Airlines losing bags
I found this article this evening as I was browsing the internet and thought it was pretty interesting. It gives the stats on the number of bags that were lost to airlines over the year 2005. U.S. airways was the biggest loser of bigs for the year 2005. I know this article doesn't have a lot to do about globalalization, but as technology has increased over the past years, airline travel has grown to become the fastest and probably the most used way to travel to different places. It's interesting to think of the number of bags that have been lost throughout the years effects everyone throughout the world. Not only does this event happen in the United States, but throughout the whole world and it's a statistic that's not measured by country or region but encompasses people from all over the whole world. I think as security at America's airports and airports increases throughout the whole world we are going to continue to see increased security at airports and more of these errors occuring. Already the stat put out for 2005 is an increase over 2004 and as security increases more of these errors and waits are going to lead to lost baggage.
It's an interesting article to read. You never know the next time your bag might be lost!
Click here
Class Summary 2-17-06
Today was a big notes day for College Geo. We started by turning in our maps and then proceeded to work on some notes. Here they are:
Population and settlement: Reshaping a Continental Landscape
· Modern Spatial and Demographic Patterns
o Settlement is uneven in the region
o N. America has 315.5 million (284.5-U.S.: 31-Canada)
o Megalopolis: largest settlement cluster in the U.S. (Boston-Washington DC)
· Occupying the Land
o Indigenous people have been in N.A. for at least
o Europeans came to North America
o European diseases and disruptions
Population Map of North America
Three settlement stages for Europe:
Stage 1: 1600-1750: European colonial footholds on East Coast (French, English, Dutch, Spanish enslaved Africans)
Stage 2: 1750-1850: Infilling better eastern farmland, including Upper Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, Interior Lowlands, Midwest, Interior, South Canadian Settlement slower
Stage 3: 1850-1910: Westward movement (immigrants and American-born Europeans) heading west for gold rushes and other opportunities.
North America on the Move
Westward moving populations
By 1900, more than half of U.S. population west of the Mississippi river
Black Exodus from the South
After emancipation, most African-American stayed in the south
Movement north for jobs
Rural to Urban Migration
Today, more than 75% of North Americans live in cities (2500 people or more)
Growth on the Sun Belt
Fastest growing region since 1970, with some states growing by 20% (GA, FL, TX, NC)
The Counter urbanization trend
Since 1970, some people have moved to smaller cities and rural areas
Lifestyle Migrants: Seeking amenities
Settlement Geographics: The Decentralized Metropolis
Urban decentralization: when metropolis areas sprawl in all directions
and suburbs take on the characteristics of downtown.
Growth of the American City
Concentric Zone Model: Urban land uses organized in rings around the Central Business District
Urban realms model or Edge Cities: New suburbs with a mix of retail, office complexes, and entertainment
Consequences of Sprawl:
People and investment flee city for suburbs
Poverty, crime, racial tensions in city
Gentrification:
Movement of wealthier people to deteriorated inner-city areas; many displace low income residents
Suburban downtowns: Similar to edge cities; suburbs become full-service urban centers with retail, business, education, jobs, etc.
Settlement Geographics: Rural North America
North Americans historically have favored a dispersed rural settlement pattern
Township-and-range survey system: Rectangular survey system introduced in 1785in U.S. for unincorporated areas; similar system in Canada
Railroads opened interior to settlement
Today, many rural areas are experiencing population declines, as family farms are replaced by corporate farms
Cities like Los Angeles and Houston have been battling poor air quality for decades. Although they have infact made some progress, the issue remains a hot topic of discussion.
According to an article I read, overdependence on auto causes 60% of Southern California's infamous smog. It also stated that "In 2004, some 40 percent of national seaborne imports, 235.7 million metric tons, came through the two ports. In 2001, diesel engines of all types--trucks, ships, locomotives, heisters--that carried them through the Port of Los Angeles alone directly pumped out 2.3 tons of tiny soot a day into the region, a study by port officials showed. Not only that but Recent scientific studies have linked these particles to cancer and cardiovascular disease, the country's most pervasive killers." They also conducted a 10-year study, following children growing up in these thick ozone areas. They concluded that the children had 20% less air capacity than those living in cleaner areas. That goes to show that the environment is posing great health concerns for the states. Obviously overpopulation, reliance on automobiles, and booming industrialization has played an import role in this issue. With that, we need to discover solutions to the air pollution problem. I think Carpooling or electric cars could definately help with harmful emissions. What do you think?
