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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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The end to extreme poverty might very well be within reach. But is the bar too low? The World Bank aims to raise just about everyone on Earth above the $1.25-a-day income threshold. In Zambia, an average person living in such dire poverty might be able to afford, on a given day, two or three plates of cornmeal porridge, a tomato, a mango, a spoonful each of oil and sugar, a bit of chicken or fish, maybe a handful of nuts. But he would have just pocket change to spend on transportation, housing, education and everything else. 
Jacob Rabe's curator insight,
May 15, 9:59 PM
This is a really interesting article. It is so crazy to think about living in a world without poverty, because it has been there for as long as we can all remember, and its not something you can just slip out of. When you think about it, it is sort of an exponential growth, just like the economy. 
Matthew Nava's comment,
May 19, 8:36 PM
I think it would be extremely difficult to rid poverty all together
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Laxmi's story of being kidnapped and trafficked in Nepal is not an isolated case but, as this graphical account shows, things are not always what they seem.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Teaching about human trafficking and child slavery can be very disconcerting and uncomfortable. How much of the details regarding these horrific situations is age-appropriate and suitable for the classroom? The BBC is reporting on events with sensitive stories to both give a human face to the story, while protecting the identity of under-aged victims (to read about the production of this comic, read Drawing the News.) I encourage you to use your own discretion, but I find this comicbook format an accessible, informative and tasteful way to teach about human trafficking in South Asia to minors. It is a powerful way to teach about some hard (but important) aspects of globalization and economics. As geographer Shaunna Barnhart says concerning this comic, "It moves from trafficking to child labor to pressures for migration for wage labor and the resulting injustices that occur. There's differential access to education, gender inequality, land, jobs, and monetary resources that leads to inter- and intra-country trafficking of the vulnerable. In the search for improved quality of life, individuals become part of a global flow of indentured servitude which serves to exploit their vulnerabilities and exacerbate inequalities and injustice. Nepali children 'paid' in food and cell phones that play Hindi music in 'exchange' for work in textile factories - cell phones that are themselves a nexus of global resource chains and textiles which in turn enter a global market - colliding at the site of child labor which remains largely hidden and ignored by those in the Global North who may benefit from such labor." Tags: Nepal, labor, industry, economic, poverty, globalization, India. 
Ssekyewa Charles's curator insight,
April 24, 9:03 AM
Where is Human Rights Watch? Human trafficing is a crime to humanity!! Delete the scoop?
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"As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thought her country was 'the best on the planet.' It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to to wonder. She escaped the country at 14, to begin a life in hiding, as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope."
Seth Dixon's insight:
Not all migration is voluntary and this woman's personal struggle to flee North Korea alternates between heartwarming and heartbreaking. Her accent is thick, but it is worth it to her her story from her own mouth. Tags: North Korea, migration, political, East Asia, development, states, poverty. 
Emily Ross Cook's curator insight,
March 27, 9:48 AM
We've been studying North Korea and the conflict between North and South in our World Geography classes. This is an interesting perspective and story - one that definitely helps to understand the plight of many North Koreans as they struggle to leave and subsequently create new lives elsewhere. Delete the scoop?
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Infographics on the distribution of wealth in America, highlighting both the inequality and the difference between our perception of inequality and the actua...
Seth Dixon's insight:
This video does have a political bent that may or may not reflect your views, but it nicely lays out data that graphically represents the economic differences that we see in the United States today. Our perception is as skewed as what is and what we think it should be. Delete the scoop?
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Read the Transcript: http://to.pbs.org/b6sR86 The capital of the South Asian country Bangladesh, Dhaka, has a population that is booming. However, it stands ...
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is a great introduction to the demographic explosion of the slums within megacities. This is applicable to many themes within geography. Tags: Bangladesh, water, pollution, poverty, squatter, planning, density, South Asia, development, economic, megacities. 
Lauren Jacquez's curator insight,
April 8, 9:00 PM
Another look at a growing megacity and its shantytowns. 
Chris Magee's comment,
April 28, 3:40 PM
As Tony Hall says, this is a very sobering and educating video. This shows how much a population boom and high birth rate can create problems for a developing country. With all of the people there it is hard for enough jobs to be available and most are forced to work for pennies. The migration to Dhaka, about 4000 people a year, can create a huge issue for the city in the future as we have seen how extremely dense populations can effect a city.
