A World Report Viewfinder from inside the tunnels that connect blockaded Gaza to the outside world...
Why are tunnels from Egypt to Gaza forming? How is Israel's policies a part of this phenomenon?
Via Seth Dixon
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Rescooped by Matt Mallinson from Regional Geography onto Classwork Portfolio |
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March 26, 2012—In a state-of-the-art submersible, National Geographic explorer-in-residence and filmmaker James Cameron reached the deepest point of the Mariana Trench, breaking a world record for the deepest solo dive.
For those who haven't been following National Geographic news, James Cameron (director of "Titanic" and "The Abyss") entered a submarine named DEEPSEA CHALLENGER, and dove to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth. Enjoy this video describing this "lunar-like" environment that is so deep it is lightless and near lifeless with extreme pressure. For more on the expedition, read: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/03/120326-james-cameron-mariana-trench-challenger-deepest-lunar-sub-science/ Via Seth Dixon 
Matt Mallinson's comment,
December 5, 2012 2:37 PM
Cameron is the man. Not only does he make awesome movies, but he risks his life for discovery.
Michelle Carvajal's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 9:12 PM
This is amazing! I love the fact there isalways one person willing to rishk his own life just to gain more knowledge of the world we live in. The Mariana Trench is definteley a scary place and by it being the deepest trench in the world, I can see why not many would consider going down there. I am looking forward to the release of any videos that may come from this expedition he took. - M. Carvajal Delete the scoop?
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Divers on Australia's Great Barrier Reef recently snapped rare pictures of a wobbegong, or carpet shark, swallowing a bamboo shark whole.
The diversity of life on this planet and the ecosystems which such creatures live in is something that continually leaves me in awe at the wonders of the natural world. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
December 5, 2012 2:26 PM
The living things of the ocean interest me, every species is cool in it's own way. Australia must have amazing creatures native to it's waters compared to many other waters in the world.
Michelle Carvajal's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 9:07 PM
Not only is the ocean full of diverse wildlife but the fact they have been able to camoflouge with their enviroment is amazing. Australia seems to be the home of many different types of wildlife on land and in the ocean. It would be interesting if there could be a google earth view of australias coral reefs and wildlife. - M. Carvajal 
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:21 PM
The diversity in the ocean is amazing. The sharks are just beautiful and it is amazing the can blend in with their enviroment Delete the scoop?
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Jakarta's traffic is legendary and locals have now become experts at finding ways to get around the jams, with some even making money out of them.
The population of Indonesia is heavily concentrated on the island of Java, and the capital city of Jakarta faces a tremendous strain on it's transportation network. This video show that resourceful people will find inventive ways to make an unworkable situation manageable. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 28, 2012 10:42 AM
It's crazy how close they drive their motorcycles to the oncoming cars. I'd be afraid to crash a motorcycle on an open road, a traffic jam every day would be scary to drive through.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
December 7, 2012 1:09 PM
Traffic. Just waiting for your turn to move a few feet. I can only imagine the frustration of commuters in Jakarta. The governemnt needs to make improvements, quikly. If they provided more public transport and better infrastrucure, traffic conditions would greatly improve.
Michelle Carvajal's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 8:59 PM
"This other video of the poeple in Jakarta shows us how people have to in a sense ignore all laws that could indeed get them in much trouble. Traffic jams are annoying as it is for us when the we're stuck for more than fifteen minutes. Living in Jakarta, being stuck in traffic for an hour is a normal thing on a daily. We see that there are strict regulations for people to have a certain amount of individuals in a car in order to enter the rush hour. It has forced many who are uneomployed to be the extra people in a car but for a price. No matter what you may think, the price is very low. Others have purchased bikes and use them as taxis to maneuver people through the traffic. This is also illegal. What will happen as the increase in population goes up in this city? Very interesting." - M. Carvajal Delete the scoop?
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The Mekong River was once a wild and primitive backwater. Today, growing demands for electricity and rapid economic growth are changing the character of what is the world's 12th-longest river.