Check out these sites for more info
SMOG IN CALIFORNIATRAFFIC & SMOGBREATHE SHALLOWLY
Rural-Urban Migration
In industrializing societies, the amount of migration from rural to urban areas is tremendous. Around 66% of the world’s population live in the cities of developing countries. Furthermore, the population of these cities is expected to keep growing. By 2015, the population of New York is expected to increase by about 1 million people, but the population of Bombay is expected to increase by about 12 million.
In the United States it’s easy to see why people continue to move from the rural countryside into the urban city life. The U.S. is a very industrialized country that has many employment opportunities. The advancement of machinery has replaced the need for strenuous labor and people no longer have the desire from such a way of life. However for the people who continue to farm, some are forced to the city because farming can be very expensive and is often times a gamble. The weather plays a huge role in whether farmers have a prosperous year and make a profit. Many small farmers are being put out of business, because they no longer can compete with large farms and can’t generate enough earnings to stay in the industry.
However in other parts of the world rural-urban migration, is not considered to be better. For about 900 million poor people live in isolated, rural areas and rely on agriculture for their subsistence. As a result, a growing number of rural people in Africa, many parts of the Middle East, Latin America and Asia are migrating to cities in their quest of employment, even though there might only be few available jobs. In fact, rural-urban migration estimates for about 40 percent of today’s urban growth. Though this migration is not fueling economic growth in the developing world. Poverty is plainly migrating from rural areas to the cities. Rural development, therefore, must be the first step in fighting poverty, and an investment in agriculture is key. In most poor countries, agriculture is still the largest employer, job creator and export earner. Over and over agriculture has been the device that has driven economic growth. Growing up on a dairy and beef farm that raises 2000 plus acres of crops, I know what’s like to have ups and downs in the agriculture business. We have found that insurance is very important. It provides a safety net for farmers if the crop or farm is somehow ruined by natural disasters, but unfortunately not all farmers are able to afford it. It can be pretty expensive. People in developing countries probably don’t have access to this, so whatever the atmospheric conditions are like, is what they have to live with. If they suffer from a drought, which produces a limited crop, they in turn progress into a continuing cycle of scarcity. It’s important for people to support farmers and the agriculture business, in order to prevent poverty, for they are the true food providers and they keep this world alive and healthy.Rural-Urban Migration
2-16-06
Finished GSI packets with our partners. This GSI project is the most populous cities in the world from 100 C.E. through 2000 C.E. Also we worked on our maps of North America. On these maps we need to put all the states, capitals, and the cities on the sheet on this map.
Overpopulation
After doing our GIS assignment I thought it would be interesting to explore country and city populations more in-depth. Did you know that the United States is ranked third in
country population and that New York is the thirteenth most
populous city?
There appears to be some serious overpopulation issues in southern Asia, particularly in China and India. The two most populous cities have almost a combined total of 23 million people.
The impression that the human populations have in the natural environment can be extreme in some cases. Many animal and plant species have become extinct due to the progression of urban developments; the pollution is a issue that continues to grow each and every day with the constant use of more cars and the industrialization from arising countries.
Each year, more than 81 million people add to the world-wide population. Every 10 years nearly one billion people are added to the world’s population. By 2050, India will replace China for first place in growth rate, with an increase of 550 million extra people to its existing population of one billion. Pakistan will almost triple its population by 2050, from 142 to 350 million.
This is really crazy that these countries are growing and populating so rapidly. In the article it states "If the world population stays on growing at an average of three children by couple, the global population for 2050 will be of 10.5 billion inhabitants, from whom 7.7 billion will suffer for extreme poverty, lack of fresh water, hunger, illnesses, etc." What will the world become? 7.7 billion people will endure extreme poverty!! That statistic is outrageous, but most likely to be accurate. This issue needs to be addressed in a huge way, to prevent such disastrous futures for upcoming generations.
