The Netherlands is well known for its excellent cycling infrastructure. How did the Dutch get this network of bicycle paths? Read more: http://bicycledutch.w...
See on www.youtube.com
“As was the case 160 years ago, Crimea has once again become ‘the tinderbox’, potentially ready to ignite a pan-European conflict. Precipitous events in Crimea once again draws public attention to that often-forgotten triangular peninsula jutting into the Black Sea off the underbelly of Ukraine. While the news reports from Russian, Ukrainian, and Western sources have been generally confusing and conflicting, some interesting analysis has appeared in several media outlets.”
See on www.geocurrents.info
Gas and oil prices have risen amid fears the Ukraine crisis could have a damaging effect on one of Europe’s main energy supply routes. But analysts say high European gas stocks will limit the turbulence.
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
Russia is Europe’s biggest supplier of natural gas, but Ukraine is the key to their distribution network.
See on www.bbc.com
We think we know what poverty looks like. But how do we accurately account for it? How do we know where to look?
Poverty maps are one place to begin. Technological advances of the past decade—the increased capability to both collect and process improved data—make it possible to reveal the face of the poor in finer detail than ever before. By translating data into the visual accessibility of a map, we can locate poverty more precisely, understand its sources more comprehensively—and attack it more effectively. Such maps can even be used to monitor the results of anti-poverty efforts. Poverty maps can be part of a strong, new foundation for building and tailoring policies and programs, to reach those people that will benefit the most.
Ukraine’s interim prime minister says the country is “on the brink of disaster.”
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
Many observers fear that Russia’s military control of the Crimea could lead to more centrifugal forces in the region. This is troubling news indeed.
See on www.washingtonpost.com
The old labels no longer apply. Rich countries need to learn from poor ones.
BILL GATES, in his foundation’s annual letter, declared that “the terms ‘developing countries’ and ‘developed countries’ have outlived their usefulness.” He’s right. If we want to understand the modern global economy, we need a better vocabulary.
Mr. Gates was making a point about improvements in income and gross domestic product; unfortunately, these formal measures generate categories that tend to obscure obvious distinctions. Only when employing a crude “development” binary could anyone lump Mozambique and Mexico together.
It’s tough to pick a satisfying replacement. Talk of first, second and third worlds is passé, and it’s hard to bear the Dickensian awkwardness of “industrialized nations.” Forget, too, the more recent jargon about the “global south” and “global north.” It makes little sense to counterpose poor countries with “the West” when many of the biggest economic success stories in the past few decades have come from the East.
All of these antiquated terms imply that any given country is “developing” toward something, and that there is only one way to get there.
It’s time that we start describing the world as “fat” or “lean.”
See on www.nytimes.com
“Until the Great Depression, nobody talked about ‘the economy.’ In a sense, it hadn’t been invented yet.”
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
This podcast is a great discussion on historical evolution of some standard economic measures; it is also a nice reminder that statistics such as GDP don’t represent a tangible thing, but are a shaped by how we think about the world around us.
See on www.npr.org
“By the end of this year, digging could begin on a waterway that would stretch roughly 180 miles across Nicaragua to unite the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.”
Seth Dixon‘s insight:
Today, the largest of the massive cargo ships are simply too big to get through the Panama Canal and have to travel down around the tip of South America; China is strategically working on strengthening their geopolitical position in the South China Sea and all international waters. This is one reason why a Chinese firms are planning to construct a canal to rival Panama’s. This article highlights the reasons for concern (Maps 101 readers can read more about the geographic implications of Nicaragua’s plans in this article co-authored by myself and Julie Dixon or you can sign up for a free trial subscription to see what else Maps 101 has to offer).
Tags: transportation, Nicaragua, globalization, diffusion, industry, economic.
See on www.wired.com
“Western nations have called on Russia to ease tensions in Ukraine’s Crimea region after armed men seized the local parliament and raised the Russian flag.”
See on www.bbc.com
