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Rescooped by Seth Dixon from Social Media Classroom onto Geography Education |
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The International Monetary Fund has censured Argentina for failing to supply accurate economic data, the first time the global crisis lender has taken such an action against a member. 
chris tobin's comment,
February 21, 1:22 PM
The debt was paid with the IMF in 2006 but now the IMF will assist Argentina with data collection-their sovereign debt is indexed to inflation, and wonder what their international debt is
chris tobin's curator insight,
February 21, 1:37 PM
Perhaps Argentina's under-reported inflation percents is due to the fact that its sovereign debt is indexed to inflation and has deep international debt but the IMF will assist Argentina with data collection (since 2006 their debt was paid with the IMF)
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When African states gained independence, the continent's new leaders agreed to respect the old colonial borders to avoid endless wars. This interactive map shows the major conflicts on the African continent where the combatants have geopolitical aspirations to separate from the state and create a new, autonomous state. Click on the red arrows and you can read about the warring factions and the current situation in that region. Tags: political, governance, Africa, unit 4 political, war, conflict, states, colonialism. 
Kristen McDaniel's curator insight,
January 4, 10:15 AM
Fascinating interactive map looking at the separatist movements in Africa. Delete the scoop?
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Poverty in India has dropped sharply thanks to increased spending on rural welfare programmes, the country's Planning Commission says.
KV: Government intervention has decrease poverty in rural India. More people are getting out of poverty in rural areas than urban areas. Programs funded by the government to help the poor has significantly changed many lives. People are given education, welfare, and proper sanitation. Once assistance is provided to the poor, the welfare and well being drastically changes for the better. As the Indian government prospers because of new business ventures, some of the increased revenue should be set aside to help many regions that are affected by poverty.
SD: For more resources on population, see this scoopit topic on the environment and society by KV. 
Eliza Thng's curator insight,
February 1, 12:03 PM
This article says that the number of people suffering from poverty in India has decreased. I'm glad that the government is finally doing something to help the less fortunate.The government is finally doing their job by looking over the welfare of people. It's touching just by the thought of lesser people suffering from poverty. Just increased spending on rural welfare programmes is able to make a 7.4% decrease percentage of people living in poverty. I think they should continue having these welfare programmes and they should also spend more time and money caring for the less fortunate. I wonder if other countries will attempt to do the same thing as India's government so as to decrease the number of people suffering from poverty in their own country. 
Bryan Tan's curator insight,
February 2, 10:54 AM
After reading this article, I am convinced that the gorverment in India know and want to do something about their currebt situation of being one of the poorest state in the world. Poepla are treated better given benefits, edeucation,welfare of the citizens and hygiene are all being taken care of by the gorverment. The gorvement starts improving their ties with other countries in the world helping it to gain more advantage. This helps to decrease the rate of poverty in India. 
luisvivas64@hotmail.'s comment,
February 3, 10:19 AM
La pobreza es el càncer de la sociedad humana, ojalà sea posible reducirla, aunque soy escèptico, el dinero es muy sabroso y los pocos que lo tienen no lo sueltan, de allì las revoluciones, guerras ect.
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Rather than focusing on how to make cities safe at any hour for citizens of both genders, the official response has been to curtail women's access to public areas deemed sensitive by authorities.
This is an interesting topic to use to debate urban policies and planning issues. What leads to a safer city for women? How does the creation of zones not safe for women impact the city long-term? Think about scale: Is what is best for the city policy what is best for the individual? 
Kim Vignale's comment,
July 16, 2012 10:10 PM
Women in India are outraged due to the decisions the officials have made. Instead of solving the problem fairly, they are covering up the issue. Women are viewed as inferior in many developing countries. The government is enforcing the law by taking the women's freedom away; they aren't allowed in a pub after 8pm. If the law was fair and practical, officials would enforce strict laws on rape and assault and reiterate the seriousness of the crime and consequences.
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United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Web Site...