Overpopulation
Class Summary 2/15/06
Today in class we guessed the top ten most populous cities in the world. Then we went into the lab and did GIS for city population for now and thousands of years ago. We received a map for U.S. states, Canada's provinces,and capitals which is due on Friday the 17th. Don't forget to be doing your paper which is now due on Tuesday February 21st, but if you turn it in on Friday the 17th you will receive 5 extra credit points.
Today in 4th block, we started talking about Bollywood movies. So later today, I came across this really interesting article. However, many of you are probably thinking, okay...so what exactly is Bollywood anyways? Well-It's actually an Indian filmmaking industry known for its melodramatic musicals (ex: 'Bend it like Beckham', 'Bride & Prejudice', 'Vanity Fair', and the musical 'Bombay Dreams,' which my sister saw in London!). The filmmakers who started it all "were originally influenced by old Hollywood musicals from the golden age of American cinema, which they transplanted Indian music, dance and values to." Being proud Americans, we tend to think that we're the globalizing force in the world. I guess you could say that we influenced the Bollywood craze. However, just by looking around we can view the changes that Indian Culture has sparked within North America. According to the article, "Indian and Asian cultures are going to be recognized as the new pop cultures globally. Everything and anything that’s Indian – yoga, fashion, music – has suddenly now become more popular and mainstream in the west." It's so weird to think that while McDonald's are appearing in India, new Indian Restaurants, movies, and music are popping up in the U.S. This whole cultural exchange is going on all around us. So we better consider the truth: "America isn’t the only country capable of producing an infectious commercial culture."
*I recommend you check this out, it's actually fun to read.
Bollywood Invades
Class Summary for February 14, 2006
1. Trivia
2. North American Notes (Started from where Silvia left off):
- Patterns of Climate and Vegetation
Physical Geography of North America (Fig. 3.4)
Climate Map of North America (Fig. 3.7)Environmental Geography: A Threatened Life of Plenty
- The Costs of Human Modification
- Transforming Soils and Vegetation
- Managing Water
- Altering the Atmosphere
- The Price of Affluence
3. Understanding Cities Video
**Homework:
- Complete Understanding Cities worksheet.
- Read through page 63 in textbook.
- Reminder: Paper due Tuesday.
Have a Happy Valentine's Day! : )
After starting to read this third chapter in this book, I became very intrigued by immigration that is happening in our nation. I found some awesome information about immigration, along with some graphs on the Center for Immigration Website. This site has many informational facts about immigration that is happening in our nation today, up until 2005.
Some of the facts that caught my eye is that immigrants account for 12.1% of the total population, this is the highest percentage in eight decades. This is an astonishing number, which is good and bad for our society. Can our society keep up with the immigration trends, or is it to be getting too much? I also found that nearly half of the immigrants that immigrated in 200 are estimated to be illegal aliens. Does this mean we need to have better laws that inforce the stop to illegal immigration? I think this article can answer most of your questions pretty well, when it comes down to it.
Hurricanes
For my paper I am writing about how global warming is effecting hurricanes. With the recent disasters in places like New Orleans still on everyone's mind it is interesting to learn hurricanes are predicted to become more powerful. The main cause is because global warming is causing the sea surface temperature (SST) to rise. These are great sites that explain a little bit more about why this is happening and how much worse it could get.
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentID=4804
North America has been hit with Acid Rain, which is "industrially produced sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere that damage forests, poison lakes, and kill fish." Obviously it has harmful effects on our world, whether we choose to see it or not. However, there are several steps we can take to protect our environment. This site discussed many ideas to consider.
I never knew that you could renew acidic lakes by adding limestone to them. This procedure is common in Norway and Sweden, but uncommon here. It seems like an interesting and beneficial process, despite the fact that it's expensive.
