video

Cutting Haiti’s Forests

The major environmental problem facing Haiti’s biodiversity is explained, including video of tree-cutting within a national park.

Source: www.youtube.com

Deforestation does not happen in a vacuum–it occurs in an economic, political, and historical context. Having successfully staged a slave revolution against France in 1806, they were ostracized from the global community (since the powers that be did not want to see slave rebellions or colonial uprising elsewhere) and were forced to look within for their own energy resources. The nation’s forests were (and still are) converted into charcoal, leading to long-term environmental problems such as soil erosion, flooding, and habitat destruction for many species. All of this increased increased Haiti’s disaster vulnerability in the earthquake of 2010.

Tags: Haiti, biogeography, environment, ecology, video, poverty, development, economic, labor.

May 30, 2016 0

Haiti: From Recovery to Sustainable Development

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“Since the 2010 earthquake, Haiti has successfully pulled through the humanitarian recovery phase and seen significant socioeconomic gains. Yet as Haiti moves toward long-term, sustainable development, the country faces significant challenges. The political system remains fragile, sustainable jobs are scarce, and the environment is still as vulnerable now as it was then.”

Source: link.brightcove.com

While this is primarily a promotional campaign for the UNDP’s efforts in Haiti, it nicely contextualizes the problems that Haiti faces before discussing how to improve the situation. Some keys for the future include:

Governance and Rule of Law
Recovery and Poverty Reduction
Disaster Risk Reduction
Environmental Management
Medical Outbreak Management

Tags: disasters, Haiti, NGOs, poverty, development, video.

May 28, 2016 0

The Danger of a Single Story

https://www.youtube.com/v/D9Ihs241zeg?fs=1&hl=fr_FR

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Source: www.youtube.com

To gain a global perspective inherently requires understanding multiple perspectives. Africa is frequently portrayed as ‘the other’ but also homogenized within a single narrative that ‘flattens’ truth. How can we teach and learn about other places in a way that develops geographic empathy and shows the many stories of that can belong to any one place?

Tags: Africa, perspective, TED.

December 4, 2015 0

President Obama on Geography Education

President Obama participated in this year’s National Geographic Bee to to “celebrate the important role that geography plays in all our lives.” During that event he made a statement that I think geographers should use more. Go to 0:45-1:10 in the video clip to hear this message or see the transcript below.

“The study of geography is about more than just memorizing places on a map. It’s about understanding the complexity of our world, appreciating the diversity of cultures that exists across continents. And in the end, it’s about using all that knowledge to help bridge divides and bring people together.”

–President Barack Obama

Tags: Geography, GeographyEducation, video, geo-inspiration.

See on www.youtube.com

September 6, 2012 0

Labor Day 2012

If you are a fan of the 40 hour work week, 8 hour work day, health benefits, child labor laws and this lovely thing called “the weekend,” you have the labor movement to thank. The Department of Labor has put together a page entitled ‘The History of Labor Day.’ This helps us understand that the benefits that we enjoy today are the legacy of generations of workers who courageously fought for for workers rights.

Tags: Labor, industry, economics, unit 6 industry and video.

See on www.youtube.com

September 2, 2012 0