Human Interest

Deforestation drivers

a good video to show how human activity negatively impacts the ecosystem. I will use this video in phase three

I can't say I agree with all the arguments put forward in this video, it can still be a nice starting point to get students to critically analyze the ideas put forth and assess the merits of the claims being made.

It is difficult to change the junk food and convenience food culture in one generation. 

This was really surprising , it is amazing how education effects every area of our lives .

how do these people not know what the crop they are producing is or tastes like? that is amazing to me how you can be so oblivious to what you are doing. and how the place that produces cocoa does not actually have access to it.

What is the geography of chocolate like?  This video was produced in the Netherlands, the global center of the cocoa trade, but the world's leading producer of cocoa is Côte d'Ivoire.  There is a dark side to chocolate production; the dirty secret is that slavery is commonplace on cocoa plantations in West Africa.  Although the worst of the situation is glossed over in this video, it still hints at the vast economic inequalities that are part and parcel of the global chocolate trade and the plantation roots of the production.  What are some of your reactions to this video?  

Tags: chocolate, Ivory Coast, Africa, poverty, development, economic, globalization, industry, labor.

This information is taken from the World Bank's 2014 report "Prosperity for All." The report looks at "progress to date in reducing global poverty and discusses some of the challenges of reaching the interim target of reducing global poverty to 9 percent by 2020.... . It also reports on the goal of promoting shared prosperity, with a particular focus on describing various characteristics of the bottom 40 percent."

This graphic reveals the poorest populations and where they live and even though India and China are economic competitors on the global stage they still have the poorest communities. 

IN poor communities, the human place is changed by using less structurally sound architecture and disregarding cultural presence for functionality though holding true to cultural presence in individual lives.

I agree with this article from the Guardian that development should be measured in human rights gains more than economic advancements.  While globalization is taking place and allowing countries to trade and maximize profits, a large percent of people in the world are deprived basic human rights and are entirely forgotten about and not valued.

(North America post 3)
Built upon from class today, this article discusses the hardship many Appalachian families are feeling as the coal mining business continues to evolve and industrialize. Although coal was the major 'boom' behind many of these towns, the 'bust' hits more than just those laid off by the industry. Like a chain reaction, other families and their businesses suffer; less income leads to less eating out leads to less income for restaurants, and it goes on and on.  This article is also good at showing that geography is more than spatial and economic: on certain levels, it's also relational, personal, cultural, and historic, giving residents strong feelings behind their decisions to stay.

This video really shows the relationship between sense of place versus economic geography. Even though the town is no longer the rich mining town it once was, the remaining residents still cling to the past and their sense of identity remains strong. It demonstrates that cultural heritage is a powerful factor that can remain long after dramatic economic changes. Even though there are few opportunities left in the town and the majority of its young people leave for greener pastures, some residents still identify so strongly with the area that they are willing to do whatever they can to revitalize their town.

This is relevant to early posts about coalfields in West Virginia.

Galería de Imágenes acerca de la desigualdad como consecuencia de la pobreza.

powerful images that define unit 6!

add your insight...

Besides that scrap metal pollutes water and rivers, this is a health risk for humans too. I also know someone who worked at Electric Boat at the Air Base in North Kingstown who's health was also affected due to metal scraps and particles in the air. Years later after working at EB he developed lung cancer. Metal erodes away as well, especially when left sitting in salt water. 

this is both amazing and horrifying in what these people do on a daily basis. i cannot imagine doing what these guys do everyday, and i never imagined how taking apart one of these ships would work.

What happens to massive cargo vessels after they are outdated?  There are tons of scrap metal, but they aren't

designed to be taken apart.  The ship-breakers of South Asia (Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are 3 of the 4 global leaders in recycling ships) risk much to mine this resource.  This is an economic function that is a part of a globalized economy, but one than was never intended.  There are major health risks to the workers and pollutants to the local community that are endemic in this industry that manages to survive on the scraps of the global economy.

Tags: Bangladesh,  South Asia, poverty, development, economic, globalization, industry, labor.

Poverty happens all over the world, in the United States, in Africa, South America, you name a region and there is poverty in that area.  There are many myths about poverty though, and myths about regions where poverty defines the region in many people's eyes.   African economies are on the rise, but there is still many struggles ahead.  

Tags: Africa, development, statistics, economic, globalization, poverty.

The issues outlined by Western media concerning Africa are serious problems that the continent will continue to face over the course of the next century. However, Western media has a tendency to focus only on the troubles faced by Africa rather than its successes. We grow up hearing of starving children in Ethiopia, government instability, and the need for the West to donate and help their "less fortunate" kin. Africa has, in fact, made serious strives in terms of economic development, with serious foreign investment- particularly from the Chinese- and the growth of Africa's own industrial base contributing to rapid improvements in standards of living and infrastructure. The West continues to paint the picture of Africa that fits the narrative it has painted for the past century- an underdeveloped continent reliant on Western aid. However, despite the issues outlined in this article remaining serious issues, it cannot be denied that Africa has enjoyed serious progress over the past two decades. The political instability that plagued the continent for much of the second half of the 20th century has diminished, and will only continue to improve. Africa is turning into a major economic force on the world stage, no matter what the media is telling us- it will be interesting to see how much longer this false image of Africa can continue to be portrayed to the public.

Unit 7

Unit 7: Cities and Urban Land Use

This article is about Sandtown, Baltimore and its shift into a disamenity sector. It explains how this neighborhood, mainly housed by blacks, had a high percentage of vacant houses. The article says that this neighborhood is overrun with poverty, war on drugs and gangs and has the more residents in jail than any other neighborhood. This shows the changing demographics of the city of Baltimore.

This relates to unit 7 because it covers the topic of disamenity sectors and changing demographics. It shows reasons for the high levels of poverty and abandoned housing. It also shows the racial spatial distribution of the neighborhood and its correlation to housing and development.  