Economic progress for some often entails job loss and environmental degradation for others. The once isolated and remote Mekong is experiences some impacts of globalization with residents having mixed feelings about the prospects. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 27, 2012 6:12 PM
It's sad that they have to use up this wild river. I'm not a big fan of environmental degradation but if that's what they're going to do I can't do anything about it.
Michelle Carvajal's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 9:04 PM
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 
Emma Lafleur's curator insight,
April 30, 8:03 PM
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. Delete the scoop?
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On my last afternoon in Bagan, I went in search of a meal that would serve as both lunch and dinner, before boarding my flight...
As a notoriously closed society, glimpses into Burma become all the more important as Burma shows signs of (possibly) opening up politically for the first time in decades. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 27, 2012 5:53 PM
It's good to see a place like Burma is showing signs of opening up politically, it shows other poor countries could do the same.
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I'm pleased to announce that for GIS Day, I created a map that has hyperlinks to regionally specific posts that I put on 'Geography Education.' This map was created using ArcGIS Online (here's a free tutorial on how to to use ArcGIS Online tailored for K-12 educators). This is just another way to search for materials on this site. Feel free to embed this map on your webpage or share the link. I'll add more tags in the future as well (just click on the icon to get a pop-up, then click on the image to see the posts). Happy GIS Day! Via Seth Dixon 
Jamie Strickland's comment,
November 16, 2012 9:15 AM
How cool is this!! This will make it even easier to teach my World Regional and Global Connections courses! Thanks, Seth.
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:40 AM
Overall I think this is a good map. There are a few countries that I think could have better abbreviations, North Korea for example is labeled "N" and South Korea is labeled "SK". I went and looked for an "NK" label and there wasn't one. The map is flawed in that way because of the shortage of tools the program gives you to use. The shortage of tools also leads to many places with the same globe image or same lettering as other places. I think you did a good job with what you had available to use.
Charles Matley's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:46 AM
This map is great. I The use of the national geographic map makes it more manageable and appealing to the eye. The categorization of posts into geographic locations is very clever. It could potentially be viewed as more "fun" because it is interactive.
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"In 1979, the National Population and Family Planning Commission in China enacted an ambitious program that called for strict population control. Families in various urban districts are urged to have only one child—preferably a son—in order to solve the problems related to overpopulation. What has happened since then and what are its implications for the future of China?" This is an excellent infographic for understanding population dynamics in the world's most populous country. Via Seth Dixon 
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 10, 2012 8:18 PM
The social repercussions of China’s one child policy may soon pose some new challenges to them in the following decades. Like other industrialized economies, as China’s population ages, the elderly will be supported by a smaller workforce. However, due to an unequal gender preference for boys because of the countries one child policy, the generation following the upcoming workforce may also be insufficient. How China will respond to the reality of dealing with an aging population and smaller workforce in the near future could possibly result in the country having a large immigrant work force or even suspending their one child policy.
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:11 AM
I agree with Don, couldn't have said it better.
Yuanyuan Kelly's curator insight,
March 4, 9:27 AM
A really cool infograph regarding China's one child policy! Delete the scoop?
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Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:04 AM
So much was built in 20 years, impressive. The population must of skyrocketed.
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:04 AM
So much was built in 20 years, impressive. The population must of skyrocketed.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:08 PM
It looks like a completely different city. Sadly you can no longer see any green. Delete the scoop?
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The story of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan is a heartbreaking and inspiring tale of youth caught in cultural and geopolitical conflicts and fored to leave their homes. The film God Grew Tired of Us " tells a moving story of young people overcoming incredible challenges and struggling to improve their own lives and those of family and friends left behind." Linked here is a lsson plan from National Geographic "to teach students about concepts of migration, cultural mosaics, sense of place, and forces of cooperation and conflict among communities" using this 90 minute documentary. The film can be viewed online on HULU as well as other media outlets.
Tags: culture, Africa, political, conflict, war, migration, development, APHG. Via Seth Dixon Delete the scoop?
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A five-part, multimedia series on the coming dystopia that is urbanization.