Afghanistan and Burma (a.k.a.-Myanmar) are the world's leading producers of the illicit narcotic of heroin. What environmental, political, developmental and cultural factors play a role in these distribution networks? What geographic factors contribution to the production of these drugs to be located in these particular places? Follow the link for a map of global cocaine distribution patterns. 
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 5, 2012 10:44 PM
Favorable environmental factors such as mountainous terrain, helps isolate and conceal these regions which creates conditions that makes the production of heroin and cocaine easier. Since you can’t conquer the environment, the best alternative may be further international cooperation to hinder drug trafficking and production.
Roland Trudeau Jr.'s comment,
July 23, 2012 10:54 AM
The second half of this article shows just how crucial of a part Mexico plays in the drug trade. Most of the cocaine that comes from the Andean region is pushed up through Mexico and the Carribean only 17 tons are sold in Mexico while 165 tons are distributed into the United States. The US makes up 40% of global cocaine consumption, leaving a huge opportunity open to Mexico.
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Sometimes the news can be good news! The historic April 1st election in Burma that saw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy win 43/45 parliamentary seats is being hailed as the first free and fair elections for 50 years!
This is a current perspective on the many changes transforming Myanmar back into Burma. For more by John Boyer, see: http://www.plaidavenger.com/ ; 
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:52 PM
Wow I think this guy may have drank way to much coffee before making this video J He is very excited about the changes in Burma although he should be it sounds as though this country is pretty much changing overnight Delete the scoop?
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The European country where Skype was born made a conscious decision to embrace the web after shaking off Soviet shackles Eesti keel | Estonian language version...
Can you imagine walking over 100 miles without losing your internet connection? Estonia has done it by making internet access a public service along the lines of water and electricity. The impacts and effects or profound considering that 9 in 10 Estonians have a computerized ID card that they can use to vote, transfer money and access all the information the state has on them. Although this may sound very dystopian and authoritarian to many, Estonians argue that it actually empowers citizens to keep the state in check. 
Matt Mallinson's comment,
October 15, 2012 1:23 PM
Wow i didn't realize that Estonia created Skype or that they are very dependent on the internet. Good for them, no more Soviet commands.
Brian Nicoll's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:03 PM
I actually like the idea of the computerized ID card. Yes, undoubtedly from the outside looking in this does appear to have some big brother qualities but I think it's brilliant. The card allows people to transfer money and vote. It's also nice to see a country that doesn't just treat their internet use like a toy. They use it to benefit their society, making it accessible to everyone in the country and not just those who can afford it. Delete the scoop?
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Years of hatred and mistrust are thawing in some of Rio's most violent slums.
This compelling video depicts some of the challenges that the police in Rio de Janeiro face in trying to bring more effective goverance into some of the more poverty-striken, drug-riddled neighborhoods in the city. This slums, known as favelas, are receiving increased attention as Rio is hosting the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games.
Matt Mallinson's comment,
September 26, 2012 10:20 AM
The government in Brazil better be on top of everything in a few years, the World Cup and the Olympic Games make people crazy sometimes. Most nations are crazy about their nation's sports, especially Brazil.
Derek Ethier's comment,
September 30, 2012 7:06 PM
This, like the previous articles, shows how Brazil is now finally trying to improve life for people in favelas. Unfortunately, it is not because they care much about them, but because they do not want the world seeing these horrific neighborhoods during the World Cup. They are also trying to eliminate violence so that people even want to visit their country for the cup. It is all about money and their image on the international stage.
Sam Capron's curator insight,
February 20, 9:23 PM
I can respect what the police are trying to accomplish in this area, but on the other hand I have great reservations about their motives. While I believe that the officers themselves have the best intentions at heart, the people that are funding the government and make the top level decisions are clearly only thinking about how the country will be during the time they host the FIFA world cup and the Olympics. Otherwise this endeavor would have taken place years ago when help was really needed, instead of when it is the most beneficial for the elite. Delete the scoop?
