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Global news with a spatial perspective: Interesting, current supplemental materials for geography students and teachers. http://geographyeducation.org
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Seth Dixon
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Scooped by Seth Dixon onto Geography Education |
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Seth Dixon's insight:
This list is a combination of two types of posts. Some represent the best posts of Geography Education during 2012 as voted by you the viewers (measured by page views) and I've added a few that I feel where my 'favorite finds' of the year. For more favorites, you can see the best of 2011.
Tags: best of 2012, zbestofzbest, geo-inspiration.
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Australia's engagement with Asia: Water - a case study on Flores
Seth Dixon's insight:
For a the full lesson on how access to clean drinking water and human well-being are connected on the Indonesian island of Flores, visit World Vision Australia. On a related note, this article from the Guardian discusses the trouble of securing clean drinking water in Bangladesh. Tags: Indonesia, water, development. Delete the scoop?
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A rice enriched with beta-carotene promises to boost the health of poor children around the world. But critics say golden rice is also a clever PR move for a biotech industry driven by profits, not humanitarianism.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a great podcast that emphasizes various geographic themes including agriculture, development and economics. This new genetically-modified rice was designed to provide vitamin A (something no natural rice provides) to impoverished diets. Skeptics point out that the history of the industry shows that the goal is to enrich a select number of corporations while some are hailing this as a major advancement that will benefit the poor. Where people side on this is often ideological, so those that are firmly against genetically modified foods find the flaw in the plan and vice versa. What do you think? How might this change food production and consumption worldwide and at a local scale? Tags: GMOs, development, NGOs, Food, agriculture, agribusiness, unit 5 agriculture. 
Alcofribas's curator insight,
March 10, 4:03 PM
Juste pour être sûr : GMO n'est pas Giesbert-Marie Oglalat et NGO pas Nicolas-Gabriel Orkozy, hein ? 
Zakary Pereira's comment,
April 30, 4:43 PM
To me, this golden rice seems like a great idea. Anyway to give more nutrients to starving and malnourished peoples is good to me. Some may argue, and do argue, that this is run for pure profit by GE companies however to me it doesn’t matter as long as it’s helping people who need it. Much of the populations of Asia and Africa eat rice or wheat and don’t get enough Vitamin A as they should. So, this is the perfect solution! I can understand why people are skeptical of it, being a GMO after all, but as long as it is safe, delivers extra nutrients and feeds the hungry then I am on board.
Kevin Cournoyer's comment,
May 1, 12:52 AM
As important and widely used crops go, rice is probably the most important and the most widely used in the world. As a diet staple in Asia and Africa, it helps to feed billions of people everyday. Genetically modified race promises not only nourishment, but increased nutrients for the people who consume it as a major part of their diets. The recent test of this genetically modified rice on Chinese children without full disclosure of what the rice was, however, was seen as a huge problem by many.
The ethicality of the situation is what bothered most opponents of the test, but those in favor of the super rice argue that it is good for everyone, because it helps impoverished populations who are otherwise unable to acquire the nutrients they need. This article highlights the importance of rice in a vast physical geographic context, but also deals with the idea of economic and cultural geography because of the modified rice’s impact on a large number of people’s eating habits and standard of living. Delete the scoop?
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This website is an incredibly humorous parody of Eurocentric charitable organizations that, while well-intentioned, propogate many negative stereotypes about Africa.
Questions to Ponder: What do you think the 'point' of Radi-Aid is? Do you agree with their point? How does the media influence our idea of places? Tags: Africa, development, NGOs, Norway. Delete the scoop?
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The world is becoming more and more interconnected. Globalization changes how people consume, work and live almost everywhere on the world. Today, many economic, political, cultural or ecological relationships are not explainable from a national perspective. At the same time, a controversial debate about the consequences of globalization has begun. Questions to ponder: What are the driving forces behind globalization? What areas are most impacted by globalization? How does globalization benefit some, and adversely impact others? Why? Tags: Globalization, economic, industry, NGOs, political, scale, unit 6 industry. 
Kyle Toner's comment,
September 10, 2012 12:31 PM
Globalization is an overall positive drive. In time globalization needs to mold developing countries who are in need of a better political and economical system
Sheyna Vargas's comment,
September 10, 2012 1:16 PM
After watching this video, it is becoming clear that Globalization isn't just one-sided. While making it easier to connect with people all around the world and lowering costs for businesses, it is also causing harm to less developed countries. The question that pops into my head is, "Does the ends justify the means?" One could argue either point.