This is a great introduction to the explosion of the slums within megacities. This video as a part of the article is especially useful. Click on the title to read the accompanying article. Via Seth Dixon 
Kyle Toner's comment,
November 13, 2012 12:46 PM
Dhaka's population is exploding, leaving many people living in the slums with very little resources or ways to make money for food. With the population growing, and natural disasters like flooding many people are in trouble.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 10:51 PM
People are leaving the rural areas to move to Dhaka in hopes of a better life. However the slums they move to do not have running water or electricity. It looks as though they are living in garbage dumb. It is sad that this is better for them. It is also surprising that the mayor has no control over the city that the national government is in charge. 
Brian Nicoll's curator insight,
December 12, 2012 1:26 AM
A few things really stood out to me in this video. First off, the idea that people are moving into Dhaka for a better life, when in reality they are moving into slum life with no electricity or running water is very alarming. It begs the question of whether or not moving to this megacity is really worth it. The second thing that I was a bit surprised by was the fact that the mayor has pretty much no control over the city. The city is overseen by the national government. To think that urbanization has gained so much ground and continues to gain more ground is astounding. Delete the scoop?
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"The name of the country Pakistan has a fascinating history - it is essentially an acronym! Prior to 1947, the country now known as Pakistan was a British colony. In 1947 the United Kingdom granted independence to the region under a new name, Pakistan. The name had been developed by a group of students at Cambridge University who issued a pamphlet in 1933 called Now or Never."
In a country with such great ethnic divisions, a common religion is a powerful nationalizing force. As the capital city of Islamabad's toponym powerfully states (the house or abode of Islam), religion remains an important element of national identity for Pakistanis. Via Seth Dixon 
's comment, November 14, 2011 7:32 PM
Fact is stranger than fiction...that is crazy.
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 7, 2012 3:27 PM
I can't believe this is actually how Pakistan got its name. Mine as well close your eyes and type on the keyboard and see what you get.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 10:19 PM
I have huge doubts about if this is how Pakistan got it’s name. About.com is just that a .com anyone can own one and say what they wish. I am not sure how legitimate the site is. If is true that it crazy Delete the scoop?
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Celia Dugger reports from the Kwamfundo School near Cape Town on South Africa's struggling public education system.
This poignant clip shows that South Africa may be in a post-apartheid era, but most certainly not a post-racial era as schools are as deeply divided as ever. Via Seth Dixon 
Seth Dixon's comment,
December 4, 2011 9:52 PM
I'm also inspired by their passion for learning but fear that ambition without resources will doom the majority of these students just based on their circumstances. While a few individuals can fight the odds, the society is structurally still not working in their favor.
's comment, December 8, 2011 1:41 PM
After I get my teaching degree, if I wasn't such a chicken, I would love to move here and teach these truely inspiring children, who really really want to learn. It would be an honor to do so!
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 5, 2012 3:06 PM
It's nice to see kids in Africa so motivated to become doctors, engineers, etc. The problem is the education they're getting.
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A Cameroonian boy shows the recycled parts used to construct a toy RC car.
I originally found this video on Afrigadget. The website seeks to show people "solving everyday problems with African ingenuity." While the developed world lives in a commercial, disposable society, Africans often need to maximize the useablity of all objects. The solutions they come up with can show students that it is not all doom and gloom in Africa, an represent a triumph of the human spirit. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:40 PM
This video is short but it was interesting to me, that "car" made out of pipe, rope, etc. was built great with the resources they had. Those kids are very smart.
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The insect is so large — as big as a human hand — it's been dubbed a "tree lobster." It was thought to be extinct, but some enterprising entomologists scoured a barren hunk of rock in the middle of the ocean and found surviving Lord Howe Island...
