Geography Education

http://www.ted.com During the hot summer months, watching an outdoor sports match or concert can be tantamount to baking uncomfortably in the sun -- but it d...

The physical environment will be altered as the World Cup comes to Qatar in an attempt to raise their global economic profile and to present themselves as more culturally comsopolitan.  Except there is that desert conundrum of having soccer matches in the middle of the desert in the dead of summer.  This shows the technological efforts to redefine confortable weather conditions.   This is a good Ted talk that combines cultural, economic and physical geographic factors in the Middle East. 

Sheikha Al Mayassa, a patron of artists, storytellers and filmmakers in Qatar, talks about how art and culture create a country's identity -- and allow every country to share its unique identity with the wider world.

Oftentimes, we in the more developed world seek to change cultural practices and institutions in the developing world. This talk speaks to the importance of locally based agents for cultural change, specifically within the context of the Middle East. While we might wish to see what many perceive as universal rights spread throughout the world, the local cultural geographies must be taken into consideration into how to carry out any initiative that seeks to change local institutions.