The site also described some ways citizens can deal with the issue. For exampe, simply by turning off the lights when not in use or using energy efficient washing machines/fridges we can help the problem. If we just take the initiative, we can work towards an improved environment.
*Check out this site for more ideas.
Acid Rain
Haiti just had their presidential election, and they are also choosing a 129-member parliament. But if you thought what happened in Florida during our presidential election was bad, you should check out the angry protestors in this poor counrty of Haiti. The front-runner Rene Preval had a 61% lead last week but now his numbers have dropped and he only got 48.7% of the votes- and you need 50% to win. This has caused riots all over Haiti and supporters of Preval are demanding that he be made president. They are burning tyres and roadblocks, and a large group of protestors marched into a hotel where the ballots were being counted and were jumping in the pool and chanting slogans. Many believe that there has been mishandling of the ballots and they think that Preval should be made president. Un officials were tryin to control crowds and said they shot in the air, but witnesses are saying that they shot at them. To put it simply, it's mass chaos. And so we come upon another thing we take for granted: our semi-peaceful elections. In Haiti there is at least one person who has been killed and acounted for during these protests. Sure we complain and argue about the fairness of the elections, but in the end we don't cause chaos and kill people over it. I know I am very grateful to be living in a democratic and free country where we can be peaceful and still have our voice be heard.
2006 Winter Olympics
I was thinking of things I could write a post about and realized that there hadn't been one made about the Olympics that are happening in Italy right now. If there is an example of the world coming together as one, this is definately it. The Olympics that occur every two years (the Summer Games alternating with the Winter Games) are a test of the trials and hard work numerous athletes have put in for many years. It is mentioned in the article about how many of the countries of the world that are in conflict put aside their differences to compete in the most respected Games in the world. I know the Olympic Games have been occuring for many years so its not like its a new idea that "piggy-backed" on globalization, however, competing or watching the Olympics is a large part of culture today. And its a part of culture everywhere in the world, not just the U.S. As the glory of winning the gold seeps into the hearts and souls of athletes everywhere, more and more countries are becoming involved in the Games. I think the Olympic Games are a good representation of the world coming together in one community and all working towards a single goal. The article I read about the opening ceremony talks about people hanging themselves from ribbons in the shape of a dove. This is to represent peace. The reception of the Italian athletes was gracious and a showing of true unity around the world. Check out this article:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/ny-spoly0211-t1,0,2458200.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines to see more about the opening ceremony for the 2006 Winter Olympics.
1. Trivia
2. Map of the Physical Features of North America(Due Tomorrow)
3. Notes-North America Part One(We didn’t get very far)
North America
· Learning Objectives
*Your first opportunity to apply introductory concepts to a region.
*Apply concepts of globalization to a familiar region.
*Understand the following concepts and models: Acid rain, concentric zone model, counter urbanization, digital divide, ethnicity, gentrification, megalopolis, and urban realms.
Introduction
· North America includes the U.S. and Canada
Both counties are in the final stage of the demographic transition model (low birth rate, low death rate).
Postindustrial economy with modern technology, innovative financial and information services, and popular culture
*315.5 million residents (U.S. 284.5 million, Canada 31 million)
*Rich in resources, has been heavily modified by humans
Environmental Issues in North America (Fig. 3.8)
Environmental Geography: A Threatened Life of Plenty
· A Diverse Physical Setting
Eastern mountains (Appalachians, Piedmont) from 3,000-5,000 feet.
