of a specific reason why a particular country abstained? With this new geopolitical fact, how will Israel and Palestine move forward?
See on edition.cnn.com
When I embraced the medium of photography, I felt that taking a picture that represented only what was within the frame of the lens wasn’t expressing my personal and inner experience of the world around me.
This whimsical photography creates a fantastic visualization of what a miniaturized planet (such as those portrayed in the classic book The Little Prince) might look like in the mind’s eye.
See on www.featureshoot.com
Hey friends-it’s time to stop saying, “It’s too complicated!” Watch this Jewish Voice for Peace 6 minute mini-primer. about why Israelis and Palestinians are fighting..
This video from the Jewish Voice for Peace has a more politically motivated angle than most of the resources that I post on this site, but I feel that they do justice to both sides as well as the truth. In a simple way it lays out the roots of many of the problems in the region with historic and geographic perspectives.
See on www.youtube.com
A newly issued Chinese passport featuring a map that lays claim to disputed territory with several neighboring countries is only the latest case of cartographic aggression.
“Maps, like statistics, can lie — or at least tell only one side of the story. As often as not, they can belie the level of actual governmental control or the ethnic and social realities on the ground. And competing views over ‘who owns what’ invariably fuel nationalistic fervor.”
See on www.npr.org
I’ll let Douglas Keeney’s own words and this image speak for themselves: “The geography of human conflict as seen from space at night. The Strait of Hormuz as seen at night from the space station is a beautiful lesson in the geography of conflict. How much we learn by simply tracing the fingers of human populations as seen superimposed over the geography of Earth. Enjoy.”
-From Lights of Mankind: Earth at Night From Space
See on twitpic.com
Additionally on this topic, what would a picture look like from a drone’s perspective? Where are these places that are being targeted? This Instagram account is incredibly thought-provoking and informative.
In 2010, most states in the United States (including Rhode Island) adopted the Common Core State Standards as the new standards. The two main portions of the Common Core Standards are the English…
Will geography be permanently pushed out of the curriculum with the adoption of the Common Core? How can a teacher bolster spatial thinking and geo-literacy within the Common Core framework? If you’ve asked yourself these questions, this resource is for you.
See on rigea.org
An in-depth, multimedia look at climate change, its global impact, and efforts to combat it.
This guide on climate change from the Council on Foreign Relations (independent think tank) covers many of the geopolitical, economic and environmental issues that confront the Earth as global temperatures rise. Rather than produce a full length feature film, they have organized the this as an interactive video, allowing the user to get short (a couple of minutes) answer to specific questions about the science, foreign policy or economic ramifications of adapting to climate change.
Tags: climate change, environmental adaption, economic, industry.
See on www.cfr.org
Climate change, changing diets and a growing global population has pushed food security to the top of the international agenda.
Food problems are fundamentally geographic. Understanding local economics, agriculture and development all play a critical role. This interactive media guide highlights where these issues are the most problematic.
See on www.guardian.co.uk
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 