Island Biogeography is endlessly fascinating and provides some of the most striking species we have on Earth. The physical habitat is fragmented and the genetic diversity is limited. Within this context, species evolve to fill ecological niches within their particular locale. This NPR article demonstrates the story of but one of these incredible species that never could have evolved on the continents. In modern society, more extinctions are happening on islands than anywhere else as 'specialist' species are in greater competition with 'generalists.' Via Seth Dixon 
's comment, March 8, 2012 7:13 PM
wow... I just got itchy all over. This is amazing how they were able to survive in a place with such little vegetation
Matt Mallinson's comment,
December 5, 2012 2:33 PM
These "tree lobsters" are awesome! It's crazy that the last remaining creatures of this species have been surviving on a huge narrow rock in the middle of the ocean. Not the best looking bugs but they're interesting.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:26 PM
The tree lobsters are very creepy. I wonder how they got to the island. Although I would not want one anywhere near me I am glad they are thriving…far away Delete the scoop?
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TODALSIGS is an acronym for remembering the most basic elements of a good map. This interactive briefly explains what each of the letters represents and how it is connected to map-making. If this particular introduction is either too advanced or too basic for your students, simply run an internet search for the term TODALSIGS to find many other lesson plans and resources that might be more applicable to your institution (including this example-rich slideshow). Via Seth Dixon Delete the scoop?
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Young men in the Philippines, inspired by the light welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, are training to escape poverty, boxing for a few dollars more than they make as subsistence farmers.
Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 28, 2012 10:38 AM
It's going to be hard to get noticed after a great boxer Manny Pacquiao already made it. Boxing is a tough sport and it's growing to be less and less popular over the decades. I understand what the men are doing to make money, but I don't know if getting hit in the head for a living would be a great career choice.
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Thailand... Feel free to mute the commentary...this video demonstrates the truly 'back-breaking' work that is a part of paddy rice farming. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 27, 2012 6:06 PM
It's unbelieveable to see what these people go through in one day of work. If I did that type of work in a week my back would be killing me. These people are hard workers to say the least.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
December 7, 2012 1:18 PM
To watch these women break their backs(and their fingers must be shriveled from going in and out of water) for rice paddys, helps us recognize how important rice is. These women know they have to perform this work- Rice is a staple crop for Thailand; they need rice commodity to live.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:32 PM
From now on anytime I eat rice I will think of these people. I had no idea how hard a job it was. I don’t think I would last an hour bending over like that. Delete the scoop?
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TED Talks Economist Yasheng Huang compares China to India, and asks how China's authoritarian rule contributed to its astonishing economic growth -- leading to a big question: Is democracy actually holding India back?
This compelling TedTalk explores the links between economic development and governmental style, oversight and influence. While the speaker mainly discusses politics and economics in the context of China and India, Pakistan, Russia, North and South Korea are all mentioned. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 21, 2012 11:11 AM
Democracy can stifle economic growth. War will definitely stifle economic growth. North Korea doesn't look like they're going to stop fighting South Korea, if only they would combine their lands, they would probably be a much better nation as one.
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360° panoramic photography by Harbert F. Austin Jr.. Visit us to see more amazing panoramas from Japan and thousands of other places in the world.
The interactive panorama is eerily compelling...this is a haunting image. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:14 AM
I read a book once describing the lives of 5 survivors, the book is called "Hiroshima". It was very moving, the people talked about it like the world had ended, for them I guess it really did.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:16 PM
It looks like the world has ended. There is almost nothing left, Delete the scoop?
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China's reputation as a low-cost manufacturer hasn't translated into low-cost prices. Many goods, particularly luxury items, have higher price tags in China than abroad. One economist blames the transportation system and corruption.
Industrial geography in today's climate shows that China has clear economic advantages over most of the world to manufacture good cheaply. Why would this not necessarily translate to cheap consumer goods for China's domestic market? High taxes, steep internal shipping costs and a market flooded with knock-offs all contribute to this paradox. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 11:08 AM
To be honest I always thought items were made cheap in China due to all the items I see with the "Made in China" tag. This was interesting to me and definitely gave me knowledge on the topic.
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By 2025, the developing world will be home to 29 megacities.
Through this interactive mapping feature will rich call-out boxes, the reader can explore the latest UN estimates and forecasts on the growth of megacities (urban areas with over 10 million residents). These 'cities on steroids' have been growing tremendously since the 1950s and present a unique set of geographic challenges and opportunities for their residents.