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Hungary has taken a stand against biotech giant Monsanto and genetic modification by destroying 1000 acres of maize grown with genetically modified seeds.
Peru and Hungary have both banned GMOs. What are the reasons that many are critical of GMOs? What should the government's role be in agriculture and food systems? Are bio-tech companies too strong? 
Courtney Holbert's curator insight,
February 3, 10:57 PM
With Monsanto having such a large political power, this is very interesting tat Hungary took a stand. 
Maria Bustamante's comment,
February 22, 11:56 AM
This article is about countries that are taking a stand against the company Monsanto. Many people in those countries are critical against the use of GMOs because they're not sure about how the genetic engineering will affect the crops. Already GMOs have had negative effects. The use of GMOs reduces the variety between the seeds. Not only that but the farmers are no longer getting the money the deserve for their hard work and they are not allowed to save their seeds. The government should have little control over the agriculture and what they decide to plant. They should take more precautions against the GMOs and they should make sure that the food system companies in charge of checking the safety food should not have a connection to the very food companies they are supposed to be condemning. Bio-tech companies are getting too strong because they're gaining too much control of the fields due to the patents they hold on their GMOs. This is dangerous because they could end up having a monopoly on the franchise and when they due if something happens to their crops it will happen to all the crops. It will be, for lack of a better word, very bad.
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Cypriots join the global protest movement to heal their divisions...
Cyprus has a long history of violence between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, so the buffer zone protest which follows the #occupy model, has greater political, ethnic, historical and geographic implications. Will this grassroots effort open a political dialogue to resolve the island’s divisions? Here is the group's Facebook page. The video is long, but the first few minutes are especially relevant with a nice overview. Delete the scoop?
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Occupy Wall Street is a potent reminder of the ancient civic ideal of public space, and how far we have drifted from it in the modern era.
"Imagine Zuccotti Park, one protester told me, as a Venn diagram of characters representing disparate political and economic disenchantments. The park is where their grievances overlap. It’s literally common ground." Posted in many sites, but since this article treats the important of place as its central point, it merits reposting. This article also situates the current protests within a deeper historical context as so many movements have 'taken to the streets.' Delete the scoop?
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Had the protest begun almost anywhere else in New York City, it almost certainly would have been shut down far sooner.
While I'm sure we have readers across the political spectrum, the spatial component to this movement is undeniably a "teaching moment." Occupy symbolically laden space to strengthen your discursive case? This is a classic strategy (think Tiananmen Square and Tahrir Square for starters). The actual place occupied is privately owned, and ironically can therefore function as a public place of protest more effectively. What will you discuss? Delete the scoop?
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"The map [above] sorts the countries of the world into three groups based on their relative coup risk for 2013: highest (red), moderate (orange), and lowest (beige)."
Seth Dixon's insight:
While this is not predicting a coup in any of these places, this map is a visualization of data that was used to assess the factors that would make a coup likely (to see an alternate map, here is the Washington Post's review of the same data that mapped the 30 countries most likely to have a coup). Questions to Ponder: What factors do you think would be important in compilling data of this nature? What makes a country susceptible to this type of governmental overthrow? What creates governmental stability? Tags: political, conflict, unit 4 political, governance, Africa. 
wereldvak's curator insight,
January 26, 5:28 AM
Factoren die meespelen zijn hieronder genoemd.