First, Globalization has made the world a "smaller" place. Not only is it easier to communicate with one another on different sides of the world but it’s also easier and cheaper to transport goods across nations and bodies of water. These are obviously benefits to both the developed countries and lesser developed countries in getting goods in timely fashions and producing jobs in both areas. Globalization also creates competition amongst developing nations to learn or advance in new skills to bring and/or keep jobs in their country/area. On the other hand, Globalization is also wreaking havoc on cultural diversity around the global with Western music, food, and products becoming more available. Western culture is basically looked upon as the “money making” culture. Globalization, by creating competition is also harming local business in newly developing countries. This drives the prices down for the local businesses and makes them work for less. Delete the scoop?
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A decade ago, Botswana was facing a national crisis as AIDS appeared on the verge of decimating the country's adult population. Now, the country provides free, life-saving AIDS drugs to almost all of its citizens who need them.
This is a great example, and possibly a template on how to tackle the AIDS/HIV crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Botswana was as hard hit as any country, but they fully invested their economic initiatives into tackling this and actively changed cultural attitudes and behaviors that faciliate transmission. Not all is 'doom and gloom' when looking at poverty and disease-stricken countries. Delete the scoop?
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Since the year 2000, almost 1 million people have lost their lives to disasters caused by natural hazards. 2 billion people have been affected. 1 trillion do...
In the last decade, almost one million people have been killed by disasters and more than one trillion dollars have been lost. Yet only 1% of international aid is spent to minimize the impact of these disasters. Every $1 spent on preparedness saves $7 on response, so the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has established http://www.actnowsavelater.org to prepare for the disasters which will surely come. 
Kim Vignale's comment,
July 5, 2012 8:18 PM
I think this is a great video depicting how disasters are handled today. Lack of preparation increases more damage caused by natural disasters. If more time and money is spent on devising plans on how to prepare for disasters, preventing it, and alleviating the issue, there would be less money lost and most importantly more lives saved.
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Distribution of US Foreign Aid over time, 1946-2005...
This interactive graph is not visually intuitive and easy to interpret, but it is a wealth of information about the United States geopolitical policies throughout time in addition to it's humanitarian aid throughout the developing world. For example, you can see that the aid to Vietnam from 1965-1973 exploded, and to Israel from 1976-2002. In 1947, the United Kingdom (under the Marshall Plan) accounted for over half of all of the international aid. Delete the scoop?
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The future of international NGOs depends on what the post-western world will look like in ten years from now. The nature of the post-western world is likely to challenge the legitimacy, funding and effectiveness of INGOs generally and particularly of those from the West... Via Paola Rattu, Tony Burton Delete the scoop?
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Tensions rise in Cairo as Egyptian forces raided the offices of human rights and pro-democracy groups.
When there is a new political regime, what impact does it have on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) operating within that country? While many NGOs attempt to stay out of partisan politicals so as not to compromise the future of their organization or cause, sometimes the cause is in direct conflict with the policies of the regime. Delete the scoop?
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is working to be a force for good in the least developed parts of the world that often face political and economic instability. This is one program designed to help. For more on the UNDP's work in the Horn of Africa, visit: http://www.undp.org/hornofafrica Delete the scoop?
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An excellent infographic that highlights the importance of education in the process of fighting poverty. Why is education (especially women) so pivotal for development? Should this change how we think about humanitarian aid? 
Tammy Sim's curator insight,
February 1, 7:30 AM
I feel that this infographic is artistic and allusive. It clearly shows us that the only way for us to get out of poverty is through education. It tells us the importance of education and the need to study hard. Similarly, i strongly feel that the need to study hard not only applies to the poor but it also applies to us as well. Even though Singapore is known as one of the richer countries in the world, poverty is also susceptible to us as well. If we do not study hard and get academic qualifications, we might also fall into the state of poverty. Still, I am encouraged upon hearing that there is ultimately a way for us to overcome poverty. As long as one studies hard with the guidance of educated family members and teachers around him/her, he would be able to score well, attain academic qualifications, get a sustainable job and escape from poverty. However, I wonder about the challenges people face in getting employed. Since more and more people are studying harder just to get out of poverty or to get a higher pay, wouldn't this limit the chances of the poorer ones getting employed due to a competition for jobs in this field? 