Western mountains include earthquakes, volcanoes, alpine glaciers, and erosion; Rockies reach more than 10,000 feet
Great Plains in the Center
4. Read Pages 45-51
If you are interested in an anti-globalization website, you are not alone, I just thought I would give you all this link in case you feel the need to "fight the machine"
http://www.augustreview.com/
This article talkes about video games being globalized because of the fact that the industry is building "game localization centers" around the world. I don't really think that something like this is globalization much of the world. They are building this center in Singapore so they can get games to Asia sooner, faster, and easier. However, if they are only doing it so it's more efficent then that means people are already playing them. If it's nothing new to these people it's not much globalization, more of a convenience really. I myself play video games here and there and i think if there were globalization concerning video games is would be the characters in them and their facial characterists. I don't think that building a new distrabution center for video games will have much of an effect on globalization
Video Game Globalization
This article discusses some of the high threat countries to the United States. Each one has different reasons for being on there and links to each one explaining it more. Cuba is on there, the reason being it's Communist leader Fidel Castro, although he himself has not been much of a threat since the "Cuban Missile Crisis" the US still has embargo's on trade with them. I do not believe that we should begin trade with this country as some people might, but i do think that anything we are doing now is having very little effect and we should re-think how we want to go about dealing with Fidel Castro. On the other hand if he is no longer much of a threat then why keep the embargo in place? If we have an embargo against him but do nothing else then what is the point in it?
Thoughts on Cuba
Summary for 2/6/06
NOTES= 1.Global Climates
-Weather: Short-term, day-to- day expression of atmosphere processes
-Climate: long-term, average conditions usually at least 30 years of daily weather data(temps. + precipitation).
-Climate Region: boundaries drawn around areas with similar average climate conditions. Helps us make inference about human activities and settlement.
-Climograph: Provides "Average Rainfall Figure". Provide average high and low temp. and precipitation for every month in an entire year. Includes Average high temp., Average low temp., and Average precipitation.
GLOBAL WARMING
1.Human Activities are connected with economic development and industrilization affect the world's climate.
2.Anthropogenic: Rising sea-levels as polar ice-cap melts.
Causes of Global Warming
-Natural Greenhouse effects make the Earth warm enough to support life.
-Beginning with Industrial Revolution inEurope and North America, greenhouse gases have increased dramatically mostly from burning fossil fuels.
-Co2, CFCs, CH4, N2O= major greenhouse gases.
Effects
-Average glabal temp. will increase 2 degress to 4 degress.
-Major shift in agricultural areas
-Wheat Belt=warmer and drier until lower grain yield.
Southern Regions of U.S. and Europe=warmer and drier.
We watched a movie about volcanic activity in Iceland, which was semi-interesting. The fact that the Earth is almost like a breathing, living creature is a great analogy. The fact that islands can just sprout out of the sea or dissapear in the blink of an eye is pretty interesting. Anyway, the rest of the movie went on to explain such things as the tectonic plates and uses a volcano in Iceland as the main story focus about the Earth.
Went to the lab and worked on GIS after a few notes
Since one of our recent topics was urban development and the movement of people, I was interested when I found a web site that related it to Minnesota. Minneapolis has received $25.7 million in direct funding to create sustainable communities through economic growth, affordable housing, safety, education, job training and community services. This program if focused on making Minneapolis a more efficient town and allows new job and housing opportunities to parts of the city’s population that would typically struggle. These new homes and jobs will decrease the gap between the rich and poor in Minnesota, if only for a small group of people. With a chance at better jobs and homes, in a more secure area the growing population in Minneapolis will continue to thrive and grow as more people move into cities settings. I think that only positive events can come from these new additions to Minneapolis. I hope that Minnesota continues to create more community improvements like this in the future to help employ and house the growing population.
This Site includes maps of the areas that are going to be improved with the funding.
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ez/One of the Links from this website brings you to a page outlining the program to create new jobs.
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/news/Closing_the_Gap.pdf
People have been commenting on how they think space exploration is good but the government should spend less money on it. I learned about Privatization in Business Principals and Management. Privatizing is making something that is run by the government and turning it into a private company. This topic has become a hot debate lately. If the space program becomes privatized then tax payers wouldn't get the bill for space exploration.
Glaciers Melting?
We have all heard about many possible effects for global warming, and chances are once or twice the subject about the polar ice caps or glaciers melting has come up. After the GIS exercise we did in class about coastal flooding, I thought this would be an interesting topic to research. I searched for an article about this and found one that is good for the topic:
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/floods.htmThis article contains theories about possible effects of glaciers melting. It addressed a possibility that also occured to me on Friday- the fact that because floating glaciers might not cause the level of water to change. Since the part of the glacier below the water is displacing more water than that part of the glacier actually has (due to numerous small air pockets trapped inside ice), the amount of water in the ice above the water, evening the level of water out. It does however, include the possibility of glaciers on land melting. This would indeed cause the level of water to increase, causing problems not only for those living around the glaciers but also anyone living around the coast for that matter. The effects of global climate change could very well be upon us, and the melting of glaciers should not be overlooked.