The algorithm for successful coups uses just four risk factors, one of which is really just an adjustment to the intercept. Infant mortality rate (relative to annual global median, logged): higher risk in countries with higher rates.Degree of democracy (Polity score, quadratic): higher risk for countries in the mid-range of the 21-point scale.Recent coup activity (yes or no): higher risk if any activity in the past five years.Post-Cold War period: lower risk since 1989.The algorithm for any coup attempts, successful or failed, uses the following ten risk factors, including all four of the ones used to forecast successful coups. Infant mortality rate (relative to annual global median, logged): higher risk in countries with higher rates.Recent coup activity (count of past five years with any, plus one and logged): higher risk with more activity.Post-Cold War period: lower risk since 1989.Popular uprisings in region (count of countries with any, plus one and logged): higher risk with more of them.Insurgencies in region (count of countries with any, plus one and logged): higher risk with more of them.Economic growth (year-to-year change in GDP per capita): higher risk with slower growth.Regime durability (time since last abrupt change in Polity score, plus one and logged): lower risk with longer time.Ongoing insurgency (yes or no): higher risk if yes.Ongoing civil resistance campaign (yes or no): higher risk if yes.Signatory to 1st Optional Protocol of the UN’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (yes or no): lower risk if yes.from:http://dartthrowingchimp.wordpress.com/2012/01/30/assessing-coup-risk-in-2012/ ;
Sam Capron's curator insight,
April 4, 12:11 AM
I notice that most of the countries in red are those right on the cultural divide between North and Sub-Saharan Africa. This is something to follow along closely. Delete the scoop?
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Across Africa, a continent where the average age is about 19, protests have flared against leaders who may have outstayed their welcome. This interactive mapping feature compares two distinct data sets in an attempt to show that the two are correlated on the continent of Africa. The base layer of this thematic map is demographic, noting how much of the overall population in a given country is under the age of 16. The interactive feature with point data describes the political unrest or instability in that particular country. Questions to ponder: Does the cartographer 'convince' you that Africa's having a very young (globally speaking) demographic cohort led towards greater political instability? Are there other factors worth considering? What does this map and it's embedded data tell us? Tags: Africa, political, conflict, unit 4 political, states, governance, population, demographics, unit 2 population. Delete the scoop?
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The artistic collection entitled 'Landscapes' compiled "the bizarre instances of cartographic dissonance inflicted by the Dutch government over their virtual lands. As Henner notes, the number of censored sites within the small country of the Netherlands is surprising, as is the technique used by officials to disguise them. Tracts of land deemed vulnerable to attack or misappropriation are transformed into large tapestries of multi-colored polygons, archipelagos of abstraction floating in swaths of open fields, dense forests, and clusters of urban development." For additional context, see the original gallery. Delete the scoop?
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London and the City of London are the same political and territorial entity right? Of course not. Why have something simple when we can have a rich archaic legacy with a fascinating (albeit convoluted) history. Here’s a great political geography lesson just in time for the Olympic Ceremonies. 
Maddy Van Fossen's comment,
September 3, 2012 2:28 PM
This video is short but gives lots of information. I found this video very interesting and I never knew there was a difference between the two cities. It's also very interesting that the two cities were formed at different times. Also, the way that Westminister grew around the city of london is cool, but the way the name Westminister changed to London is still confusing to me.
David Sanchez's comment,
September 5, 2012 8:17 PM
I think that it's amazing that the City of London is still rich and powerful even after having been founded a few thousand years ago.
Valentia Pollard's comment,
September 8, 2012 11:02 AM
I always thought that London was the same thing as the City of London. The only thing that they really have to do due with each other is the City of London is surrounded by London. Its cool that the City of London is still rich and powerful, they have their own flag, and even their own mayor. I think the City of London should be more important than it seems.
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Residents of hillside shanties above the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince protest against plans to clear their homes for a flood-protection project.
Even before the earthquake, Port-au-Prince was a city filled with slums. The earthquake exacerbated so many of the urban, economic and environmental issues. This eviction of the flood plains has class implications as the poor feel that they are being unfairly targeted in plans to improve the city. Delete the scoop?
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The new African country, founded in part to escape from the northern government's violence, is showing some hostility of its own.
Independence for ethnic/religious groups, while culturally satisfying, does not necessarily solve all the problems within a region. South Sudan's 1-year anniversary shows that even though they have a short history, it has been marked by ineffective governance and social instability.