Hui Yu Leong's curator insight,
February 1, 10:02 AM
I have always thought that education was important but I never realised that poverty could mean the difference between life and death. Without an educated mother, a child would have 50% less chance of surviving a terminal illness or medical condition.1/2 the chance to survive to age 5 and have a higher chance of getting AIDS as 3 times as many uneducated woman contract AIDS as compared to educated woman.Causing the children have a higher chance of contracting AIDS from thier mothers. Educated mothers would also make bigger and more useful contributions to the society and family as most woman spend about 90% of thier earnings on their families. Wonder: Why does the government not step in to make sure that woman can get affordable/free education, Why the government does not let more girls go to school although they make better contributions to the society. 
Eliza Thng's curator insight,
February 1, 10:20 AM
After reading this infographic, I came to know that "Education is foundational to human development and has a clear multiplier effect which benefits in health, broad-based econimic growth and poverty education". The importance of education can be seen rather clearly. With education, one 's individual earning's would increase by 10% for each year of school completed. If the earnings increase, one is less likely to face poverty. Also, if a child is born to an educated mother, it's life span will lengthen. Hence, this all concludes that education is an important process one must go through. Delete the scoop?
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From http://www.witness.org | "Awaiting Tomorrow" tells the story people living with HIV/AIDS in the war-torn Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo...
This video provides a chilling glimpse into the struggle of Africans with AIDS/HIV without sufficient medical care. 
's comment, November 22, 2011 8:50 PM
i think this video is very important to aware people of the lack of medical attention these people of congo have. she also made a point that the government isn't doing much, that if they would she could be an example of getting the word out that they too can get help and medical support for the disease.
Lisa Fonseca's comment,
December 5, 2011 12:49 AM
Many more people should be aware of this clip. Here is a twenty five year old with four children, and now has been dealing with aids for one year. The likely chance of him surviving being that he is living in such poverty, is very low. It is awful to see his four children watching their father slowly die of aids, but it also can be seen as a lesson to the children to learn and become aware of aids and learn how to avoid them. This young adult not only wanted to survive but also wanted to survive to be a spokesperson to the world. I think more and more people need to be aware of situations like these. Yes, many people know Africa has a high percentage of aids but 2.6 million people in just Democratic Republic of Congo are living with aids. If people became more aware of this situation by watching videos like these and seeing how they could make an impact I think this number could be lowered. Possibly we can start by showing videos like this to adolescents and getting them knowledged in this area at a young age.
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A simple initiative in the Philippines is bringing a bit of brightness into the lives of the country's poorest people.
This clip is brimming with classroom potential. Development is a key component to this clip, but it could also become a service learning project as students adopt a great project to help others in more difficult financial situations. Learn more about the project at: http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/ 
Seth Dixon's comment,
November 12, 2011 10:29 PM
So cool...very inspirational. Human ingenuity is a greatest limitless resources.
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
December 7, 2012 12:44 PM
Wow, this is truly amazing to see how innovative cultures can be. While they cannot afford electricity due to the high prices, they still have found an inexpensive alternative. Now with the mimicked lighting, people in poor areas of the Phillipines can still go on with their daily living uninterrupted.
Michelle Carvajal's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 8:51 PM
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 Delete the scoop?
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"The tiny black-eyed pea is about to wage battle in Malawi. The small country in southeast Africa is the site of a project to help with food security, nutrition and income. Western University researchers are among those who will work with 30,000 farmers to help diversify crops into protein-rich legumes, such as the black-eyed pea, a popular type of cow pea in Malawi."
Seth Dixon's insight:
Tags: food, agriculture, Africa, Malawi, unit 5 agriculture.