Prussian Blue: HITLER's SISTER's
Truly the world wants to forget a lot of things. And by this I mean Prussian Blue. There was a case not just a few years ago where these two girls were almost banned from Australia. I don't have the article but I had this discussion on an Australian forum in which they were mentioning it. However, I do believe that Germany has officially banned them from their borders. And I'm not suprised, cause these girls are flipping nuts! White supremists Neo-Nazis. My belief is that these 14 year old girls where brainwashed by their parents. I mean, how else would they suddenly aquire these radical ideas at their age? My question is though, even though America is a free country, should there not be some cases where the line must be drawn? I know some of the limits of free speech, like threats, but what these girls are saying...just look at the pictures and you'll know what I am talking about. Talk about the opposite of Globalization.
http://forum.darwinawards.com/index.php?showtopic=7110&hl= click on the link on the first post on this forum and the second one
http://prussianbluefan.blogspot.com/
Avian Flu is a Coming for You!
Avian flu is spreading and there is no doubt about it. Though there has already been tons of Avian flu blogs, this one, I believe, pretty much sums up what is going on. This viral strain has gone form only a few forms to having been found in many forms, the most popular being H5N1 which caused most of the cases in China. It started out as a minor story but know the flu is growing toward an almost epidemic stage.
In 2003 there was only 3 reported deaths internationally.
In 2004 32 deaths for the year.
In 2005 41 deathes for the year.
And now, already in the first month and a half of 2006, 12 deaths.
It's a growing child, and it's going to deck a lot of people before we see the end of it. Scientists speculate that, in a worst cast scenario, 150 million deaths will be ravaged by the avian flu. Others argue it's just a small run through. This avian flu could end up to be like the 1918 epidemic, which killed some 50-100 million people, or the Swine flu that all your parents probably remeber getting inaculated for, yet that flu supposedly only killed one person. Is this all a scare, or the real deal?
You decide!
Here are some links and then and now avian flu maps
http://bepast.org/docs/photos/Avian%20Flu/influenza%20world%20map.jpg THEN
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BirdFluWorld.png NOW
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_spread_of_H5N1
Summary for class on 2/10/06
First we took the first exam of the year on chapters 1-2. Then we were assigned the chapter three reading guide. Chapter three deals with characteristics and patterns in North America. The packet is due on our next exam day.
Globalization Spreads to Small Colonizations
Currently my parents are spending 14 days in Bonaire, a small island off the coast of Venezuela. I have been communicating with them through email and they have noticed an immensely similar culture to ours, even though the island is owned by the Netherlands, not to mention 90% of the tourists that visit our from the Netherlands as well. My parents have been there the past two years for diving, and over the last couple years they've noticed that all the meals in the hotel restaraunt are centered more around meet as a main course, specifically beef. We talked about this in class as one of the main contributors to deforestation in tropical rain forests because people need more room for cattle ranching. Below is a link with a map and general information on Bonaire.
http://www.geographia.com/bonaire/
Friends Abroad
I have been a part of this website since the early summer time and I thought it is an interesting website in relation to the topic of globalization. The website allows people to sign up and communicate with others throughout the world. It takes your interests and knowledges of world languages and helps match you up with friends to talk to with in different areas of the world.
I think the website is interesting because I see some globalization in it once again. I think this website shows just how much the internet is a part of globalization and how it's now a vital communication tool in opening us up to different parts of the world. Through the internet, and through this website specifically, everyone from the many areas of the world can come to one place to communicate. The internet has really linked everyone together and this website helps increase the value of this link. There's so many worlds out there and cultures, but this website really brings everyone together. It is safe so long as you don't give out personal information and are safe in who you talk with and where they are from.
Friends Abroad