Derek Ethier's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:24 PM
A huge problem faced by all of Africa is artificial boundaries. When European powes carved up Africa at the Berlin Conference, they showed very little interest in doing so along ethnic boundaries. As a result, we have some nations (like Nigeria) home to hundreds of different ethnic groups. In the case of Sudan, ethnic groups in the North and South warred for years until South Sudan gained independence. Unfortunately, it has done litle to stop the violence and instability.
Joshua Choiniere's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:39 PM
The problems in compassed with Sudan and South Sudan are numerous and very concerning to not only the Sudanese but also the world. The clashes over regime cruetly, oil reserves, and freedom have sparked media and international concern over these two seperate countries. Sudan is loking to take back it's reveune making oil reserves wile South Sudan is struggling with the burden of providing for its people and ensuring their happiness is a struggle that all nations face. The situation bewteen Sudan and South Sudan is a unique situation because there so many variables that are not typical in a low stable country. For instance there are two recgonized countries and two legitimate political leaders that the world validate.
Brian Nicoll's curator insight,
December 12, 2012 1:09 AM
One of the problems going on between Sudan and South Sudan is the same problem that other countries in Africa are suffereing from. Sudan contained various different ethnic groups that all warred with each other for years. When the powers of Europe divided up Africa they did not take the many different ethnic groups into consideration. This caused many different ethnic groups to clash. Despite South Sudan gaining its independence, it has not slowed down the conflicting beliefs of the various ethnic groups. Delete the scoop?
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architectural conjecture :: urban speculation :: landscape futures...
In the 1960s when the island of Surtsey (literally) erupted onto the scene off the coast of Iceland, it's national sovereignty was not really called into question. The seamount, or near island named Ferdinandea in the Mediterranean is not even an island yet and countries are already positioning themselves to claim it. Only 6 feet below sea level, this seamount is incredibly valuable real estate because is a country can successfully came this territory, they could also lay claim to an Exclusive Economic Zone, extending up to 200 nautical miles beyond the coast. Delete the scoop?
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Google maps brings the world to your desktop - well, most of it, anyway. Here are 10 locations that governments and other entities have blurred or removed from satellite photos.
A user of geospatial technologies is not free to explore all places of the Earth with equal levels of specificity. Why? Where? How come?
Roland Trudeau Jr.'s comment,
July 6, 2012 7:41 PM
I must say I'm fairly surprised there were not more then 10, unless that is just the number chosen for this article.
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Which countries/regions struggle the most with corruption in their political institutions? Which countries/regions struggle with development? Why does corruption seem to be correlated with development? Delete the scoop?
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The DOJ Crime Division chief said that the location of trials and defendants' race and ethnicity play a significant role in determining sentences.
What role does geography play in the justice system? How does place impact the way in which laws are either applied or ignored? Delete the scoop?
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If supranational governance can't work in Europe, how can it possibly work for the world as a whole? Supranationalism, with the Euro crisis has taken a hit. Will other organizations show that there is "strength in numbers" or that countries should adopt an "every man for himself" perspective? Delete the scoop?
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In Nepal, government owned forests are being felled at record speed, while community managed ones are thriving.
This is a great link for discussing governance and the environmental interactions and community. 
's comment, November 18, 2011 4:22 AM
For anyone who likes animals and nature in general, it's always sad to see forests decimated. It doesn't really matter where it takes place: Your back yard, the middle of your country, or all the way across the world. It all sucks nonetheless. That's why these community managed forestry programs in Nepal are great. There seems to be many benefits of keeping your forests strong: Reducing landslides, more wildlife, aid against global warming (according to the video), and make a return on the natural elements the forest has to offer. We must not all be windbag hippies to recognize that forests are important for a multitude of reasons, and we collectively need to learn to use them smartly. This video was a cool look at that.
Don Brown Jr's comment,
July 30, 2012 10:55 PM
Investing in the environment is a very beneficial way to promote sustainability in an increasingly urbanized world and a cheap way to increase air quality.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 11:07 PM
This is a great example of how communities can help themselves and their land. It works because the people live there and they have to not only think about today but tomorrow so they do not exploit their recourses Delete the scoop?
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