These changes will shape the country for many years to come. The political geography will have to adapt to the booming population. How will new policies be put into effect to handle this growing population? The population will become more diverse and less unified as it is taking in new people from many neighboring cities. 
Peter Siner's comment,
April 30, 5:37 PM
A city that is home to 15 million people… this is a scary thought especially since the idea of massively overpopulated cities is a new trend around the globe. The megacities help house those who cannot live in the rural areas surrounding them. It also shows how growing populations can have quite negative effects. While the city is growing quickly there is also widespread poverty and the city is riddled with slums. High poverty rate generally converts to high crime rate. The impacts of overpopulation have lasting effects on not only the land use but also consumption rates. The example we are given is a small family in which their income was based off of a farm that was washed away, now they are forced to move to Dhaka.
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I Have a Dream Speech Martin Luther King's Address at March on Washington August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring fro...
Seth Dixon's insight:
There is much to glean from Martin Luther King's famous I Have a Dream speech as a fantastic rhetorical device. This speech has a profound impact on the the psyche of the America culture and it has endured as a pivotal moment in history. As we celebrate his life and legacy this Monday, it is an appropriate time to contemplate that the ending of segregation (a spatial division of races) has reshaped the United States. Many streets in the United States bear the name "Martin Luther King Jr." to memorialize both the man and the Civil Rights movement. This streets, as this YouTube video suggests, are often in poor, crime-ridden and violent neighborhoods. This video highlights the irony between the historical memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and places of memorialization that bear his name. This video echoes much of what the authors of the fantastic book "Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory" say (in fact one of the authors is shown in this video). Questions to ponder: If Martin Luther King Jr. represents non-violence, then why are streets bearing his name often in 'violent' neighborhoods? Where should Martin Luther King be memorialized in the United States? Only in the South? Only in predominantly African-American communities? What does the geography of the spaces where he is memorialized say something about the United States?
Tags: historical, culture, landscape, place, race, unit 3 culture, USA, urban, poverty, unit 7 cities, book review. 
Cindy Riley Klages's curator insight,
January 20, 10:38 AM
Teachers: How great would it be to use the actual speech? Can you say, "primary source?" Here's an idea: Print it out and let students close read this important speech, too. Delete the scoop?
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"An examination of shootings and violence in Chicago. Includes interactive map of Chicago shootings and homicides."
Tags: Chicago, socioeconomic.
Seth Dixon's insight:
I know that many are thinking about mental illness and gun violence after the tragic incident in Connecticut. I do not wish to use this as a platform to suggest any particular political course of action. I do think, however, that this is an appropriate time to share more data that may help others to frame the discussion. Tags: Chicago, socioeconomic. Delete the scoop?
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Climate change, changing diets and a growing global population has pushed food security to the top of the international agenda. Food problems are fundamentally geographic. Understanding local economics, agriculture and development all play a critical role in contextualizing place-based shortages. This interactive media guide highlights where these issues are the most problematic. Delete the scoop?
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ESPN Video: With the FIFA World Cup two years away, will Brazil be ready to host soccers premiere event? This short sports documentary (12 minutes) looks at some of the socioeconomic and urban planning issues that are a part of the logistics for a country to prepare for a sporting event on the magnitude of the World Cup. The discussion of demolitions in the favelas (squatter settlements) is especially intriguing. Major sporting events of this magnitude that last for two weeks can reshape local geographic patterns for decades. 
Sam Capron's curator insight,
February 20, 9:19 PM
There is a massive amount of prep work that is going to hosting the FIFA world cup and the next Olympic games. I wonder what will happen to these beautiful stadiums after the games are over. My bet would be a slowly worsening level of disrepair. Delete the scoop?
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Go undercover with National Geographic correspondent Lisa Ling as she journeys into mysterious and reclusive North Korea. We know so little about life in North Korea since they have the world’s least free press (that is not hyperbole--Freedom House ranks countries from 0 to 99 with 0 being the most free and 99 being the least free. North Korea has recently "improved" its rating to 97, the worst in the world). Official coverage is highly censored and filled with government propaganda. This 2009 glimpse is incredibly poignant. Tags: East Asia, development, states, poverty. Delete the scoop?
