Geography 400 at ric

There must be a better way to transport items and in return save the Mekong river from being degredated. Technological innovations are affecting the life in the river as local fishermen are seeing less and less fish traveling in the river. This is impacting them in the sense that they use these fish for their survival as well as for selling. They fear that in building dams and creating advanced roads over the Mekong will change their enviroment altogether and will hinder their livelihood. This is a beautiful river and I personally feel there could be a better way but there is always something sacrficed when the government choses a location to build on. - M. Carvajal

It seems to be a theme that across the bored, people are building things that directly and negatively impact the environment and the local people. There are always two sides to the problem. On one hand, the dam can help with the development of Laos because it will bring in money, but it will also destroy the fish population and therefore many fishermen will lose their jobs and people will lose a food source. It is a difficult problem because Laos needs money because there is a lot of poverty in this rural country and the fishermen do not add a whole lot to the economy, but the people need a way to survive and make money for their families as well. It's a problem that I think will be around for generation to come.

While this article was very informative, I think it is the image that really speaks volumes, just as it did in 1985 when the picture was first taken. The women in the picture does not appear to be 28-30, rather she looks much older. Clearly she has led a tough life, and the evidence of that is written on her face a mere 15 years after the original was taken.

Both these two pictures and the article illustrate the life of Afghan refugees. There is only a fifteen year difference between the two pictures, and this woman looks as if she has aged much more than those fifteen years. The picture shows the hardships she has gone through, and the article goes more in depth and describes her day to day life, and knowing her life is important. The life of one ordinary person gives great insight into the culture and society of Afghan refugees, and those all around her. However, even without the article, the picture illustrates so much about life as a refugee that words cannot describe. This shows new insights and perspectives of the world around us.

Green power has a far wider impact than just "promoting" the preservation of the planet - due to the fact that many, if not all, of the methods of green power generation and delivery leverage locally sourced power channels.

This is truly democratizing who "can have" power, and the impact it will have on them. In the past, generators used dirty sources of power such as fossil fuels, which not only cost money, but would ruin already impoverished areas with unchecked pollution.

By harnessing what they have access to, the Bangladeshi people are gaining the benefits of the power (longer hours of useable time) but also not damaging the one resource they did have: the Earth.

Here in the United States, and in other modern parts of the world, the time that we are awake has been lengthened considerably due to electricity. Gone are the days where modern humans sleep when it is dark out and work when it is light. We can now work when we want, and sleep when we feel like it. Because of this the average American now gets less sleep than 100 years ago, but we are more advanced and more productive each day. It appears as though light is one of the first steps in cultural, technological, and industrial development.  

This is absolutely amazing...to see how people think of new innovative ways to create simple gadgets that will serve as a source for them to live by. The fact that prices for certain services push people to find new ways of receiving the same service is sad but at the same time it stimulates people to try. I am fascinated at how much a person can do with their two hands. Very nice. - M. Carvajal

This reminds me of the childhood lessen about the difference between a need and a want. Instead of cell phones people should come together to help the government put in a sewer system. It is far more important than owning a cell phone or TV