Tags: urban, megacities. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 19, 2012 10:27 AM
If that's what is predicted for 2025, how populated will our world be by 2050? Scary to think about.
Seth Dixon's curator insight,
January 16, 12:28 PM
Download the data yourself as a CSV file and your can import this into ArcExplorer or ArcMap and symbolize your map with any of the columns in the dataset. Delete the scoop?
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Environmental degradation, seasonally high rainfall, a low elevation profile and climate change combine in a very bad way for Bangladesh. Flooding, given these geographic characteristics, is essentially a regular occurence. For a more in-depth look at these issues from the same media outlet, see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj0iZiivYJc&feature=player_embedded#! Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 7, 2012 3:41 PM
The people that live here understand that they will have flooding every year. They're smart to build elevated roads so they have some way of transportation over flooded areas. It's weird to think that this is a normal thing for them and for us we close everything down and wait in our houses.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
December 7, 2012 12:17 AM
In an area already stricken with poverty, the floods manifest the problems. High rains and low elevations cause massive floods in areas such as Bangladesh and Nepal. Most areas do not receive aid, especially the remote areas of the villages.
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Documented by an aid worker, millions of spiders took to the trees to spin their webs after heavy floods inundated Pakistan in 2010.
Besides being an aesthetic wonder, this image is a great way to start a discussion about so many distinct issues. The floods of 2010 devastated the human population, killing over 2,000. These same floods also altered the ecosystem as spiders have needed to adapt to their new inundated landscape as well. For the human population, this has had the shocking benefit of lowering the incidents of malaria since the spiders have more effectively limited the mosquito population. Interconnections...geographic information are a spider web of interconnections between nature and humanity. Via Seth Dixon 
Lisa Fonseca's comment,
November 8, 2011 10:20 PM
The images on that website are astonishing! I had a hard time believing that was a real life image. These floods took many peoples lives and altered the ecosystem but, didn't is also change something for the better? For example the millions of spiders spinning webs on the trees lowered the mosquito population which then limited the cases of malaria so in a sense this helps the human population. Now another question since these spiders have now moved to spinning webs on these trees will they continue to do this?
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 7, 2012 3:29 PM
This is crazy! It's a great thing that the spiders help by eating the disease filled mosquitos....but i still hate spiders.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 10:28 PM
I thought that was such a beautiful picture until I learned the tree was covered in spider webs and then it creeped me out. However it is such a good thing for the people there. Those webs will help trap the diseased mesquites. Delete the scoop?
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The Golden Temple is the holiest shrine of the Sikh religion. It is also home to one of the largest free eateries in the world.
This two-minute video clip is an effective portal to alternative religious traditions on the South Asian subcontinent. While students might not at first relate to the theologies of diverse religious traditions, they connect with the underlying ethics of many world religions. This video is an effective tool to help them gain greater cultural understanding and demystify unfamiliar cultural practices. Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 7, 2012 3:25 PM
I like that the Sikh religion allows people of all religions to visit their holy temple. These people seem like good people.
Brian Nicoll's curator insight,
December 12, 2012 1:18 AM
I was impressed by the fact that the people of the Sikh religion are very accepting of people who remain outside their system of beliefs. They acknowledge the fact that there are other religions and don't see any reason to treat them with anything but respect. These people are most definitely good people. Delete the scoop?
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What do Kenenisa Bekele, Tirunesh Dibaba, Derartu Tulu and Fatuma Roba have in common, apart from being Olympic gold medallists?
What is it about this place that has produced so many world- class runners? This is a great profile of the "Town of Runners." Via Seth Dixon
Matt Mallinson's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:50 PM
It's amazing to me that some of the world's fastest runners come from such a poor place and a very misunderstood place. Good for them.
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I think that these tunnels show the willpower of the Palestinians. They are risking their lives on a daily basis in order to smuggle goods that Palestine could not obtain through normal means. I think this video really shows the dangers that present themselves in these tunnels. Israel has the right to monitor these tunnels and can very easily have them destroyed if they feel as though guns are being moved through them. The people who move through these tunnels every day are quite brave.