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In an impoverished country, elephant poaching is a quick way to make big money. A pair of poachers explain how they track and kill elephants in one of Africa's top game reserves. The illegal sale of ivory in places such as Asia drive the elephant poachers to prey on Elephants in protected game reserves and national parks. The Selous Game Reserve is larger than Switzerland and yet they only have 10 rangers to protect and patrol the wildlife. Tags: biogeography, poverty, globalization, Africa, consumption, resources, ecology, podcast. Delete the scoop?
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A professor criticizes the "culture of quantification," (in the journal cultural geographies) arguing that we don't do enough with the data we collect. If all we do is count (or attempt to count the homeless), does that help them in any way or change the realities that lead to homelessness? Are we counting them just to give us the numbers to receive credit that may help other programs but not help the homeless? Is data for data's sake of any value? UPDATE: Another geographer noted some other issues of homelessness on the website facebook page, specifically in regard to this map of homelessness: "A problem associated with this map is that while the numbers get smaller, it raises the question: where did they go? (answer: Hollywood, after an emphasis on policing pushed them out)...this could be tied in to a discussion about map scale." Tags: statistics, class, census, socioeconomic, housing, poverty. Via Allison Anthony Delete the scoop?
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Peter Dopson's comment,
October 1, 2012 7:25 AM
@ Don Brown Jr. It is possible this will help them better understand the need to help place local women groups to lead the local efforts of relief distribution, and work towards correcting the ongoing need.
Kalin B.'s comment,
November 5, 2012 11:34 AM
Infographics can be infinitely useful in persuasively conveying important data. I especially appreciate this, considering I make them myself!
Lauren Jacquez's curator insight,
February 12, 1:39 PM
Gender Development index - CHapter 9 materials Delete the scoop?
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Researchers are heading to Dharavi, Mumbai, to study the impact of slum tours on the residents.
Seth Dixon's insight:
The article leaves me with more questions than answers. What do the residents think about the tons of tourists wondering through their winding streets? The very idea of tourism to see poverty in situ in an authentic slum is riddled with power and cultural imbalances. Why would wealthy tourists from the developed world want to more fully explore the slums in the developing world? What do you see as the 'wrong' and the 'right' within this situation? Is slum tourism ethical? 
Seth Dixon's comment,
May 5, 4:54 PM
If it's just for personal curiosity, it's more than just a bit unsavory. If you are seriously thinking about opening up your wallet but want to see the situation on the ground, then its still a conversation worth having.
Serge Dielens * Connectivist @ EdgeCommunication.be's curator insight,
May 7, 12:41 PM
Visiter des bidonvilles, nouveau trend pour touristes en mal de nouveauté? Je me souviens avoir personnellement visité SOWETO en 2000, avec un groupe de journalistes belges. Nous avons logé chez une dame qui cédait une partie de sa maison pour se faire un peu d'argent, pour contribuer aux frais de ses deux fils étudiants à l'Unif. Ce fut une expérience inoubliable. Nous n'avons pas entendu le son de sa voix, elle nous servait à manger en silence et même si nous ne savions pas très bien comment réagir, nous avions l'impression que nous lui venions en aide, d'une manière ou d'une autre. En tous cas, la visite de ce bidonville fut pour moi éclairante.
Serge Dielens * Connectivist @ EdgeCommunication.be's comment,
May 7, 2:55 PM
Visiter des bidonvilles, nouveau trend pour touristes en mal de nouveauté? Je me souviens avoir personnellement visité SOWETO en 2000, avec un groupe de journalistes belges. Nous avons logé chez une dame qui cédait une partie de sa maison pour se faire un peu d'argent, pour contribuer aux frais de ses deux fils étudiants à l'Unif. Ce fut une expérience inoubliable. Nous n'avons pas entendu le son de sa voix, elle nous servait à manger en silence et même si nous ne savions pas très bien comment réagir, nous avions l'impression que nous lui venions en aide, d'une manière ou d'une autre. En tous cas, la visite de ce bidonville fut pour moi éclairante.
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A heartfelt & moving story of how instruments made from recycled trash bring hope to children whose future is otherwise spiritless.
