GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Boston’s unnatural shoreline

Today’s 100-year storm surge could be tomorrow’s high tide.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

This set of maps and articles help to explain why sea level rise is such an issue for many major metropolitan areas. In coastal cities with substantial economic development, much of the current coastal areas where once underwater until landfill projects filled in the bay. During storm surges (or if and when sea levels rise) these will be the first places to flood.

Tags: disasters, water, physical, Boston, weather and climate.

See on www.theatlanticcities.com

February 5, 2013 0

Rhode Island Community Profiles

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

This is a simplified Census data map viewer specifically for Rhode Island. To see a simplified U.S. Census data at the national scale, see: http://sco.lt/7G5rur

Tags: statistics, Rhode Island, census, GIS, mapping, cartography.

See on profiles.provplan.org

February 5, 2013 0

Super Bowl Is Largest Human Trafficking Incident In U.S.

When it came time for the Super Bowl, Clemmie Greenlee was expected to sleep with anywhere from 25 to 50 men a day.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

There certainly is a dark side to large sporting events.

See on www.huffingtonpost.com

February 4, 2013 0

Tweetping

Check out the twitter activity in realtime

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

What is the social media conversation like in different regions of the world? This realtime mapping tool lets to visualize the ever-shifting world of Twitter. In this screen shot, Europe and Africa are sleeping the Americas are buzzing with activity.

See on www.tweetping.net

February 4, 2013 0

Inside India’s pop-up city

Every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela, a centuries-old Hindu pilgrimage, temporarily transforms an empty floodplain in India into one of the biggest cities in the world.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

Hindu pilgrims from all over India flock to bathe where it the Yamuna Saraswati Rivers join with the Ganges River for a religious experience. This is a massive undertaking where the cultural practices create migratory patterns that reshape cities because of a sacred physical geography.

See on news.harvard.edu

February 4, 2013 0

Pacific Islanders transform Utah’s football scene

New demographic study in California reveals nation’s changing face. Plus how Pacific Islanders changed high school football in Utah and why a Somali Bantu band from Vermont is in demand around the country.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

This news article of ‘odds and end’ has some interesting geographic content. Having lived in Utah for many years, I can attest to the fact that the “Polynesian Pipeline” for Utah schools is incredibly important and represents a chain migration that has culturally shifted both the ‘host’ and ‘migrant’ population. The ‘haka‘ is now institutionized as a part of Intermountain West football culture.

Also in this article:

–Hispanics to outnumber whites in California by 2014

–Somali Bantu band from Burlington, VT in demand across the country

Tags: Migration, culture, unit 2 population.

See on www.latitudenews.com

February 4, 2013 0

Catalonia asks Spain for 9 Billion Euros

The independence-minded region of Catalonia asks the Spanish central government for an extra 9bn euros (£7.7bn) in bailout money.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

Catalonia appears to want the benefits of independence AND being a politically a part of Spain.

Tags: Spain, Europe, devolution, autonomy.

See on www.bbc.co.uk

February 4, 2013 0

New in Town, Stranger?

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

For computers, shibboleths allow online verification of your identity. Culturally, shibboleths are words that have distinct regional pronouncations and consequently ‘reveal’ something of the speakers ethnic, cultural or regional background. This Washington Post article lists some phrases that people that are visiting Washington D.C., or not from there often get wrong.

Tags: language, culture, Washington DC, unit 3 culture.

See on www.washingtonpost.com

February 4, 2013 0

“The Farmer”

And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.” So God made a farmer. God said, “I need somebody willing to ge…

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

This Super Bowl commercial for trucks also doubles as a tribute to a rural America of yesteryear in general, and for farmers more specifically. While some may object to the overtly religious references of video, I feel that it reflects the cultural ethos of the Midwest and but more importantly the market research shows that this religious appeal would resonate with the truck-purchasing demographic that this commercial is trying to influence.

Tags: agriculture, labor, rural, unit 5 agriculture.

See on www.youtube.com