ESPN Video: Jeremy Schaap details the threats to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.
It’s not everyday that ESPN will use terms like insurgency, region, state, suicide bombs, attacks, threats, heightened security, terrorists and black widows during a video clip, but when they do it’s worth paying attention to the geographic context of their story.
Tags: sport, political, conflict, devolution, Russia.
See on espn.go.com
Understanding mistakes of the past can help guide U.S. transportation policy in the future.
In 2010, Americans drove for 85 percent of their daily trips, compared to car trip shares of 50 to 65 percent in Europe. Longer trip distances only partially explain the difference. Roughly 30 percent of daily trips are shorter than a mile on either side of the Atlantic. But of those under one-mile trips, Americans drove almost 70 percent of the time, while Europeans made 70 percent of their short trips by bicycle, foot, or public transportation. The statistics don’t reveal the sources of this disparity, but there are nine main reasons American metro areas have ended up so much more car-dependent than cities in Western Europe.
See on www.theatlanticcities.com
Would you like to map out the GMO-free regions of Europe? Looking for resources discussing the impacts of GMOs on society? This is a partisan site with some nice resources for a student project.
See on www.gmo-free-regions.org
This Ted-ED lesson is a great visual way to show the basics of plate tectonics and some geomorphological processes.
Tags: physical, geomorphology, TED, K12, video.
See on www.youtube.com
Watch a video that explains Ukraine’s crisis in two minutes or read this quick article that covers the same material.
Ukrainians have been protesting since Nov. 21, when President Viktor Yanukovych rejected a deal for closer integration with the European Union, instead drawing the country closer to Russia. They are still in the streets in huge numbers and have seized regional government buildings in several parts of the country. In Kiev, the capital, clashes between protesters and security forces have become violent, killing several people. On Tuesday, the prime minister resigned. No one is quite sure what will happen next.
See on www.washingtonpost.com
Black gold has brought big-money jobs and severe growing pains to once-sleepy North Dakota towns.
A remarkable transformation is underway in western North Dakota, where an oil boom is changing the state’s fortunes and leaving once-sleepy towns bursting at the seams. In a series of stories, NPR is exploring the economic, social and environmental demands of this modern-day gold rush.
See on www.npr.org
At 4,841 years old, this ancient bristlecone pine is the oldest known non-clonal organism on Earth. Located in the White Mountains of California, in Inyo National Forest, Methuselah’s exact location is kept a close secret in order to protect it from the public. (An older specimen named Prometheus, which was about 4,900 years old, was cut down by a researcher in 1964 with the U.S. Forest Service’s permission.) Today you can visit the grove where Methuselah hides, but you’ll have to guess at which tree it is. Could this one be it?
I freely admit that I have a strange fascination with the twists and turns in a majestic tree; I find that they are great reminders of the wonders and beauty to be found on Earth.
Tags: biogeography, environment, ecology, historical, California.
See on www.mnn.com
“The video clip shows the cliff where the fall initiated, near the ledge close to the skyline. Then, below the ledge, you can see the talus cone, which are rocky bits along the slope. The really large boulders that fell down and ruined the house have carved out soil ruts as the boulders rolled downhill.”
I found this video on GEOMORPHOLOGY ROCKS‘ (get it?) Facebook page, a good follow for physical geography resources. On January 21, 2014 in Termeno, Italy (South Tyrol) a massive rockfall disrupted the agricultural landscape that sits in the shadow of the Alps. The video below shows the impacts of the rockfall and powerfully highlights that natural forces are always in motion.
The water in aquifers also exerts pressure on the limestone and helps to stabilize the overlying surface layer, usually clay, silt and sand in Florida. Sinkholes form when that layer of surface material caves in.
The collapse can be triggered by a heavy overload, often caused by a downpour or flooding, or when water gets pumped out of the ground.”
See on www.youtube.com