Seth Dixon's insight:
I've shared this video before, but this worthy project is now asking for assistance on kickstarter and I feel it merits reposting. This video shows that the human spirit of beauty and joy can come shining through from the poorest of places. Slums are not new, but rapid population growth coupled with rural-to-urban migration patterns have led to an increasing amount of slums. Despite all the stereotypical images of destitute poverty, slums can also be places with a strong vibrant communities with residents filled with innovation, hope and ambition. For more on this organization, see their Facebook page. Tags: urban, squatter, poverty, South America, community, Paraguay. 
chris tobin's curator insight,
April 24, 5:11 PM
What a wonderful thing! This is a very heartwarming story Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
Rhode Island is one of five states in which the number of people getting help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-formerly known as 'food stamps') has more than doubled since 2008. In 2012, 16 percent of its residents received aid from the program. Read the related article. The article details how Woonsocket's economy is impacted by these monthly fluctuations is disposable income. Why is Rhode Island one of that states with a doubling participation in this program? What other spatial patterns to you see? Delete the scoop?
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Tony Hall's curator insight,
February 20, 11:44 PM
Really good series of infographics on unequal distribution of wealth in the world. Perfect for teaching IB Geography Disparities in Wealth topic. Delete the scoop?
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Income maps of every neighborhood in the U.S. See wealth and poverty in places like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Miami, and more.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is the most user-friendly website I've seen to map economic census data. This maps the average household income data on top of a Google Maps basemap that can be centered on any place in the United States. This is a great resource to share with students of just about any age. Tags: statistics, census, GIS, mapping, K12. 
Alejandro Restrepo's curator insight,
February 13, 6:22 PM
Very interesting aspect of our demographics here in Central Falls. Any one with an interest in demographics and the make up our city should take a look a this and compare it to other neighborhoods in Rhode Island. Knowledge is power. Empower yourself! 
Allison Anthony's curator insight,
February 16, 10:25 AM
Compare the neighborhoods in and around your area. What trends do you see? Any surprises? Delete the scoop?
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Aboriginal leaders threaten to ban tourists from a top Australian landmark in protest at "racist" government policies.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is an old article, but a fascinating topic that cuts across many geographic issues. Uluru, the landform that that European explorers named Ayers Rock, was the key place that is at the center of a struggle between indigenous people and the government. Many feel that the government's course of action in the mid 2000's was paternalistic and racist. They banned alcohol and pornography in over 70 indigenous communities in an attempt to lower the rates of child sex abuse. Sex Abuse is high (and often hidden) in aboriginal communities where a child is 7 times more likely to be abused than in the rest of the Australian population. Questions to Ponder: Would the government impose such measures on other populations within Australia? When crimes have a racial component, does a government have the right to limit a particular groups' actions? Why or why not?
Tags: Australia, indigenous, ethnicity, race, Oceania.
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Seth Dixon's insight:
This video shows that the human spirit of beauty and joy can come shining through from the poorest of places. Slums are not new, but rapid population growth coupled with rural-to-urban migration patterns have led to an increasing amount of slums. Despite all the stereotypical images of destitute poverty, slums can also be places with a strong vibrant communities with residents filled with innovation, hope and ambition. For more on this organization, see their Facebook page. Tags: urban, squatter, poverty, South America, community, Paraguay. 
Bob Manning's curator insight,
December 13, 2012 10:11 PM
Another example of frugal innovation and what we can learn from people who are often times discounted. 
Jimmy Power's comment,
December 18, 2012 9:19 AM
A lesson for us all the human spirit will always come through
Chris Olenik's comment,
April 16, 8:14 PM
They have a Kickstarter! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/405192963/landfill-harmonic-inspiring-dreams-one-note-at-a-t
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The hunger crisis in the Sahel region of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad has been deepening since the start of this year. The Sahel is a classic transition zone--a border that is not a sharp division, but a gradual shift from one region to the next. This area has environmentally marginal lands, but is as population pressures continue, marginal lands need to sustain more people. 
Elizabeth Allen's comment,
November 24, 2012 11:17 PM
There have been major differences between Americans food consumption compared to Africa's consumption for as long as I can remember. Here we are many years later and the devastation continues.... Comparing articles http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/interactive/2012/jul/19/sahel-food-crisis-guardian-interactive and http://ecocycle.org/holidayguide/10ways(Today, 11:16 PM) (Today, 11:16 PM)
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Seventeen years after she stared out from the cover of National Geographic, a former Afghan refugee comes face-to-face with the world once more. The original cover is one of the more famous National Geographic photos of all time, and yet the woman in the photograph has not lived a life as though millions of people could recognize her eyes. This is her story.
