2012 has had many stories around the globe have grabbed the headlines with their shocking tales. Some of the most important shifts in the world however are incremental processes that happen slowly enough that the news media fails to note the change. This is a list from Foreign Policy author Joshua Keating (
Cancer is often considered a disease of affluence, but about 70% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Explore this interactive map to learn about some cancers that disproportionately affect poorer countries.
With this interactive map, users can explore cancers that disproportionately affect poorer countries. How do these spatial distributions correlate with other developmental, consumption or economic patterns? What surpises you about this data?
Tags: medical, mapping, spatial.
See on globalcancermap.com
Washington state has become the first in America to allow the recreational use of cannabis, setting up a potential showdown with the US federal government.
The states that have legalized recreational marijuana use reflect regional differences in cultural and communal values within the United States. This is a political quandry will fasinating political ramifications.
Questions to Ponder: What will the Federal government do considering that a state law is contradicting a federal law? Will other states follow? Would a California employee fail a drug test is the drugs were legally consumed in a different state? Will Washington and Colorado receive more weekend tourism?
See on www.telegraph.co.uk
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
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 