This map by Jakub Marian shows you how to say Merry Christmas in European languages.
Source: fairlanguages.com
To those that celebrate Christmas I was going to wish them a Merry Christmas in English, but this gives us so many other options…Feliz Navidad! For any interested in exploring the setting of the Christmas story from a geographic perspective, read on.
Tags: religion, Europe, culture, historical, language, seasonal.
“In our dense cities where land is valuable and housing is expensive, why do our cars pay cheaper rent than people?”
Source: www.strongtowns.org
Everyone searching for a parking space has at one time felt that there are not enough spaces where and when you need them…did you know that their are at least 3 surface lot parking spaces for every car in the United States (not including garages, driveways, etc)? With 250 million passenger vehicles for 316 million people, that means there are 800 million surface lot parking spaces (that account for only 60-70% of our parking needs). Parking, and the ways in which parking is subsidized, are much bigger issues than many want to believe, especially when cars are given breaks that people don’t. We cant forget that there is a high cost for free parking.
Tags: urban, transportation, planning.
“GeoInquiries are designed to be fast and easy-to-use instructional resources that incorporate advanced web mapping technology. Each 15-minute activity in a collection is intended to be presented by the instructor from a single computer/projector classroom arrangement. No installation, fees, or logins are necessary to use these materials and software.”
Source: edcommunity.esri.com
ESRI has produced GeoInquires for Earth Science, History and now a complete set of AP Human Geography GeoInquiries. I was grateful to be a part of the team that created these exercises; we believe that APHG should not just teach students about GIS, but be used to teach geography. These GeoInquiries are an easy on-ramp since the were designed for students and teachers without a GIS background.
Tags: mapping, geospatial, ESRI, APHG.
The new counterterrorism coalition includes nations such as Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt as well as war-torn countries with embattled militaries such as Libya and Yemen.
Source: www.csmonitor.com
This is too new for me to speculate as to the effectiveness or support that this new alliance will have. What are the national, regional, and global motives of each of these 34 states? I think we will all keep an eye on this moving forward.
Tags: political, terrorism, Islam, Saudi Arabia, geopolitics.
“From treasure maps to smart phone apps, geography makes sense of our world by describing locations, patterns and relationships of the Earth’s natural and social systems — both past and present. Canadian Geographic’s editors, along with the help of a number of Fellows of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society and other experts, compiled this ultimate Canadian geography quiz to truly test you. Think you’re a geo genius? Prove it!”
Source: www.canadiangeographic.ca
These are 50 HARD questions (any student not from Canada that gets over 50% right should pat themselves on the back). I will only give you one of the 50 answers since most of you have never been to the explore the frozen tunda; pictured above is a pingo. Pingos form when groundwater is pressurized and forced upward in a concentrated area by advancing permafrost. This groundwater-saturated sediment freezes and expands as it’s driven toward the surface, causing the earth above to bulge and eventually break open.
“On Saturday 12 December people in Saudi Arabia go to the polls. This is a rare event in itself, but on this occasion women in the country will be voting and standing for office for the first time in history. Voting for the municipal elections take place across Saudi Arabia, but we managed to speak to the first women to register to vote in the capital Riyadh.”
Source: www.bbc.com
Tomorrow, Saudi women will have their first opportunity to vote. Voting power in this kingdom is limited but time will tell if this was merely a symbolic gesture of appeasement or the beginning of greater social changes.
Tags: Saudi Arabia, gender, Middle East.
“Schools in Beijing are closed and outdoor construction halted as the Chinese capital’s first ever pollution “red alert” comes into effect over smog levels.”
Source: www.bbc.com
A large part of China’s rapid economic growth has been dependent on cutting corners in labor and environmental standards. This is one reason why I don’t think that the Chinese economy can continue this growth indefinitely.
Tags: pollution, China, development, economic, megacities, East Asia, industry, sustainability, urban ecology.
“Schools in Beijing are closed and outdoor construction halted as the Chinese capital’s first ever pollution “red alert” comes into effect over smog levels.”
Source: www.bbc.com
A large part of China’s rapid economic growth has been dependent on cutting corners in labor and environmental standards. This is one reason why I don’t think that the Chinese economy can continue this growth indefinitely.
Tags: pollution, China, development, economic, megacities, East Asia, industry, sustainability, urban ecology.
Persecuting religious minorities that are perceived as a political threat is a time-honored American tradition.
Source: www.washingtonpost.com
This is not intended to be a political post, but one that reflects of the history of religious persecution in the United States. If you find that to be a controversial political topic, so be it. In the past, when Americans have suspected that a religious group is undermining it’s country’s free, democratic political order, we have demanded—often violently—some radical action against that group. Let that past stay in the past.
Tags: religion, USA, historical, conflict.
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 