Seth Dixon's comment,
March 15, 8:44 PM
A good friend of mine is currently working for USAID in Malawi. This is what he had to say: I think crop diversification is really important here in Malawi. Most farmers have a heavy reliance on maize,which results in reduced hunger but there continues to be persistent malnutrition among children as their diets consist of mostly maize.Almost everyone here grows maize, you might be a school teacher or a health worker, but you are also most likely growing maize as well. Farmers are very risk averse here, so introducing a new crop takes time, finding the few willing to experiment and then using them to show their neighbors of the benefits. Other organizations are working on crop diversification here in Malawi, the US government, Catholic Relief Services, and other international development partners. Although not spelled out in the article, the majority of farmers are actually women, and agricultural production is typically for household subsistence with minimal cash cropping. As crop diversification increases, cash crops will provide more resources for families to pay for education and health for their families, but probably more importantly families will start diversifying their nutritional intake beyond maize. In a country where 42% of under 5 children are stunted, this will be a positive development. My wife was just out in the South of the country with CRS and was seeing some of the work that they are doing towards crop diversification as a result of USAID funding. She was really impressed to see how different vulnerable groups have been targeted by similar programs. She was able to see changes in rural villages in very insecure food zones. She saw how those lead farmers, willing to adopt new techniques or diversify crops, plant cash crops, etc, are reaping the benefits. Their neighbors are seeing it in action and are now adopting the techniques. It is not an immediate adoption, you have to give it time. These people are very risk averse, when set backs aren't just an inconvenience, but translate into starvation, it is understandable why it takes time. It also makes it more impressive when you find those willing to take the risks and try to set aside some land for a new crop. I am sure my agricultural colleagues would have more sophisticated answers but just some of my personal thoughts/observations."
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An in-depth, multimedia look at climate change, its global impact, and efforts to combat it. This guide on climate change from the Council on Foreign Relations (independent think tank) covers many of the geopolitical, economic and environmental issues that confront the Earth as global temperatures rise. Rather than produce a full length feature film, they have organized the this as an interactive video, allowing the user to get short (a couple of minutes) answer to specific questions about the science, foreign policy or economic ramifications of adapting to climate change. Tags: climate change, environmental adaption, economic, industry. Delete the scoop?
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For the first time in generations, more investment than foreign aid is pouring into Africa. But is that growth enough to change its future? This is the first article in six-part series designed to investigate the changing economic and developmental possibilities that are facing the African continent. As more foreign investors are exploring potential windfalls in Africa, it is making places that were on the margins of a global economy more directly tied to the process of globalization. Tags: Africa, development, globalization, economic, NGOs, unit 6 industry. 
Rich's comment,
September 24, 2012 2:12 PM
So why is it that only one village has been recieving funding and jobs while the other is being left in the dust (almost literally) with barely any water? It is no wonder why the village that is getting left behind is resistant to the change, they have recieved nothing in return compared to the others who are recieving funding aswell as jobs. This company is endangering the lives of those people, they are poor enough as it is without their food/water sources.
Victoria Morgia Jamolod-Umbo's comment,
September 27, 2012 9:01 AM
Africa is a rich country with so many problems. If you consider the fact how rich is Africa when it comes to their natural resources, then you will realize that there is a deeper problem. The investments that are pouring into Africa, hopefully will solve a lot of problems. God save Africa!
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Nearly $1bn was spent last year buying wheat, sorghum and other products for the controversial US 'in-kind' food aid programmes. Over 40 companies sold food aid last year Didion, a private, family-owned company headquartered in Wisconsin, has developed a special line of corn-based food aid products. Last year it was the government’s top supplier of corn-soy blend, a fortified food of choice for the UN’s World Food Programme. What Crops are being donated? To which countries? From which companies? The answers lie in this interactive feature. Delete the scoop?
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This map is a graphical representation of the Dashboard’s available data on foreign assistance appropriations by fiscal year. The darker a country’s shading appears on the map, the more funding that U.S. Government country office received in that fiscal year. Users can switch between fiscal years by using the dropdown box in the top right corner of the page. Users can choose a country by clicking the map or by selecting the name of the country from the drop down box above. Delete the scoop?
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The West African state of Niger is now the worst place in the world to be a mother, a Save the Children annual report says.
Gender, demographics and development are the main geographic themes that run through this report. As many countries prepare to celebrate Mother's Day, the Non-Governmental Organization Save the Children considers the geography of motherhood and the difficulties in raising a healthy, educated, well-fed child with economic opportunities for the future. The variables used in the index included factors such as health, education, economic status and nutrition as key indicators that would be pertinent to motherhood.
The most difficult place to raise a child according to the report are: 1) Niger, 2) Afghanistan, 3) Yemen, 4) Guinea-Bissau and 5)Mali. The best places to raise healthy, education children are: 1) Norway, 2) Iceland, 3) Sweden, 4) New Zealand and 5)Denmark. For more information about Save the Children, see: http://www.savethechildren.net/ Delete the scoop?