This article left me heart broken. The African American community in Baltimore is stuck in a deep poverty cycle, and it cannot seem to escape its impoverished past. Even now, the poverty in the area seems to just be getting worse. The problems of income disparity lead to more problems than just economic; they lead to social and political problems. Social unrest and injustice occurs as a result of the modern white flight. This article arose as a result of the death of Freddie Gray, whose death demonstrates a significant social issue that needs to be addressed: police brutality and the criminal targeting of the African American community. His death stems from the tremendously amounts of disparity in the city. Promoting investment in the inner city would definitely help alleviate the poverty in the area. The problem is getting people to invest.

APHG- HW Option 3

This information is taken from the World Bank's 2014 report "Prosperity for All." The report looks at "progress to date in reducing global poverty and discusses some of the challenges of reaching the interim target of reducing global poverty to 9 percent by 2020.... . It also reports on the goal of promoting shared prosperity, with a particular focus on describing various characteristics of the bottom 40 percent."

This graphic reveals the poorest populations and where they live and even though India and China are economic competitors on the global stage they still have the poorest communities. 

IN poor communities, the human place is changed by using less structurally sound architecture and disregarding cultural presence for functionality though holding true to cultural presence in individual lives.

I agree with this article from the Guardian that development should be measured in human rights gains more than economic advancements.  While globalization is taking place and allowing countries to trade and maximize profits, a large percent of people in the world are deprived basic human rights and are entirely forgotten about and not valued.

It was interesting to read about Modi's run for prime minister- I recently read a TIME magazine article about him, his original platform, and his subsequent work in office- and to see so much of Obama's run for office in Modi's struggle. Modi's support among his own caste, traditionally one that has been discriminated against in Indian society, is not at all different from Obama's support among the African American community. It goes to show that, for all our differences, people are a lot more alike then we'd care to think. Beyond that, it was interesting to see how much power the old caste system continues to hold in Indian society, much like the issues with race that Americans continue to struggle with within our own society. Appeals to different castes have been employed successfully by politicians and other forms of media; I once read that the most popular Indian films are often love stories revolving around "forbidden love" between two members of different, opposite castes. In a society that is so rich and complex, with hundreds of different languages and beliefs, it is so easy for lines to be drawn and for differences to be focused upon in a negative light. Happily for India, it has come a long way to address these problems and to move forward. While not perfect, India's future looks bright.

i dont understand how a country like india that is mostly modern and on the world scale can still have such an ancient system of labeling people be such a prominent practice in their society, i hope modi gets elected so he can start to eliminate this

APHG-Unit 2 & Unit 6

\I guess it's true what they say; a picture is worth a thousand words. Before even opening this article, you could get a sense from the picture that it wasn't going to be a good one. You can tell by their facial expressions and the environment that surrounds them. Even the colors that are portrayed in the picture send off meaning. The picture is not very bright. It sends off a sad image with all the brown everywhere. However, we do see a little peek of sunlight shining through. Before reading this, one might see this as a good sign from God, or someone watching over these people. Once I opened the article, there were many more pictures describing their lifestyles. You can tell that they don't make much money by the way they live. There was another picture in the article with a dark tint to it, representing a negative atmosphere, including one girl folding her arms and one girl with tears running down her face . There are no pictures were everyone in the images have smiles on their faces.

These picture paint a very sad and very real truth. Many of the people in the pictures are caring for children and barely have enough to make it through the day. One woman works long hours for about 50 cents a day and that is horrible, another woman is 40 years old and works at a construction site, which is obviously not the norm. These people, mainly the children, have hope of going to school, but for most of them that is just a dream that will never come true.

The sad reality of the new division of labor, we are moving backwards instead of forwards with labor policies and widening the gap between core and periphery countries. We need to stand up and advocate for fair trade. These countries rely on us for sources of unemployment, and we need to give them better wages, safer working conditions, and help them push pass this dependency, and grow into more economically and socially strong countries.

http://www.laborrights.org

The triangle shirtwaist factory in New York was a revolutionary turning point in labor regulations. Following this unfortunate event there had been many rules and laws that took effect in order to help the working people in factories and other harmful work places. The textile industry had been such an impact on globalization because this product had been so greatly treasured that countries all around the world were getting their fair share of producing a good that was in such high demand and through the use of globalization transport created an higher demand for textiles. Although, the boom of the textile industry came with the sacrifice of innocent civilians who worked endlessly just to feed their family. Regulations and legislation have to be put into effect to protect our people and our economy. 

One of the first industries to be impacted by what is today called globalization was the textile industry and the successive waves of globalization continue to alter the geography of the textile industry.  This video shows how historical problems in the U.S. textile industry are seen today in countries such as Bangladesh, as does this interactive feature.  The following paragraph is from a Geography News Network podcast / article that Julie Dixon and I co-authored for Maps101 about the Bangladeshi garment industry:     

Many developing countries with the majority of their laborers working in agriculture welcome outsourced labor from the West. This is seen as a way to nurture industrialization, even if it is on the terms of trans-national corporations. Countless workers seek employment in textile factories simply because low pay is still an entry into the cash economy and it is one of the few jobs rural migrants can find when they first enter the big city. In such locations, Western labor, construction, and environmental standards are not priorities because the population’s basic needs haven’t been met, so the responsibility falls to the global companies—but their aim is to cut costs as much as possible to remain competitive.  From its emergence in textiles back in the late 1970’s, Bangladesh in 2013 made $19 billion in the export-oriented, ready-made garment industry, employing 4 million workers, most of whom are women. 

Listen to more of this Geography News Network podcast or read it here. 

Tags: Bangladesh, poverty, development, economic, globalization, industry, labor.