Sam Capron's curator insight,
March 27, 9:34 PM
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. Delete the scoop?
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The death and life of the industrial corridor linking New York and Washington. This article is a great example of analyzing the landscape to observe changes in any given place. This corridor is home to 8 of the 10 wealthiest counties; at the same time this transportation corridor is also home a half a dozen of the country's most broken cities. Exploring this area is way to analyze the changing economic geographies of the United States. For a visual representation of these same themes, see this 5 minute video that corresponds to this NY Times magazine article. Tags: industry, economy, unit 6 industy, transportation, neighborhood, landscape. 
Don Brown Jr's comment,
November 20, 2012 12:06 PM
I can’t help but think of Rhode Island, specifically communities in Providence and how the decline of the textile industry and rise of the automobile has affected the contrast in standards of living and opportunities between the residents of the East Side and South Providence.
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TED Talks For the past two years, photographer Lisa Kristine has traveled the world, documenting the unbearably harsh realities of modern-day slavery. This is a chilling glimpse into the worst and darkest side of the economic systems of geography and labor in the world. It is estimated that there are more than 25 million people who today live in state that can be described as modern-day slavery. We should not discuss slavery only in the past tense, and yet it conflicts with how most people conceptualize the world today. Questions to Ponder: How can this even be happening in the 21st century? What geographic and economic forces lead to these situations portrayed in this TED talk? What realistically could be done to lessen the amount of slavery in the world today? Tags: TED, labor, economic, class, poverty, South Asia, Africa, video. 
Kyle Toner's comment,
November 6, 2012 12:17 PM
This video truly opened eyes into the conflict of modern day slavery. I had no idea just how prevalent, global and horrible this situation is.
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A teaser trailer for the MLK Streets Project, a documentary film examining the state of the many avenues, boulevards and thoroughfares named after the slain ... This video echoes much of what the authors of the fantastic book "Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory" say (in fact one of the authors is shown in this video). Throughout America, streets that are named after Martin Luther King Jr. frequently are in poor, crime-ridden neighborhoods. This video highlights the irony between the historical memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and places of memorialization that bear his name. Questions to ponder: If Matin Luther King Jr. represents non-violence, then why are streets bearing his name often in 'violent' neighborhoods? Where should Martin Luther King be memorialized in the United States? Only in the South? Only in predominantly African-American communities? Do the geography of the spaces where he is memorialized say something about the United States?
Tags: historical, culture, landscape, place, race, unit 3 culture, USA, urban, poverty, unit 7 cities, book review. 
melissa stjean's comment,
October 8, 2012 9:49 PM
These streets are the most popular in the country, but they are located mostly located in areas with profoundly poorer incomes. With poorer incomes, leads to increased crime rates, does naming a street after an iconic hero please the people who live here? It seems like the geography of these places is creating a line of segregation by using his name for a street.
Jeff F's comment,
October 8, 2012 10:42 PM
Martin Luther King Streets are places into prominently African-American neighborhoods because that is where the dominant white culture says they belong. Martin Luther King jr was a powerful African-American man and a powerful African-American man has no place in white communities according to this philosophy. If a MLK street was to be placed into a white suburb it would likely cause controversy. Cries of myths such as "reverse racism" would likely run rampant. This would be accompanied with the idea that a MLK street should only belong in an area with a heavy African-American population.
Jesse Gauthier's comment,
October 14, 2012 3:49 PM
I think Martin Luther King should be memorialized in all parts of the country, and why not with all cultures and races. He did stand for non-violence and non-discrimination, which happens among all types of people.
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This is an old article, but a fascinating topic that cuts across many geographic issues. Uluru, the landform that that European explorers named Ayers Rock, was the key place that is at the center of a struggle between indigenous people and the government. Many feel that the government's course of action in the mid 2000's was paternalistic and racist. They banned alcohol and pornography in over 70 indigenous communities in an attempt to lower the rates of child sex abuse. Sex Abuse is high (and often hidden) in aboriginal communities where a child is 7 times more likely to be abused than in the rest of the Australian population.
Questions to Ponder: Would the government impose such measures on other populations within Australia? When crimes have a racial component, does a government have the right to limit a particular groups' actions? Why or why not?
Tags: Australia, indigenous, ethnicity, race, Oceania.