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Brazil, Russia, India and China are profoundly shaking up the G8. All of these newcomers give aid to developing countries. And yet some still receive substantial aid themselves from the U.S. and other donors.
This seems to be a is a strange juxtaposition: surging countries in the global economy are also recipients of international aid from NGOs. Too often we view the country as though that is the logical scale at which to discuss all issues such as economic growth and poverty. Too often we view the border as though all things within the border are homogenous and difference lies on the other side of the border. The author of this article argues that the future for NGOs is increasing collaboration and partnerships with the private sector to lead to a 'convergence' between the economic aims of the local economy and the humanitarian goals of the NGOs. 
's comment, August 27, 2012 11:17 AM
I find that this article interestingly explains how NGOs are becoming more prevalent in both private and public sectors, especially as the BRIC nations continue to move up in GDP and economic prosperity. However, countries such as China and Russia are not exactly welcoming NGOs with open arms. It begs the question of whether or not these communistic countries are willing to adapt their hostilities toward international private aid, especially considering large amounts of their own citizens continue to live in poverty.
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Al Jazeera's Sebastian Walker asks why a system that was designed to help Haitians ended up exacerbating their misery.
Why isn't more money the answer to the 'poverty problem?' What geographic factors make Haitian development such a difficult issue? 
's comment, January 30, 2012 2:14 PM
During our spring break this March, I will be in Haiti on a week long medical mission trip.
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TED Talks HIV is a serious problem in the DR Congo, and aid agencies have flooded the country with free and cheap condoms. But few people are using them. Why?
This video highlights why some well-intending NGOs with excellent plans for the developing world don't have the impact they are hoping for. Cultural barriers to diffusion abound and finding a way to make your idea resonate with your target audience takes some preparation. This also addresses some important demographic and health-related issues, so the clip could be used in a variety of places within the curriculum. FYI: this clip briefly shows some steamy condom ads. 
Derek Ethier's comment,
November 5, 2012 2:26 PM
AIDs is an epidemic in Africa, so selling condoms in the Congo is a groundbreaking idea. In fact, I am surprised that no one had thought of this earlier. In a continent where millions are affected by AIDs, it is essential that measures be taken to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
Crissy Borton's curator insight,
December 11, 2012 9:45 PM
Marketing is not something I would have thought about when trying to get people in the Kongo to use condoms. Her research into the brands they use and why may save many lives. 
Nick Flanagan's curator insight,
December 12, 2012 8:27 PM
I was surprised actually that it took this long for someone to think of this, given the fact that the AIDS crisis in Africa is practically a pandemic.However it is a good idea that someone had finally started to do something about it. Delete the scoop?
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Experts and aid officials discuss ongoing challenges and lessons learnt on the ground in Haiti...
Development and humanitarian aid projects must always take local geographic factors into consideration when devising any plan for the future. Political uncertainty, poor transportation infrastructure, disease and not enough locally based programs are but a few of the issues that continue to plague the communities in Haiti. Delete the scoop?
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I absolutely love creative, out-of-the-box, innovative people! People who use their creativity to make a difference in the World.... Incredible! "We want to ...
Find out more about this organization at: http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/ 
's comment, November 12, 2011 7:59 PM
This story made me realizes the blessing we have in this country and give thanks to God for everything. There are people in the world that live without base things we take for granted. I love the way this man found a solution for the problem of light of his neighborhood. For me and his people he is a heroes plus a mazing Original inventor person. He is very smart and he is not selfish. This is what this world needs people who are willing to give their special gives for the well-being of every human. He inspires me to keep going forward. There hope in the world.
Seth Dixon's comment,
November 12, 2011 10:23 PM
It is important to see that people can people be the answer to our own problems and actively shape our environment for the better.
Stacey Jackson's curator insight,
May 8, 8:49 PM
When you watch this video and consider the standard of living for the average U.S. citizen, you really see there is such an uneven use of natural resources in the world. I wish more people here were able to use renewable energy more creatively. It's interesting how having fewer financial resources can often lead people to innovative uses of materials they have at hand. Before urban gardening was a trend in the U.S., my husband's grandfather used to recycle plastic buckets to collect water to water his garden. He didn't have a lot of money, but he did have a lot of ingenuity. Delete the scoop?
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